Issue 3 | November 19, 20136 Hoofbeat focus Issue 3 | November 19, 2013 7Hoofbeat focus

Some add cream, some add honey, some add sugar, some dress up their morn-ing beverages like children on Halloween, but for others, a simple caffeinated cup of joe is enough. Junior Hannah Carlson is ready to take on the day after a mug of unaltered coffee.

“My daily routine of drinking coffee usually in-volves spilling it on myself a few times and burning my tongue at least once, but I usually have two cups in the morning,” Carlson said, “Cof-fee gives me a boost of en-ergy that’s helpful in getting through mornings.”

Carlson, who has been drinking coffee since the sum-mer prior to her freshman year, gets through the morn-ings much more easily with a body full of energy and a belly full of Italian dark roast. As she flutters class-to-class, caf-feine the driving force behind her pep, English teacher Scott Milliken is on his third cup

of tea, abuzz with caffeine as well.

“A day without caffein-ated tea is miserable as heck,” Milliken said. His hand grasped tightly around a red travel mug full of some flavor of Bigelow Tea, Milliken de-notes that he has been drink-ing this highly caffeinated morning beverage since he was 18.

“I’m done before noon,” Milliken said in reference to his morning tea consumption, “I drink five to six cups before then.”

This teacher’s love of tea is fueled not only by his need for caffeine in the mornings, but also by the variety of fla-vors Bigelow, the brand he fa-vors, offers.

Carlson is the same way, she usually enjoys the black Italian dark roast that her par-ents brew at home, but the di-versity of coffee drinks draw her in.

“In the spring and sum-mer I love iced coffee, for fall I love Pumpkin Spice lattes, and during the holidays I

love Gingerbread Lattes and Caramel Brulee Lattes from Starbucks. But most days, the classic black coffee is where it’s at,” Carlson said.

Both Carlson and Mil-liken, self-fueled caffeine gu-rus, add caffeinated beverages to their day to make life more enjoyable and less drowsy, but neither one adds anything to their caffeinated beverages.

“I would never add any honey or anything to my tea,” Milliken said, “That would just be un-American.”

The purity of the coffee and tea which Carlson and Milliken respectively drink is not the only thing they agree on: the purpose behind their caffeine consumption remains nearly parallel for the two.

“The best aspect of tea is that it wakes me up, it keeps me at a level where I can do what I need to do,” Milliken said.

Carlson similarly stated, “Coffee tastes good, gives me a boost of energy, and helps cure boredom during school, that’s what the best aspect is.”

Though Carlson and Mil-liken agree on the necessity and greatness of caffeinated beverages, they rate them-selves differently on the scope of addiction to the energy boosting substance. On a scale from one to ten, ten being most addicted, one being not addicted at all, Carlson and Milliken rated themselves six and nine respectively.

“I have gotta be a nine, I drink it every day and it have been part of my morning, every morning, seven days a week for most of my life,” Milliken said, “My doc-tor has told me to try and cut back —not to quit, just to cut back — and I’ve tried, but it just makes me feel awful.”

As the bell rings at 3:15 and students flee to make it home, Milliken rounds up another successful day of teaching, owing much of his focus and production to Big-elow tea. And Carlson climbs into her car, content with yet another long day survived, thanks to the magic in her mug of coffee.

Each day, hundreds of students stroll through the halls of MN stifling yawns and sporting bags under their eyes. Many of these young adults are also accompanied by a caffeinated beverage, which can range from a Starbucks coffee, to a Red Bull energy drink. However, the fleeting buzz that an energy drink entails can have abominable effects on the physical well being of an adolescent due to one key ingredient: caffeine.

According to MedicineNet, caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system, and regular use of the substance can cause mild physical dependence. Internist Kirti Gupta and pediatrician Karen Meyer have both dealt with caffeine addiction in patients throughout their careers.

“ A large majority of my patients detected w i t h

caffeine dependence come in with sleep issues, and headaches. Only a small minority of these patients want anything done regarding the problem however,” Gupta said.

Tell tale signs of a caffeine addiction include lethargy, mild depression, anxiety, nausea, and an inability to concentrate. These symptoms typically appear twelve to twenty-four hours after abstaining from caffeinated drinks.

