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MindShift by Creative B’stro

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	Ask the doc Dr. Davis Smith is an internist practicing in Connecticut and at Trinity College in Hartford. He specializes in the care of adolescents and GLBTQ patients.

“Is it recommended to have freckles checked out if they’ve gotten darker?”
—C.K.*, Rochester Community and Technical College, Minnesota

I wonder if you’re thinking of moles. Freckles themselves aren’t at risk of becoming cancerous, but some moles might be. There’s some overlap because the risk of getting skin cancer is higher in people with light skin that freckles easily, according to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. But just because you are at risk doesn’t mean you’ll get cancer.

How do I know if my moles are problematic?
Moles (nevi) are skin growths and some of them may have the potential to turn into skin cancer, specifically melanoma.

Moles can be raised or flat and the color is generally brown, black, or tan. There are particular patterns of change that are worrisome. Perhaps you’ve heard of the ABCDE rule for melanoma? If not, look at the American Cancer Society’s guide to the signs.

What are the risk factors?
Some people are at higher risk of melanoma, owing to:

• A family history of melanoma
• The number of moles on your skin
• Being fair-skinned
• High UV light exposure, including from tanning beds

How to prevent it?
People in their teens and twenties have the advantage of being able to focus on prevention instead of detection and treatment.

Sun exposure is a major, modifiable risk for melanoma. Limiting sun exposure reduces the risk of skin cancer. The American Cancer Society is promoting the catchphrase “Slip, slop, slap, and wrap” to help you remember some of the key steps you can take to protect yourself from UV rays:

• Slip on a shirt
• Slop on sunscreen
• Slap on a hat
• Wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and skin around them

Takeaway
If you have a birthmark, mole, or other-colored patch of skin that looked the same for years but has started to change in appearance, you should probably get it checked out by a knowledgeable health-care provider.

	Ask the nutritionist Karen Moses, director of wellness and health promotion at Arizona State University in Phoenix.

“I keep my calories at an appropriate intake; however, I drink a lot of soda. Why is this bad?”
—Amberly T., University of Massachusetts, Amherst

This is a great question. Even if your caloric intake is appropriate, if soda makes up a significant proportion of your calories, then you are taking in a lot of empty calories. Empty calories come from foods and drinks that lack nutritional value. 

When you have soda, you’re not getting the nutrients you could get from something else—like the calcium in milk, for example.

Nutrient deficiencies
Since soda gets all its calories from sugar, and sugar lacks vitamins and minerals, it is not a healthy choice. People who consume a lot of empty calories can end up with nutrient deficiencies. To be healthy, it is smart to consume foods and drinks that pack in the most nutrition.

Oral health
Another reason to reduce your soda consumption is to maintain good oral health.  The phosphoric acid in soft drinks wears down tooth enamel. Combine this with sugar, and it’s a recipe for tooth decay and gum disease. The phosphoric acid in soda can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb calcium. This can contribute to bone loss and osteoporosis. 

Type-2 diabetes and heart disease
Studies have linked soda consumption to type-2 diabetes and heart disease. Women who drank one or more sugary beverages a day (including soda) were more likely to develop type-2 diabetes than were women who stayed away from those drinks, according to the 2004 Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard Medical School.

What if your diet is otherwise healthy and you’re at a healthy weight? This only slightly reduces the risk associated with sugary beverages, according to a 2010 study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. (While these associations are interesting and can help inform our choices, it is not yet known whether other factors are involved.)

What’s the alternative?
Should you switch to sugar-free soda?  There are potential risks here too. Artificial sweeteners are “safe for the general population under certain conditions of use,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration. Even so, there is evidence that these sweeteners can contribute to weight gain, type-2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. 

Based on the evidence, the best option is to drink soda in moderation, if at all.

	Ask the counselor Sharon Sevier, PhD, LPC, is chair of the board of directors of the American School Counselor Association.

“When someone betrays me, I have a hard time getting over it. Any tips?”
—S.B.*, University of Victoria, British Columbia

It feels terrible when someone betrays you. It might seem like the relationship is broken forever. How could you ever trust this person again? Before you remove them from your life completely, take a step back.

Get the facts
After you have gotten over the shock of the betrayal:

• Talk with the person (just the two of you) about what happened.
• Your goal is to find out the truth. There might be rumors going around, but you want to hear it straight from this person. 

Take time and get space
Once you get the facts, you may need some distance between you and the other person. It is OK to tell the person that you need time away.

To make some space for yourself, try these simple, effective, ways to change your habits:

• Take a different route to class
• Spend time with other people (for example, sit with your other friends at meals)
• Unfollow this person on social media (this can be temporary)
• The most important thing is to take the time you need to process your emotions and grieve. It can take a while for you to feel you’re back in balance. 

Figuring out what you want next
It’s important to reflect on the betrayal and what has been done to the relationship. This will determine whether you consider re-establishing your friendship or whether you choose to walk away from it. 

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the other person apologetic? Do they want to make things better?
• Can you move beyond what happened? You don’t need to share your decision; it’s personal and shouldn’t be swayed by anyone else.

Trying to forgive
Forgiveness doesn’t mean acceptance. It’s a very personal act. You are relieving yourself from the anger and hurt, acknowledging what happened, and making your decision about the future of the relationship.

Mind your mind

Finding calm in the chaos

By Dr. Holly Rogers

Your week might look like this:

• Study for bio exam
• Finish/Start Russian lit essay
• Get to poetry club meeting
• Turn in grad. school applications
• Pick up an extra shift at the library
• Celebrate your roomie’s birthday
• Devour pizza with your study group

Sound familiar? Sometimes the demands can be relentless, making you feel like you wouldn’t know how to relax even if you had the time. To keep it together, we may need to cut back on our commitments. But there is another way:

#JobProb

The leading skill for your career—and how to get it

Whichever year of college you’re entering, it’s not too soon to be thinking about how to position yourself for the job market you’ll face after graduation. The Job Prob, our monthly series, shows you how to use your college years to build the skills, practical experience, and networks that will help you thrive professionally

In this installment, we explore leadership: why employers look for it, what it means for your career, and how to develop relevant skills.

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Contributor spotlight

Joe Kasper is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in communications at Governors State University, Illinois, and a grocery store produce worker. Joe is a member of the Student Health 101 Student Advisory Board 2015–16.

For this issue, Joe reviewed SleepBot, an app designed to help us all get the hang of the nights. Check out the article: Drained? How to sync your sleep and life.

What’s the deal with the SH101 Student Advisory Board?
“I joined to help college kids like myself because I know the experience can be overwhelming. With some helpful tips, we can give college a good old-fashioned Chuck Norris roundhouse kick in the behind.”

Best productivity tip 
“Please do not procrastinate. I’m begging you! I know at the time it might seem more fun to play ping-pong with a guy dressed up like Elvis, but that doesn’t look good on a résumé.”

Student reporter internship
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Student advisory board
Selected students from our diverse community of readers help shape SH101 content.
+ 2015 – 16 Student Advisory Board