Monty

Five years ago researchers from Cornell University Medical College startled long-haul fliers by announcing a possible way to beat jet lag. The experiment seemed to show that light shined on the back of the knee could reset a person’s biological clock, bringing a traveler into balance with a new time zone (1). But the Cornell success proved difficult for other scientists to replicate, and a careful analysis of the study in 2002 (2) suggested that this jet lag cure might be, well, a flash in the pan.

According to Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University, jet lag affects 94 percent of people who travel across multiple time zones, and as many as 96 percent of airline pilots and flight attendants live in a permanent state of jet lag. Along with fatigue and insomnia, jet lag also can raise stress hormone levels and blood pressure and cause an irregular heartbeat and swollen limbs. Jet lag also may cause depression and other mental disorders like schizophrenia.

It is only recently that science has taken this disorder seriously and taken steps to find suitable treatments for it. The problem lies in the mismatch between the body’s internal daily rhythm and the light cues it gets from outside. Certain nerve cells in the brain keep the body functioning on a 24-hour cycle that affects sleep and other daily rhythms. This master timekeeper depends on light coming through the eyes to stimulate these cells and synchronize the cycle with day and night.

So what is the treatment for jetlag?

Clinicians often recommend bright light therapy to counter severe jet lag, but this can overwhelm the eyes. Other approaches include small doses of melatonin, one of the body’s pace-setting hormones. Melatonin appears to protect clock cells from inadvertently being reset by bursts of activity in other brain cells. This protective function might explain why melatonin also seems to work as a sleep aid, but it also means that an incorrect dose can aggravate jet lag.

Other mildly successful remedies include slow-release caffeine pills and exercise after a flight, but researchers are not sure exactly how these treatments work. Most people take one day for every time zone crossed to return to a normal sleep pattern, so patience is still the best “cure.”

Read alternative method at: http://www.antijetlagdiet.com/faqs.asp#how

What can I say? It’s love. For most people it’s going to be hard to understand what this revolutionary phone can do, but for me as a mac fanatic it’s much more easier. Features such as: Phone, Mail, Safari, iPod, SMS, Maps with GPS, iTunes, App Store, Calendar, YouTube, Photos + Camera, Stock, Weather, Notes, and Calculator. On top of this, it has multi-touch technology which means I can rotate a picture with two fingers on the phone. GPS, to pinpoint my current location and the direction to my desired address. 3G, for high-speed data transfer!

For how much? The new iPhone 3G comes in two versions; 8 gb model for $199 and 16 gb model for $299. I am so in love. Can’t wait to buy one!

I guess this research is probably true, being a part of the mac sect/cult does influence your behavior.

Finally, I “bought” my ticket back to USA today. I will be leaving Sweden on 31st of July, heading to Chicago where I will stay until 3rd of August. Then La Crosse for 2 weeks before I travel down to University of North Carolina - Greensboro on the 18th of August.

Yesterday was the international student goodbye party 2008 at Vaxjo University and I got the chance to deejay for all international students. It was a nice event to tie up this semester. Crazy how hot the weather was. I enjoyed a lot of things about the day. Meeting all people I haven’t seen and talked to people from La Crosse. Just wonderful!

Here is the movie I made with iMovie.