“Caffeine addiction can be a serious problem for school kids with regards to sleep deprivation behavior. There are even some side effects on the GI tract like heartburn which can complicate an already stressful schedule for many high school kids,” Gupta said.

Research suggests that it takes only 100 milliliters of caffeine a day —the amount f o u n d in a typical

e i g h t

ounce serving of coffee— to trigger at least mild withdrawal symptoms.

“Not just tea and coffee, but soda pop and energy drinks are often high in caffeine. Some of the energy drinks have higher amounts of caffeine in them than a single cup of coffee,” Meyer said.

Preventative steps can be taken to gradually taper off the withdrawal symptoms and decrease caffeine dependence. Drinking more water each day and one less caffeinated beverage can help the body adjust to lower levels of caffeine in it over time.

“I often find that my patients substitute caffeinated beverages for milk. This can prove to be unhealthy as if the body does not receive a source of calcium, it will weaken the bones. When recovering from caffeine withdrawal, drinking not only water, but also milk can help return the body to a state of healthiness,” Meyer said. ,” Meyer said.

With an abundance of caffeinated drinks available for student consumption at school, it is up to the individual to control how much they choose to eat or drink eat day.

“Almost every student I see come in leaves with a caffeinated drink, whether it be a cappuccino, soda, or energy drink,” Hole-in-the-wall employee John Hopza said.

Although the thought of an early morning coffee can cause many students to jump out of bed with joy, the potential effects of this daily routine can hinder both physical and mental aspects of a teenager’s health.

“Just as with many other substance addictions, caffeine addiction is a behavior that compromises your quality of life. Even though caffeine itself may not have as many serious side effects as other chemicals, it is still a prevalent problem in young adults today,” Gupta said.

A day without decaf: Student, teacher share caffeine habits

priyanka godboleentertainment editor

mehgan cainfocus editor

Caught on caffeine: Addiction in adolescents

A Chemical

Craving:

Black Tea - 8 fl oz.

On average, this much Black Tea

has about 42 mg of caffeine. The

caffeine content varies depending

on the concentration of the tea.

Caffeine is a

chemical com-

pound named tri-

methylxanthine:

its addictive prop-

erties classify it as

a drug.

A chem

ical ca

lled

adenosine is

present

in the b

rain, when th

is

chemica

l binds to th

e ad-

enosine re

ceptor

s drow

si-

ness en

sues. To th

e hu-

man brain, caffe

ine looks

like adenosi

ne, so w

hen it

binds to th

e recep

tors, i

t

has no ti

ring eff

ect.

Instant Brewed Coffee - 8 fl oz.

A small cup of instant coffee, a quick

fix of caffeine, has approximately

57mg of caffeine, more than many

common caffeinated drinks.

Diet Coke - 12 fl oz.

Diet Coke, though often seen as the

‘healthier’ Coca-Cola, has more caf-

fiene than regular Coke. 12 oz. of

Diet Coke has 45 mg of caffeine.

Monster - 16 fl oz.

Monster, which claims its energy

drinks have about 160 mg of caffeine

per 16 oz can, were recently tested

and appear to contain 184 mg.

information from howstuffworks.com

Dopamine, the

neurotransmitter

which perceives

pleasure, is stimu-

lated by caffeine,

therefore it makes

you feel happy.

As the weather cools, the homework stacks up, and seasonal drowsiness sets in, MN students turn to caffeine to make up for lost sleep and to add a feel-good aspect to any down day. However, this substance has many addictive as well as attractive aspects.

Addiction Time line

Information from various doctors

This natural narco

tic is

addictive fo

r reason

s

other t

han its taste

.

Information from energyfiend.com

Issue 6 | March 12, 20136 Hoofbeat focus Issue 6 | March 12, 2013 7Hoofbeat focus

Filled with major physi-cal and emotional changes, the high school years can be a very trying time. Some have more trouble adjusting in these four dynamic years than oth-ers. Self reflection creates stress, and can lead to depres-sion for some young people. MN Freshman Jean Donald* battled and successfully con-quered depression.

“At first I felt as though I couldn’t understand my emo-tions, and I couldn’t seem to be happy even on a bright and sunny day,” Donald said.

