Unit 4: Exercise And Weight Management

In a society where quantity of work overpowers quality of work, there is no wonder why "neuroenhancing" drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin are on the rise of consumption. As more people adopt the idea that these drugs are cognitively beneficial; the more they secretly use them for non-medical reasons. Margaret Talbot, a writer for The New Yorker, looks more into this problem in her article, "From Brain Gain: The Underground World of "Neuroenhancing" Drugs". Throughout this article Talbot focuses on a new trend of drug use, such as Adderall and Ritalin, for non-medical intentions. She focuses mainly on the increase of drug use by scholars and public intellectuals throughout her article. Talbot successfully proves to her audience that non-medical

As per Healthy People 2020 most Americans do not consume healthy diets and are not physically active at levels needed to maintain proper health. As a result of these behaviors the nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S with 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 and 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. In addition to grave health consequences of being overweight and obese. It significantly raises medical cost and causes a great burden on the U.S medical care delivery system ("Healthy People 2020," 2014, p. 1).

Throughout the United States, children take prescription drugs in order to get high. Most of the time, it is not even for recreational purposes, it is because that doctors tell them that it’ll cure some ailment they have. One of these prescription drugs is Adderall, considered to be a gateway drug for children getting high. People keep getting killed by accidental overdosed from prescription drugs every nineteen minutes, saying that it is even worse than alcohol. Some people ruin their lives by even taking prescription drugs. The niece of the pharmaceutical representative, who was a pre-med student that got into a car accident and was taking prescription drugs, died due to depression from the halting of taking prescription drugs. The niece burned herself alive by taking the oil from a lamp and lighting herself.

Christopher Wanjek, author of Smart Pills: The Truth About Cognitive Enhancing Drugs, a columnist for Live Science and a health and science writer informs readers over the strict and malicious side effects of smart pills. Throughout the article the author illustrates the merit and ethics behind the use of a drug that can become a popular norm further in the future from advocates, such as college students. However, the author feels very appalled by this and continues to further elaborate on this by exclaiming that,“Ritalin is riddled with side effects, such as heart problems, and Adderall adds all the more to the mix, such as the risk of chemical dependency”( Christopher Wanjek, December 9, 2008, Para.2). In addition, to harmful affects the

In today’s society, college students throughout the country without Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are turning to mixed Amphetamine Salts (MAS), which is the brand name for Adderall as their gateway to better studying strategies and presumably higher grades. Currently at the heart of the cultural imagination, lies the controversy over whether or not Adderall, in fact, improves one’s wellbeing. Although many believe that it does cure the attention deficit with which those suffer from, does this “magic pill” actually satisfy the task, or is it like taking a placebo and all in one’s head?

As stated in the article, "Adderall Abuse Alters Brain, Claims a Young Life" James claims “Selling or giving away these drugs may harm others, and is against the law, as well” (James 8). This claim, supported by FDA spokesmen, implies that the selling or giving away of these drugs without a prescription or right to do so is an illegal act. When these drugs are taken by college students who do not have a prescription, they are commencing in the act of buying and using drugs. These drugs are treated as illegal, just like mainstream drugs, not only will it risk health, but also if caught with these drugs it will have the same consequences. The article “Adderall Legal Status” by Addiction blog states that it is illegal to have or dispense Adderall without a prescription, and those who sell or use it illegally get penalized (Addiction Blog 2). This statement means that whoever uses Adderall without prescription is committing a crime which can be punished by law. This proves that taking Adderall without having the right to is an illegal act that can be penalized. So every time one takes this drug to improve their performance in college, they are committing a

Other than just being able to have so many opportunities she also had a great social life with her peers and also a supporting family. One day she was so stressed out and realized that she had a large amount of work to do for her biology class and statistics class. In order to survive all the activities and work, she started to take Adderall to strive in her university career. Adderall is a drug that patients with ADHD take in order to stimulate their central nervous system and calm their hyperactivity. Recently, college students have been taking the drug in order

Freedman also claims that is selfish and fantastic to think a wholesome diet is going to fit the average American, that has a busy schedule, a low to medium income, limited access to fresh farm markets, and a taste acquired culturally and biologically towards high-fat foods, carbohydrates, sugars, and salts. The panorama of obesity in

Out of 7 million Americans who abuse prescription drugs about 1.1 million of those people abuse stimulants such as Adderall (Sciuto, 2013). In 2005, it was found that 2.3 million teenagers abused prescription stimulants, which means drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin (Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics, 2015). This is an extremely large number of people who abuse this drug and who may suffer many of the negative consequences of abusing a stimulant. Although it is hard to find statistics on deaths on statistics only based on Adderall use and abuse, there are many deaths associated with prescription drug use and abuse of stimulants. In 2005, out of the millions of drug-related hospital visits there were almost 600,000 visits associated with prescription drugs (Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics, 2015). Prescription drugs that year were also responsible for more deaths than many street drugs combined (Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics, 2015). Prescription drugs, such as Adderall, cause many deaths and the use of drugs such as prescription drugs may also increase the risk of

