After Abuse, Changes in the Brain

It is a well known fact that children who are abused have a higher "risk of developing mental problems later in life."(1) This is the basis of the information presented in the article written by Carey Benedict in this weeks health section of the New York Times. In the past 10 years researchers have been running tests on animals showing that affectionate mothering allows the offspring to respond better to stress. The affection shown by the mother actually has the affect of altering genes in the child making it better suited for stressful situations, and this child then passes that trait on to the following generation. They have now found these same results in the brains of humans. By studying the brains of "12 people who committed suicide and who had difficult childhoods" and "12 people who had committed suicide and who had not suffered abuse or neglect as children." (1) In the brains of the 12 abused they found genetic alterations which suggest that they are more "biologically sensitive to stress." (1) They had 40 percent less of the receptors needed to clear cortisol, the hormone that circulates through the body when stressed. 

This study is very interesting. I never thought that abuse would actually affect your genes, but finding this out is a really good advancement in medicine. If they can pinpoint this genetic malfunction in people they may be able to prevent a lot of suicides. I think it should also be an eye opener to the parents, as well. Because when you abuse your kids this study proves it has a much more permanent affect than they think.

Randy Pausch

After watching Randy Pausch give his last lecture and reading part of his book, I found myself contemplating how I would handle the same situation. All in all I feel that he handled it pretty well. He is right that his children are to young to remember him for the rest of their lives, and if I were him I would want my children to have something to remember me by. In my opinion there is no better way to be remembered than to have a book published. Now his kids have something to read whenever they want. When they have a rough day and need some encouraging words from their father they can open the book and find comfort. As far as the last lecture video goes, now the kids have more than just a picture to look at to remember what their dad looks like, they get to see their dad in motion doing what they love. 

The book was definitely a good memento for his children, the video was also a good memento, but I think that was more of a personal thing for him (one of his "head fakes"). Human nature is to want to be remembered, wanting to leave a legacy and to be remembered for all their accomplishments. The last lecture itself was a catering to these human needs. Yes it was a message to his kids to chase their dreams no matter how unlikely they may seem, but it was as much for him as it was for them.

Vitamins

In the article "Vitamin Pills: A False Hope?" by Tara Parker-Pope brings to light three resent studies, which have all shown no benefit from taking high doses of vitamins. Studies have even shown that excessive amount of certain vitamins can be harmful. For instance, higher lung cancer rate with high doses of beta carotene, and a 5% higher rate of mortality in antioxidant users in a study of 181,000 participants. They suggest the problem is that it is not the specific vitamins in our fruits and vegetables that make them beneficial, it is the combination of the entire food. Next on the agenda for study are whole food extracts. In this article some doctors say they can't understand why despite the evidence that vitamins don't prevent diseases so many people take them. 

I find this article to be very interesting because I am a vitamin user. Although, they say vitamins present not benefit, when I take them I feel more energized and healthier, but I take vitamin B's which weren't focused on in this article. I have a few problem with the studies mentioned because there is not enough information, there are a lot of outside factors that could effect all these tests like a persons diet and exercise levels. I feel that if you are a person who engages in vigorous activity and uses your supply of nutrients than vitamins are important to help replenish those nutrients, there is only so much time in the day to eat. People continue to buy the vitamins because taking them can't hurt. Even though studies show in some cases to much of a good thing can be bad, these aren't high percentages. Plus, they say we receive just enough nutrients from a well balanced diet, but in the hustle and bustle of the times many people are eating fast food and not getting that balanced diet they prescribe. So why not take vitamins?

The Man Who Mistook his wife for Hat

I found this whole story to be very interesting and I think a lot of it had to do with the person Dr. P was. Despite the fact that he was unable to see the whole of an object he still remained very artistic and highly skilled in song. It is fascinating that when one part of the brain fails the rest of it functions without a hitch. As for the narrator of the story, if I were him I would have done more for the man. Maybe have tried to find the route of his problem and fix it. I feel that the transformation his artwork took shows that whatever condition he had it was gradual so that might lead to an explanation. He could rule out a recent blunt trauma because of that. At the same time that I feel he should have followed and solved the case, I also see why he made his decision not to. Dr. P didn't actually feel that he had a problem, to the question "What seems to be the matter?" Dr. P said "nothing that I know of, but people seem to think there's something wrong with my eyes." And to the next question of "But you don't recognise any visual problems?" He replied "No, not directly, but I occasionally make mistakes." Dr. P's condition was not really affecting his life. His life was art and music, which his condition wasn't affecting at all. If the narrator did stay on the case and find a tumor or something else that needed to be removed, that may have affected his artistic and then it would have had an affect on his life. Dr. P was not hindered by his condition in any way so there was no need to correct it. 

Robert Coles, Randy Testa, Joseph O'donnell, Penny Armstrong, and M. Brownell Anderson (2002). A Life in Medicine. New York, New York. The New Press 

Diet the natural way

In the article I just read it was the title that first caught my eye. "Natural diet pills laced with drugs," so automatically i thought hardcore drugs, but that was not the case. Despite my disappointment, I was still appalled by the fact so many diet pills have been falsifying their ingredients. The article focuses primarily on the diet pill starcaps which has been on the market for over 2 years. It contains the drug bumetanide, which is a "potent diuretic" and also is used to mask steroid use. A few professional football players have filed a lawsuit against them because taking the diet pill caused them to fail drug tests, which test for bumetadine. 