Depression is character-ized by extreme feelings of sadness, isolation, and worry that last for two weeks or more. It is a serious illness, and with-out treatment or care can esca-late to the point of self harm or suicide.

“I knew something was

wrong, as it was uncharacter-istic of me to get angry over little things, or cry for no rea-son. A lot of changes were going on in my life at the time as well,” Donald said.

D e -p r e s s i o n can last for years, but for Don-ald who got proper t r ea tmen t and care, the ordeal lasted four months.

“I hid my emotions re-ally well and pretended ev-erything was okay for awhile, but right after school began I started to get nervous, so I told my parents that I think I’m depressed. At first they passed it off as teen angst, but soon they began to notice how the changes in my moods and feelings were drastic and very real. They were taken

aback, but quickly scheduled an appointment for me,” Don-ald said.

Often, patients such as Donald are given a paper and pencil test that evaluates

whether or not they may be suffering from depression.

“The test had questions such as ‘Do you feel alone in the world?’, or ‘Are you hav-ing trouble sleeping or eating?’ on it, and overall my score was high enough to indicate that I was depressed,” Donald said.

Medical attention is a must for those dealing with depres-sion, as doctors can success-fully pinpoint and help young

adults cope with the sickness. “My pediatrician suggest-

ed a counselor for me to talk about my feelings with. I went to those appointments once ev-ery 2-3 weeks, and they helped me a lot. The counselor re-minded me that I have friends and family who love and care about me, even when I felt like they didn’t,” Donald said.

Friends and family can have a significant impact on a depressed person. A listening ear or caring shoulder can go a long way during the road to recovery.

“I wanted to do all I could to help and support my friend, but it was a bit overwhelming, as all the feelings we discussed were so uncharacteristic of her. It was like talking to a com-pletely different person for a while,” Donald’s friend Elliot said.

The symptoms may be subtle, but recognition is key

to start healing. “I don’t think I would’ve

been able to deal with it with-out my friends and family. Having someone to listen to me, and knowing that I was not alone through it all helped the most,” Donald said.

Helping someone through depression can prove to be a difficult task at times. With emotional and physical strug-gles, support can be difficult.

“At first I was scared for her, but I knew she could fight through it,” Elliot said.

Though in the past she ex-perienced dark, gloomy days, Donald has hope for the future.

“Just remember that it will be okay, and there is al-ways a silver lining. Depres-sion is not the end of the world. Overcoming it made me realize that I’m pretty strong, if I can survive this, I can get through a lot,” Donald said.

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” The reality behind this quote is that many people are unhappy, and others constantly judge those individuals for their sadness.

However, as a society, sadness is becoming more ac-ceptable, common, and severe, especially in adolescents. Teendepression.org predicts that approximately 20 percent of today’s teens will experi-ence not sadness, but clinical depression before adulthood. Adolescent Depression is an issue that has taken a leap into the limelight in the past decade as teenage suicides, self-mutilation, and despair have become societally more popular and public.

The Mayo Clinic defines

adolescent depression as a se-vere medical issue in which persistent sadness affects how a teen acts, feels, and func-tions.

MN Counselor Jodi Therkelsen views adolescent depression as a serious issue in our world today, but one that is commonly miscon-strued.

“I don’t think the cases of teenage depression have fluc-tuated necessarily, but I think the word is used more loosely and commonly. I think nowa-days teens are definitely bal-ancing much more, which leads to stress and sadness, but not exactly depression,” Therkelsen said.

The American Academy of Family Physicians stated in a 2007 report, that a large number of teenagers are over-whelmed by upsetting feel-ings and experiences, but only about five percent of Ameri-can adolescents suffer from

major depression. Teens that suffer from severe depression are directed to seek medical attention leading to therapy and sometimes prescribed medications.

“My role in truly de-pressed teens’ lives is not to diagnose them, but to notice them. I work towards refer-ring them to someone who can give the help that they need; this usually involves meeting with the teen, working with the parents, and finding a doc-tor,” Therkelsen said.

The seriousness of teen-age depression cannot only be viewed in the behavioral implications, but also in the correlating dangers such as self-harm and even suicide. The New York Daily News re-ported in July of 2012 that the rate for high school suicides in 2011 was at approximately 7.8 percent, a 1.5 percent increase from 2009.

