Researchers say some produce carries more pesticides than others. Here are 3 things to know
Every year, the Environmental Working Group releases its list of top offenders when it comes to pesticides on fruits and vegetables. CNN's Meg Tirrell asks experts about how to use the list and properly wash your produce at home. For more on EWG's report, head to CNN's Life But Greener.
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CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
Humans aren't built to remember everything. 5 tips to remember the important stuff
Editor's note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN) — Most of us are familiar with the frustration of forgetting — whether it's struggling with a word on the tip of the tongue, misplacing important items such as keys or glasses, or even disremembering why you came into a room. How can we do anything but forget — especially in a time in which we are subjected to a firehose of information every waking minute, between our life in the physical world and what comes at us electronically via smartphones, TVs, computers and more? The average American is exposed to an estimated 34 gigabytes — or 11.8 hours' worth — of information every day, Dr. Charan Ranganath wrote in his most recent book, 'Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters.' That figure came from a 2009 report by the Global Information Industry Center at the University of California, San Diego. 'Last time I looked it up, the estimate increased even more since,' Ranganath told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast Chasing Life. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, where he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience. Far from remembering all this information, he said the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath's book references the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that we can only keep seven items (plus or minus two) in mind at a time. (Subsequent research, Ranganath wrote, shows the number to be closer to three or four items.) 'I think one of the misconceptions out there … is that we're supposed to be taking everything in that's around us,' he said. 'In fact, our brains really operate on this principle of economy: to get as little information in as possible and to make as much of that information.' You can learn more about the nature of memory by listening to the podcast's full episode here. 'It's all about this economy and being able to use attention as this big filter, to be able to focus on the things that are most important,' he said. 'Sometimes it's the things that you expect, and sometimes it's the stuff that violates your expectations — and that's where there's the most meaning,' he said. 'But it also means that we miss things sometimes, and we end up with frustration because our attention was directed at the wrong place at the wrong time.' Improving memory isn't about trying to stuff more information inside your head. 'The thing that I like to say is: Don't try to remember more, remember better,' Ranganath said. 'Sometimes remembering better means memorizing less.' One way to do so, Ranganath said, is with a process called chunking — or grouping many things into one. We remember the alphabet this way as well as our Social Security number and the names of the Great Lakes (the acronym HOMES for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). By grouping these items, you reduce the number of things you have to remember: Instead of 26 separate items, the alphabet becomes one. Similarly, memory athletes — who compete to memorize as many digits of pi as possible or the order of a deck of cards — 'develop strategies that allow them to meaningfully slot the information that they're trying to remember into this larger structure so that 10 things can become one thing,' Ranganath said. What can you do if you struggle with forgetfulness? Here are Ranganath's five tricks to help form memories for events that matter. All you have to is remember to 'call a MEDIC!' he said via email. Attach what you want to remember to something of importance. 'You can remember information like names if you can tie them into information that has meaning to you,' he said. For instance, if you are a fan of Greek mythology, you can link Ranganath's first name, Charan, to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld who, for a price, transports the souls of the dead across the River Styx. 'And (you can) imagine me ferrying people across the river of the dead,' he said. Such vivid imagery can help you remember a name. Test yourself. Even if you make a mistake, Ranganath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something. 'If you're learning a new name or foreign language word, take a guess about what the name could be or guess about the meaning of the word,' he said. When you learn the answer, he said, the brain can 'tweak that memory to make sure it is more closely associated with the right answer and less likely to be associated with competing answers.' Make it pop. 'Just as it's easier to find a hot pink Post-it note on a desk full of yellow notes, it's easier to find memories that have features (that) stand out from other memories,' Ranganath said. For example, 'When you put down your keys, take a moment to attend to a detail like a sound or a unique visual cue,' he said. It will go a long way toward helping you remember where you put them, he said, as you're frantically scrambling to get out the door. Take advantage of the fact that the brain has adapted to flag moments that are significant. 'We retain memories for events that are important — in a biological sense,' Ranganath said. 'When we have experiences that are rewarding, scary or embarrassing, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline or serotonin are released, promoting plasticity.' These neurotransmitters help cement the experience in your memory a bit more. Curiosity can also play a role. 'We have found that being curious has a similar effect on memory,' he said, noting that curiosity activates 'dopamine-carrying areas of the brain' and promotes learning. 'So, before you learn, get curious about the subject!' he said. Use your senses to do a little time traveling. 'Our memories for events, or episodic memories, are tied to where and when the event took place,' Ranganath said. 'That's why hearing a song that played during your summer abroad in college or smelling food that your grandmother used to make can immediately transport you back in time.' 'If you are trying to recall a past event, imagine yourself in that place and time — how you felt, what you were thinking about, the sights and sounds of the place — and you'll find yourself pulling up a lot,' he said. We hope these five tips help you remember more and memorize less. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next Tuesday for a new episode of the Chasing Life. CNN Audio's Sofía Sanchez contributed to this report.
Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
How To Lead A Company Through Personal Crisis And Come Back Stronger
As Paramount Chair Shari Redstone reveals her battle with thyroid cancer, founder Billie Whitehouse opens up about leading a company through a profound health challenge—and what other women leaders can learn from her experience. When news broke that Shari Redstone, Chair of Paramount Global, is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, the public learned only through a brief, formal statement from her spokesperson. Redstone has not commented directly but emphasized through her team that she would 'maintain all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing.' Her discretion underscores the pressure many women leaders face to project invulnerability in the face of deeply personal health crises. That's why Billie Whitehouse, founder and CEO of fashion tech company Wearable X, is choosing a different path. Now in remission after a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, she's sharing what she wishes she had known—and how women can remain effective leaders through profound health challenges. When Whitehouse was initially diagnosed in 2022, she was 27 years old and 22 weeks pregnant. Despite experiencing intense abdominal pain, her doctors repeatedly dismissed her concerns. 'They kept telling me that it didn't make sense for me to get a colonoscopy and that I didn't fit the profile. I wish I could have read something somewhere that showed me what I should have done. At the time, I didn't have the confidence to push back. I was just like, 'oh yeah, they're the experts. Okay, we move on.'' Eventually, emergency surgery revealed a tumor in her transverse colon. Her baby survived the operation but died six days later. Whitehouse took a board meeting from the hospital the day before her baby died. 'I had waited for this board meeting for so long. Everyone had rescheduled a million times. I just needed to get it done. In hindsight, I really wish I hadn't done that.' Her experience and her survival taught her powerful lessons she now wants to share with other women. She hopes her story can guide those navigating personal crises while also leading companies. Whitehouse's first instinct was to keep her diagnosis private. And she doesn't regret it. 'I told [the board] I was going through treatment, but not what the treatment was,' she says. 'I feared not getting a project or a client because someone thought I was too high-risk. I was worried they would remove me if they didn't think I could do the job.' John Samuels, CEO of Wellworth Advisors, agrees that leaders don't always have to disclose all of the personal details. However, they do need a plan. He suggests considering factors like privacy, the ability to perform your job, the type of work you do and legal and regulatory requirements. Samuels also suggests only communicating facts and not 'unknowns.' While Whitehouse kept her personal story to herself, she did choose to over-communicate about the state of the company. 'In the first month after my diagnosis, we lost our biggest client, our bank went bust and we got audited for our insurance,' she says. 'So, I really over communicated with the board at that time.' When asked if she felt that was the right approach, she answered an emphatic yes. 'The board has since told me they were so grateful for the over communication.' Nadi X by Wearable X yoga wear Wearable X When Whitehouse was first diagnosed, she tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, prioritizing both work and her health, despite undergoing surgery and a rigorous course of chemotherapy. She didn't want to convey that she wasn't able to do her job. 'In the first three months of my diagnosis, I tried to maintain my normal work schedule. I tried to be on every call and just 'do the thing.'' Melissa Gonzalez, author of The Purpose Pivot, says women need to stop looking at vulnerability as a weakness. 'Too often, in our personal pursuit of professional excellence, especially as women leaders, we've been conditioned to ignore the early warning signs our bodies send us.' The retail strategist says women are conditioned to wear exhaustion like a 'badge of honor.' 'We hide our struggles out of fear of appearing weak and tell ourselves to just 'power through' until our bodies make different decisions for us.' Lisa Marchiano agrees, especially for younger women. The Jungian analyst and podcaster says, 'Young women in a corporate environment often worry about not being taken seriously. Showing weakness or vulnerability may feel unthinkable as they worry it will undermine their authority.' When Whitehouse's cancer returned in 2023, she took a different approach. Whitehouse's recurrence provided an opportunity to do things differently. She says one of her biggest realizations was that she didn't need to keep pushing at full speed. She could, and should, set boundaries. Referring to her second bout with colon cancer, Whitehouse said, 'This time I was just very deliberate about when I could work and when I couldn't based on my treatment. I told people I would respond by email, but slowly... don't expect it to be immediate.' Whitehouse says she learned this lesson the hard way. 'Previously I tried to maintain my normal work schedule. This time around, it was a much more deliberate approach.' Marchiano warns that bearing suffering alone cuts us off from an essential source of help and comfort. Women, fortunately, tend to respond to stress through a strategy known as 'tend and befriend,' she says. 'If we're suffering, we let our close circle know and may receive an outpouring of material and emotional support.' However, she warns, if we choose to keep a diagnosis private at work, we lack that support where we may need it the most. This means it may be helpful to confide in a close circle of colleagues. 'Having to face a life-threatening illness or devastating loss while few around have any idea means that you are carrying this burden alone, at least in the work sphere,' Marchiano says. 'This takes a toll.' 'I got my mojo back by finding things to look forward to, like meaningful projects, travel, time with family,' says Whitehouse. 'I'm enjoying work in a new way at the moment,' she says. 