Is Facebook good or bad for our health?

Researchers came to the conclusion that interacting with others in this way has a positive effect on body and mind. This contrasts with the advice of doctors, who generally recommend people have real, rather than virtual, friends. As this study was done on 30 young students only, it is hardly definitive, but the publication still managed to produce the conclusion that "the success of social networking sites might be associated with a specific positive affective state experienced by users when they use their account".

What the researchers don't mention is the mountains of other (equally limited) research identifying the negative effects of social media - which include shortened attention spans, loss of empathy and even an increase in STIs.

Psychiatrists have decided that social media sites which involve online identities may cause people to place less value on their real lives, increasing their risk of making impulsive acts or even attempting suicide. There is a danger that the fast-paced cyber world where relationships can be ended with the click of a mouse and socially unacceptable profiles quickly deleted threaten to make the real world seem boring and unstimulating in comparison.

Perhaps most worrying are the claims that using Facebook may give you cancer. These have been extrapolated - in a convoluted way - from an article which expressed concern that a reduction in personal contact may increase the risks of heart disease, stroke and dementia, based on research into the effects of social isolation on health.

Other studies have also found social isolation can affect the activity of genes in white blood cells, increasing those involved in inflammation during stress and illness and decreasing those involved in fighting disease. If we are to believe all the research findings, Facebook and its kind disturb sleep, increase general morbidity and mortality, and even affect the success of medical treatments.

Given our rapid and increasingly prolific use of social media, should we all be worried?

Personally, I doubt the vast majority of us need to take these results seriously. None of the studies has looked at whether social networking or computer usage directly caused adverse health effects. Instead they looked at the effects of social isolation or loneliness, with no report on whether these were as a result of increased computer usage. I'm a big fan of Twitter, and those of you who follow me will know I spend far too much time engaged in "social interaction" there. And as far as I'm aware, it hasn't done me any harm, other than pose a serious distraction from working out when I'm in the gym.

Dr Christian Jessen

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6 Ways to Protect Your Eyes and Maintain Good Vision

Regular eye checkups from an ophthalmologist or optometrist are important. They should be done once a year if you are over age 65. Your doctor will recommend earlier and more frequent exams if you have diabetes or if you are already showing early signs of eye problems from diabetes, high blood pressure, or other causes. These important steps can help prevent eye and vision problems:

1
You want to protect your eyes from the sun much like you would protect your skin from the sun with SPF and UV protection.  The sun's damaging rays can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration over time if they aren't protected with sunglasses.  This is because UV bands of light from the sun penetrate the retina leading to eye damage.  When selecting protective sunglasses avoid ones that are marked as cosmetic and select ones that are designated as having 99% or 100% UV protection.




2
You may be familiar with the damage smoking does to internal organs.  However, there is also a direct link between smoking and and eye problems.  If you are a smoker you are increasing your risk of developing a number of eye diseases including: cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome, optic nerve damage, and even diabetic retinotherapy. 


3
If you are engaging in the occasional glass of wine or cocktail you are most likely not harming your eyes, but excessive drinking for extended periods of time could lead to eye damage. Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to degeneration of the optic nerve, which can result in vision reduction, blind spots, and reduced color visibility. Short-term alcohol consumption can trigger migraines, which cause some people to experience flashing lights.  




4
Untreated high blood pressure (hypertension) can affect eyesight and even lead to hypertensive retinotherapy. Hypertensive retinotherapy is directly caused by having high blood pressure, making it highly preventable.  It is also important to maintain healthy cholesterol levels as high cholesterol can lead to circumferential arcus and retinal vein occlusion (vascular eye disease).  








5
Prolonged inadequate blood glucose monitoring can cause diabetic retinotherapy.  Diabetic retinotherapy is a result of damage to the innermost layer of the eye, the retina.  Other eye complications related to diabetes include: blindness, corneal erosion, cataracts, double vision, and bleeding.  






6
Eating foods rich in antioxidants, such as leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collards are exceptionally good for not only eye health but overall wellness.  Antioxidants are vitamins that protect and repair cells from damage such as infection thus keeping your immune system strong.  Fruits and Vegetables that are very colorful tend to pack the most antioxidants including: berries, prunes, plums, alfalfa sprouts, eggplant, beans, and red grapes.