“When left untreated,

depression can lead to other things: physical affliction, a more severe mental illness, and an overall horrible experi-ence,” Therkelsen said.

With teenage suicides on the rise it can be seen that depression is affecting more teens in a severe way. Anyone who is experiencing strong feelings of sadness, has thoughts of suicide, or simply needs help sorting out issues is advised to seek help from his/her counselor, a trusted teacher, or a friend.

“ Teens can always find help in the counseling depart-ment, but oftentimes coming forward is hard. Kids can get help from the hot line*, a teacher, or a friend; it all sort of filters back to us [coun-selors] and we can direct the student to a person who can help,” Therkelsen said.

Teens at MN who are de-pressed or who have concerns about someone they fear may

be depressed can use the Con-cern Box in the entrance to the Counseling Center. By filling out a concern card, a student can aid the counselors in help-ing those who are depressed.

“The Concern Box does a really nice job of raising awareness, it helps to put a kid on our radar. Addition-ally to this tool, the suicide survey completed first semes-ter was really helpful; aware-ness is a huge part of dealing with adolescent depression,” Therkelsen said.

As Wadsworth stated, sadness is unfortunately prev-alent. By recognizing and differentiating sadness and depression, society can help individuals with this emotion-al disorder. Recognition can also hopefully prevent some untimely teen and young adult suicides, helping society step closer to happiness.

*Safe Schools Hot line: 1-888-809-4754

Depression not only affects the one’s thoughts and actions, but also the func-tions of the brain. True clinical depression can result in permanent alterations

to the human mind and it’s workings.

Throughout history, depression has been fought by on many fronts. However, in recent times, depression and the effects of this disorder have become nationally prevalent. The “It Gets Better” YouTube campaign has publicized adolescent depression nationally, and the recent celebrity suicide of Mindy McCready has

brought attention to the unfortunate effects of prolonged, untreated depression. Adolescent depression is a serious issue that effects millions worldwide annually and even a handful of students at MN. Depression

is an intricate disorder with a variety of causes, effects and solutions.

Personalization- When an individual Blames everything on oneself

Dichotomous Thinking- A train of thought in which an individual only sees two choices in a scenario, both of which are primarily negative.

Selective Abstraction- The directing of focus to only one aspect of a situation, typically a bad

condition or the worst outlook.

Magnification- The mental process of amplify-ing the significance of a generally bad event.

Minimization- the distortion of an event where, typically, an individual experiences a success and demeans the gravity of the positive event as well

as his/her importance.

Mental and Physical Signs

priyanka godboleentertainment editor

teen depression: How students beat the blues

mehgan cainfocus editor

Healthy BrainDepressed Brain

sad facts: the truth about teenage depression

EffectsGetting Helpways to get past depression

at first I felt as though I couldn’t understand my emotions, and I couldn’t seem to be happy even on a bright and sunny day.“ jean donald

freshman

*Names have been changed

The brain produces little to no monoamines (chemicals/

hormones that contribute to happiness).

The brain produces an ade-quate level of monoamines

primarily the ‘happy hor-mone’: serotonin.

Information compiled from The Guardian

Prolonged Depression can cause heart problems, as the inappropriate release of adrenalin is asso-ciated with depression and is known to damage

the cardiovascular system.

Excessive weight loss or rapid weight gain are attributed to depression. Loss of appetite or

seemingly endless hunger are incred-ibly common effects of depression.

Subtle aches and pains, or random soreness are common ramifica-

tions of depression.

Irregular sleeping patterns, or altered slumber schedules

are oftentimes results of depression.

Blood flow to vital areas of the brain (primarily the areas focused on cre-ativity) is weakened.

Overtime, Brain volume actually decreases with con-

tinuous depression.

Contact any student help hot line in order to receive guidance and some basic

counseling.National Suicide Prevention Hot line:

1-800-273-8255Safe Schools Hot line:1-888-809-4754

Hot Lines

Counseling

Seeing a Doctor who can prescribe proper

medication and treatment is highly encouraged. Pedia-

tricians can help spe-cialize treatment just as well as a practicing

psychiatrist.