According to the Center for Disease Control Obesity affects approximately one third of the United States’ adult population. Every state has an obesity rate of at least 15% and nine states in the United Stated have rates over 30% (CDC, 2010). Obesity affects some demographics more than others with Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans experiencing higher rates of obesity than their white counterparts. The rate of obesity in the US has been rising “from 13.4% in 1980 to 34.3% in 2008 among adults and from 5% to 17% among children during the same period.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Being obese carries severe health and financial burdens. People classified as overweight (having a BMI between 25 and 29.9) or obese (having a BMI of 30 or higher) have increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, liver disease, stroke, certain types of cancers, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, hypertension, abnormal menstrual cycles, Dyslipidemia and infertility (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Medical spending for those who are obese is on average $1,429 per year higher than individuals of a healthy height. As Finkelstein explained in his 2009 study, “the connection between rising rates of obesity and rising medical spending is undeniable.” (Finkelstein, 2009, p. 831?)

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), "more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese." This fact effectively underscores the seriousness of the issue at hand. Further, it means that obesity is affecting millions of people in the U.S. alone (either directly or indirectly). As McKnight (2006) points out, one of the leading causes of death in America is physical inactivity. Physical inactivity coupled with other factors has been branded a leading cause of obesity. Every day, people die from obesity related diseases including but not limited to hypertension and heart disease as others have their social lives greatly inhibited by the condition. In the recent past, debate has been rife on whether obesity should be branded a disease or a factor contributing to ill health. Whether classified as a disease or a factor contributing to ill health, the epidemic remains one of the main preventable causes of death not only in the U.S. but also across the world. In the modern day, both comfort and convenience have come to be regarded top human priories. In pursuance of these two "ideals", healthy living has seemingly taken a backseat. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits is slowly making America a fat nation and as a result, we are slowly gravitating towards poor health. It is this trend that is making obesity synonymous with disease. Obesity is however not a disease but one of the many factors that contribute to ill health.

Not only does prescription stimulant abuse affect the individual student’s health, but is also create a high cost to society; between 2005 and 2010, stimulant abuse related emergency room visits increased by 134 percent, meaning over 30,000 visits a year, which puts a strain on both financial and medical resources. This pattern among college students and young adults needs to be researched in order to understand the severity of the situation so that the costs to society and college students alike can be minimized; once the tendency to abuse stimulants is understood, efforts can be made to establish education programs regarding the abuse of Adderall and Ritalin, as well as stricter legislation regarding the prescription of such drugs. Field site research will include issuing an online questionnaire to the Penn State student body focusing on their personal experiences with stimulants. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of the information, the questionnaire would be completely anonymous. It would collect basic demographic information for statistical analysis, and questions would focus on the subject’s exposure to and personal experience with stimulant medications. Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services may also be a useful resource for obtaining any available information on the process a student would have to go through in order to obtain Adderall and Ritalin, and what would constitute a justifiable reason to gain pharmaceutical

Richard Fee was a potential medical student, an athlete on the baseball team and sophomore class president. In 2008 he began to struggle with focusing on his studies and went to see a doctor who believed he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The doctor immediately prescribed him Vyvanse for his ADHD. In 2008 after he graduated with a degree in biology, he began to study hard for the medical school entry exams. (Schwarz 1) This caused him to make an appointment to the nearby Triad Psychiatric and Counseling Center. The doctor concluded from an 18-question-survey that he had an inattentive-type of ADHD. Richard Fee never had any signs of ADHD before college, as a kid or young adult growing up. A nurse practitioner at the psychiatric counseling center recorded that before, Richard’s complaints about “organization, memory and attention to detail.”, “his speech was clear, his thought process “goal directed” and his concentration “attentive.” (Schwarz 3) Transitioning into severe abuse, he would refill his prescription multiple times a month when he wasn’t even out of them. Then the side effects of Vyvanse began to take place; Richard’s sleep patterns became jumbled, he was in a dark depressed mood and moved back in to his home in Virginia Beach with his parents. Richard began to go through his medication expediently and would go through a whole months worth in a couple weeks. Richard’s behavior was spiraling out of control at this point. He then became paranoid

Obesity in the United States has really become an economic problem as well. People are spending the little money that they have and spending it on food that they shouldn’t be eating in the first place, which they should be spending their money on healthier and nutritious food, for themselves and their family. New England Medical Center, Michael Dansinger of the Tufts says:

“I thought Adderall was awesome but I did not know the side effects, I did not see it as a problem. I had easy access to the medication and I knew that I could always rely on it. By the end of my freshman year, I was to the point where I needed Adderall to function. By my sophomore and junior year, I was completely dependent on the medication; it gave me purpose to carry out my day and it was fun to me. I never saw it as a problem, until my life constantly revolved around it. I would wake up in the morning and I needed Adderall, it was the only way I could get up. My mother began to notice that I was changing, changing in ways that were not healthy!”