'And I think that helps you get your mojo back—when you can find the parts of work that really excite you.' That also includes getting rid of toxic clients. After engaging with a client that caused her a great deal of stress, she ended the relationship. 'I'm proud of myself for making that decision. The stress from working with people like that is too great now.' Whitehouse has also launched a yoga e-book and is developing a breast pad that vibrates to reduce mastitis in nursing mothers. And her biggest boss move yet may just be her recent photoshoot that shows the world her battle wounds – her surgical scars. 'It's quite personal,' she explains. 'But it feels like it's the time to be fully transparent.' 'One of the things we need to do with suffering is to make meaning of it,' says Marchiano. 'Then, it can become bearable.' Marchiano supports Whitehouse sharing her story so that others going through something similar might benefit. 'In this way, she is trying to put her suffering to good purpose.' Gonzalez shares the same sentiment. One recurring theme she elicited through interviews for her book is about sharing. 'There is immense relief that comes from sharing our journeys and embracing the strength found in vulnerability, and the unexpected gift of our sharing helping others.' Whitehouse agrees. 'I've decided I don't want to be ruled by fear anymore,' she says. 'I want to live fully, and for me, that means being vocal.' Whitehouse's Nadi X yoga wear by Wearable X Wearable X And vocal she is. While not every woman will or should handle crises in the workplace the same way, what matters is that your communication be honest and on your own terms. 'Communicate authentically to yourself,' Whitehouse says. 'For me, that meant ensuring that the status of the company was clear and that there was still a path to success—even if that meant taking some time to slow down.'
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PFAS exposure before birth could put your teen at risk for high blood pressure, study finds
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. Prenatal exposure to a class of dangerous, widely used chemicals could be linked to your child having high blood pressure as a teen, according to a new study. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — sometimes called 'forever chemicals' because they don't fully break down in the environment — are a class of about 15,000 human-made chemicals linked to cancers, endocrine-related conditions and developmental problems in children. New data shows the synthetic compounds could also be linked to a teen's risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life, according to the study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers looked at data from 1,094 children over an average of 12 years. The study team compared measurements of eight types of PFAS chemicals in maternal plasma samples 24 to 72 hours after birth and the children's blood pressure from medical records, according to the study. The kids who were exposed to higher levels of PFAS chemicals in utero were more likely to have higher blood pressure in childhood and adolescence, the research found. The connection was particularly strong in adolescents, male children and Black children, said senior study author Dr. Mingyu Zhang, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The study is observational, meaning that while it shows associations, it cannot prove that PFAS exposure is the cause of the elevated blood pressure, Zhang said. While researchers did adjust for other factors that could be at play, there could be other elements driving the connection between PFAS and blood pressure, he added. That said, the results are strong because this study is one of the largest and most diverse while also using rigorous methods, said Dr. Carmen Marsit, Rollins Distinguished Professor of Research at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. He was not involved in the research. The topic is important to investigate because if a child has high blood pressure, they are more likely to also have higher blood pressure later on, Zhang said. And that is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. The largest effects were shown in adolescents who were exposed to a mixture of different PFAS chemicals during pregnancy compared with those who were not, which implies that there may be a synergistic impact on cardiometabolic health, Marsit said. 'Most children will be exposed to multiple different PFAS chemicals, so this is worrisome,' he said. The fact that adolescence is the age when prenatal exposure to PFAS is most linked with higher blood pressure suggests that some of the PFAS chemicals could take a long period of time to show their impacts, Marsit said. A long latency of the effects would mean that people don't just need to worry about reducing exposures, but interventions also need to be developed to prevent the health outcomes in people who were exposed earlier, he added. Not only are PFAS forever chemicals –– they also are everywhere chemicals. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that this class of chemicals can be found in nearly every person in the United States, Marsit said in a previous CNN story. There are things you can do to reduce your exposure, however, he added. Major sources of exposure include food, water, and waterproof or stain-resistant items, Marsit said. Helpful steps include drinking filtered water –– using filters like those listed by the Environmental Working Group –– out of metal or glass containers, he said. Plastics contain PFAS and other toxic chemicals, Marsit said. A focus on fresh food can also help, as packaging for foods are often coated in PFAS chemicals, he added. And avoid using nonstick cookware, opting instead for metal, cast-iron or ceramic pots and pans, he said. Dusting, vacuuming, and washing your hands before eating or drinking can also reduce PFAS exposure, Marsit said. Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of high blood pressure for children who have been exposed to PFAS, Zhang said. 'These include maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, reducing salt intake, and encouraging physical activity,' he added. But ultimately, an individual cannot solve PFAS exposure alone, Zhang said. 'We also need policy-level actions to limit and phase out PFAS use in products and industry, and to strengthen monitoring and regulation of PFAS in water systems,' he added.