Blood flows almost evenly throughout the brain and distributes the necessary

oxygen to vital areas.

With proper care, healthy habits, and expanding

knowledge, the brain grows throughout life.

Depression

Depression’s Effects on Your Body

Your Brain When Depressed

Visiting the MN coun-seling department is

an efficacious and vital step in the fight against depression. The coun-

selors can help with finding help and gener-ally discussing feelings.

Medical Aid

Issue 5 | February 4, 20146 HooFbeat Focus

Fake BakeSynthetic Marijuana Dominated by Danger

Legality

MN graduate *Jennifer Anderson had been on that couch one million times; the worn fabric just barely held her in place as the world was spinning. She was used to the room, lights dim like street lamps in fog; she was familiar with the hazy atmosphere. As the night sped by, the room was slowing down. More people poured in as more smoke billowed up from the tiny graveyards of cigarettes: laying dormant in makeshift ash trays. Abruptly, she was snapped out of daze when a boy sitting next to her passed her a pipe. After taking a hit, reality slipped even more rap-idly, leaving Anderson in an unfamiliar state.

“[The first time I smoked K2] wasn’t the first time I was high. It was at a party my ju-nior year and I had been into some pretty bad stuff, but any-way, that was the first time a high really messed me up,” Anderson recounts.

The drug that messed Anderson up was the experi-mental cannabinoid K2. K2,

named after the company that initially manufactured it—K2 Herbal Products—is a combination of medicinal herbs sprayed with chemicals to mimic the effects of mari-juana.

“K2 is such a dangerous drug for a variety of reasons,” Community Counselor Peggy Breard said, “it’s easy to ac-cess, widespread, and it’s a shot in the dark. [Every batch] is different.”

This drug, which is also known as spice, crazy clown, genie, and chill, is almost nev-er made the same way twice. Manufacturers uses an array of legal and sometimes illegal chemicals in hopes of emulat-ing the compound tetrahydro-cannabinol, or THC, which is the high inducing chemi-cal found in natural cannabis. The ever-changing recipe for this unsafe substance, causes the end result to be just as iffy, and sometimes even deadly.

“Even after what it did to me the first time, I got a really bad headache and the room kept shrinking and growing so I think I was hallucinat-ing, anyway, I smoked spice

for awhile after that, prob-ably like a little less than 15 times,” Anderson said.

Anderson continued her habitual smoking of the drug spice, not realizing that the life-altering effects that altered her world by making life appear topsy turvy, but were also altering her brain.

“The unpredictable aspect of K2 is something that makes it stand out from drugs like alcohol and ciga-rettes,” Breard said. “When people smoke cigarettes the reaction is typical: they get light-headed, their lungs burn, they cough. But with K2, there are no consistent reaction. Everyone reacts differently to whatever cocktail of chemicals they are smoking.”

Coming down from an extended high, Anderson drifted back into the real world, realizing the dangers of her newest escape.

“One of my friends got a really bad high. I wasn’t smoking with him when it happened but one of the packets he got was messed up and he had a seizure or

something and ended up in the hospital. That made all [of my friends] think ‘Whoa, maybe this is worse than we thought,’” Anderson said.

As a newer drug, ac-knowledged on the federal level in 2011, K2 and its dan-gerous denotations are un-known to many.

“People use this drug so widely because it is legal in the community; anytime you make something legal and easy to access, people will use it. Its’ all about experimenting and most of the time people aren’t concerned about doing their research before using it,” Breard said.

Anderson agrees with Breard’s theory adding that she, herself, was just looking for a legal way to escape.

“I really didn’t know how dangerous spice was when I started smoking [it], to be honest the first time I smoked it I thought it was just weed. Once I figured out it was a cheap, easy high, I wasn’t concerned about googling how it could hurt me,” Ander-son said.

Despite her initial na-

ïveté regarding K2, Anderson stopped smoking the sub-stance on her own, even-tually seeking help for her reliance on ciga-rettes and marijuana as well.

“I haven’t smoked anything in over six months,” An-derson said, “you can find stuff to smoke any-where in college, but af-ter being into it for awhile I’ve learned it’s just not worth it. I’d rather be sober and alive than high and dying,” Anderson said.

