Life & Style. Have a fitness tip or recipe to share? Contact the editor at lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca J By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer une is finally upon us, and with it comes the ever- elusive Vancouver sun—or at least an increased chance of it. With that in mind, here are a few summer-related notes to be aware of. Watermelon seeds are perfectly safe for consumption. The popular childhood thought is that if you eat a seed, you'll CHUN ATLA *~ miraculously begin to grow this behemoth of a fruit inside of your stomach. The “more educated” folk will occasionally try to inform you of the dangerous chemicals contained within said seeds. Thankfully, both are so far off base that they aren’t even in the dugout. Watermelon seeds are both safe and nutritious for you. The numbers speak for themselves. Were one to collect and consume a cup Mum ts APES TER of watermelon seeds (108 grams) you would be getting (in terms of the recommended daily value) 79 per cent fat, 62 per cent protein, 14 per cent thiamin, 9 per cent riboflavin, 19 per cent niacin, 16 per cent folate, 6 per cent calcium, 44 per cent iron, 139 per cent magnesium, 82 per cent phosphorus, 20 per cent potassium, 74 per cent zinc, 37 per cent copper, and 87 per cent manganese. And if chewing on a hard seed isn’t to . me . ! 2H tpt Close up on Sunburnt, peeling skin | Photo courtesy of srslyguys (Flickr) quite your taste, it’s quite common in parts of the world to roast them first. Hot showers are bad for sunburns. So you've gone out, enjoyed the sunshine, and come home to the unfortunate discovery that you’re horribly sunburned. Despite the varied and confusing advice one can receive, hot showers are a bad idea. While boiling jets of water may temporarily feel good, the aftermath won't be pretty, as common sense Douglas College alumnus is changing the way we think about mental illness Michael Schratter taking aim at the damaging stigma that is still pervasive By Aidan Mouellic, Staff Writer he statistics say that one in five Canadians will deal with a mental illness within their lifetime. Even you are not one who becomes afflicted by mental illness, the chances of someone close to you being afflicted is high. We may hear murmurs of a friend taking “meds” or a relative being “committed,” but we rarely hear someone speaking openly about their journey through mental disorder. The reason for this lack of dialogue comes from the ever- present stigma that is associated with mental illness. One person who is changing 10 how people think about mental illness and tackling the stigma head-on is Michael Schratter. Schratter , a 44-year-old school teacher in Vancouver, founded the charitable foundation Ride Don’t Hide to inform the public about the devastating effects that stigma has on people dealing with mental illness. To raise awareness for the cause, Schratter embarked on 66 a journey around the world by bicycle on August 1, 2010. After riding through 33 countries and logging 40,000 kilometres on his pannier-laden Norco, Schratter arrived back in Vancouver to a warm reception at Rogers Arena in November of 2011. The ride raised over $94,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association and spread a message of hope and acceptance to those struggling with mental illness. The cause is personal for Schratter since he gained first- hand experience of the effects of mental illness during his adolescent years. That’s when he experienced his first depressive episode right after high school, which led to a failed suicide attempt. Following the death of his father in a cycling accident a few years later, he experienced his first manic episode. The depressive episode followed by the manic episode led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. For Schratter, the stigma surrounding his illness was more harmful than the actual effects of the disorder. After spending about a week at UBC hospital for the manic episode, the care team at UBC advised Schratter to lie to people about what he had gone through instead of tell them the truth. Schratter says, “It bothered me more than the emotional hiccup that I went through with the manic episode; I couldn’t deal with the notion that I had something to be ashamed of, as if this was some sort of character Its okay to talk of mental illness, its okay to have suffered from mental illness, and it is the time for the stigma to be gone. un flaw. Schratter says the experience opened his eyes to the “deafening silence that surrounds mental illness.” He emphasizes that humans are “uber-social animals that need the support of the group to heal from physical and psychological injuries.” Ride Don’t Hide is the social vehicle that Schratter would indicate. Since when do you pour hot water on any other burn? You should stay at a comfortable temperature and keep hydrated to recover from a sunburn, so a cool (not cold) or lukewarm shower is the way to go. Aloe vera is also a great way to soothe burns. Alternatively, regularly applying sunscreen to avoid this problem altogether works too. created to make the necessary changes happen and to foster the power of social interaction. Schratter and Ride Don’t Hide have teamed up with Shoppers Drug Mart this year to put on a community bike ride to raise awareness and funds for the cause of women’s mental health. In British Columbia, there will be 13 rides in various communities, including Vancouver, on June 23. The ride in Vancouver will be centered around Central Park in Burnaby and will be in routes of varying distances for riders of all abilities. The Shoppers Drug Mart Ride Don’t Hide is aiming to raise $400,000 this year and attract over 2,500 riders. To register for the ride go to www. RideDontHide.com or if you want to ride with some fellow Douglas College students, contact The Other Press for further information.