Breard reflects this ad-vice, reminding students that the cons outweigh the pros.

“To anyone debating try-ing K2 or really any drug I’d say that its dangerous: life is more valuable than a high. Its hard to hear ‘No, No, No, Don’t do it’ from parents and teachers, so it’s normal for kids to rebel until they learn the hard way,” Breard said, “But a lot of times with K2 learning the hard way means death, and its just not worth it.”

Lethality

andNebraska Attorney GEneral Jon Brun-

ing Declares legislative war of Syn-

thetic Marijuana[ [

K2 is a very dangerous drug, there

are many myths denouncing the deadly

aspects of this substance[ [

Designer drug a detriment: Former student shares K2 story 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

K2There are two known

types of synthetic canna-binoids in circulation

Kansas is the first state to ban synthetic marijuana in March of 2010, many more

states quickly follow.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration gives five of the chemi-cals used in making K2 an emergency designation, making the sale of sub-

stances containing the chemicals JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497

and cannabicyclohexanol illegal.

158 total varieties of known syn-thetic drugs are in circulation, and a survey conducted by the University of Michigan reports

that 11.3 percent of high school seniors admitted to consistently

smoking K2.

The Drug Enforcement Administration determines on April 12, 2013 that three more chemicals found in K2 are classified as Schedule 1 substances, a category used to describe the “most dangerous” type of

illicit substances.

Approximately 41 states (including Puerto Rico) have passed and enact-ed legislation banning K2. Nebraska Legislators have drafted legislation in hopes of seeing K2 illegalized in

NE this year.

in February of 2011 when Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed a bill outlawing an array of chemical sub-stances used to make K2. However, producers of this drug have

found ways to make it without using the illegal chemicals, without getting in legal trouble. Currently, lawmakers are in the

process of putting stricter regulations on this harmful drug.

Nebraska’s Legislature opened up the 60 day session on Jan. 8, Attorney General Jon Bruning proposed a four bill leg-

islative packet posed to crack down on the previously illegalized K2. Being that it is a ‘designer drug’ chemists behind creating K2 have been able to tweak the formula to avoid using the chemicals

that have been outlawed, so because of this Bruning’s bill is aimed to make K2 possession and sale punishable by jail time. This drafted legislation, if enacted, would make the possession of K2 in Nebraska a felony and would employ a more “catch-all” approach to

stopping this deadly drug.

HU-210

Because it is legal it is harmless

Smoking K2 is no worse than smoking a cigarette

K2 is natural so it Is ok to Use

On Oct.13, 2013, 18-year-old Billy Tucker from Waverly, NE went to bed after smoking K2, and he never woke up. Dozens of other deaths nationwide have been attributed

to this drug.

Whereas both cigarettes and K2 have negative effects on lung, brain, and overall bodily health, cigarettes carry a relative consis-tent cocktail of poisons and chemicals; the makeup of K2 differs

with every batch, making it more unpredictable with its outcomes.

Though the base substance of K2 is a variety of natural herbs and plant materials, the chemicals added to it are

what make K2 have psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. These chemicals can cause anything from confusion to

seizures to permanent brain damage.

Issue 5 | February 4, 2014 7HooFbeat Focus

JWH-073

FOund in Synthetic Cannabis as well as Fertal-izer, helps Emulate high-enducing effects of THC

K2 is a synthetic cannabinoid, or a type of chemically manufactured marijuana. The primary plant ingre-dient is Damiana leaves. Along with these leaves, the over 3000 gov-ernmentally recognized formula-tions of K2 are sprayed with an

array of chemicals, here are a few.

A SYNTHETIC CANNABINOID THAT IS 100-

800X MORE PO-TENT THAN THC

recipe

It Started

Now

mehgan cainfocus editor

Synthetic Marijuana Dominated by Danger

*name has been changed

Information compiled from ncsl.org, drugabuse.gov, livescience.com, whitehouse.gov, and MN Community Counselor Peggy Breard.

a cannabinoid receptor that is added to trig-

ger a high

4-methylbuphedroneA type of

Hydrochlo-ride, not in-tended for Consumption

CP-47,497

Myth

Myth

Myth