 Personally, I have never felt that diet pills actually worked other than as a placebo to make people feel they are getting thinner. For many people controlling their weight is very difficult and they feel, hey why not try the diet pill and see if it works, so it is messed up that they are persuading people to put unapproved substances into their bodies. An event like this also makes you question the ingredients of other over the counter supplements you are purchasing at your local GNC. All these diet pills guarantee results and seduce you with advertisements, robbing you of your money and health. I think it is criminal. At this point, the article says the FDA has little control over what is put on the shelves because they aren't allowed to test it until it actually reaches the shelf. A scary thought considering I thought the FDA was trying to protect us, but they are kept in the dark until it is unveiled to the public. The only real way for the FDA to do its job is to test it before it hits the sales floor. Plus, it is up to the company to make the recall if the FDA discovers it is hazardous. This current law needs to be revised immediately, so every person trying to make an easy buck isn't allowed to put frauds on the market.

Sorry

Okay, I just looked at the class website and realized I missed an assignment. Although it is late, which I apologize for, I am doing it now.

First off, I can relate with the "Should Johnny Play Linebacker?" article because I have fallen victim to head trauma multiple times in my life. I was a football player, but only sustained one head injury and it was minor. I can relate to the players playing through their injury though, you never want to be taken out of the game. Plus, others will say your faking it or you could have played through it. So if you can stand it you play through it thats just the way it is. There is always some one trying to take your spot and you can't allow that to happen. Anyway, the sport where I had frequent concussions was dirt bike racing. I have been racing dirt bikes since I was 8 and have had 2 concussions where I can't remember the whole day, and about 3 or 4 others that weren't as bad. The weird part about concussions is they don't always affect you right away. In on incidence I got up from the crash (with help from some others), started my bike and went back to my trailer. After that the rest of the day is a blank and my parents said I couldn't remember what day it was or where I was at. The only thing I can hope for now is that my future doesn't hold a quick onset of Alzheimer's. I guess only time will tell.

In the article "What your loneliness is telling you" the author addresses how being lonely can effect your health. I feel that this is 100% true because when I was younger there were times when I felt lonely, and there wasn't a worse feeling. Especially since when your lonely all you do is wallow in your own loneliness. I believe that our current society lends itself to a lonelier existence just as the author suggests. People have phones glued to their head or are on the computer clicking away to someone they have never even met before. All person to person contact is gradually diminishing. I myself have never been technologically inclined, and am rarely on the internet, which is why this assignment is late. I have always been a person that likes to be in the presence of others, its a warming feeling that you don't get from a computer screen. All in all, the mind is a powerful tool, so when you are lonely which has a large psychological aspect, than it is going to effect your body.

"The state of the STD" article shows that STDs are on the rise, which could be as the article suggests because of more testing being done. Although, I do believe that is a factor I have a different theory. Telling someone you have a STD is no more comfortable than it used to be and it never will be, so many times those who know aren't going to share the information with a one night stand that they will never get to see again when their primal instincts are running the show. Plus, many diseases don't show symptoms right away so some don't even know. Moreover, there is the fact that getting tested is scary especially for men, no one wants to know even if they think they have it because they would rather deny the facts. Now that I have stated those points I get to my reason for the increase, the pill. More and more women are getting on the pill because of its obvious benefits, but the pill means no condom and no protection from disease. One plus of the pill is that before getting the pill women are tested, so they know they are not infected. But the problem is the afore mentioned men who never get tested. In this day and age we are plenty savvy when it comes to preventing contraception, but when it comes to disease we'd rather have a heightened stimulation than a latex Jimmy Hat.

2-3-09

In this article by Amanda Schaffer she addresses a new finding in the medical world. They have found that mother's cells transfer to their fetuses, specifically affecting the immune system in the fetus. "The mother's cells slip across the placenta, enter the fetus's body and teach it to treat these cells as its own." The mothers cells are helping the fetuses cells learn so that they understand how to distinguish between outside threats and itself. They have found high levels of T-cells in the lymph nodes of fetuses suggesting that they turn off the immune system so it does not attack the fetus as if it is a foreign invader. Researchers believe this explains why when a mother is a donor to her child the body rarely rejects it, so this could be very helpful in transplants. As of now when a patient receives a transplant they have to take drugs to suppress their immune systems, but if they could utilize this new information of natural maternal suppressants patients may no longer have to become dependent on drugs. This also sheds light on the transmission of infectious diseases to infants; the suppressants could be the reason that there are not very high incidences of infection transmission. This new discovery raises many interesting questions and possibilities.

Although, it is sad that they made this discovery by studying aborted fetuses, it rises so many new possibilities for the future. Who knows, as they learn more and more about the transmission of cells, they may be able to prevent infections for newborns, and maybe even use the information to cure some diseases. I'm not to sure what is actually defined as stem cell research, but I believe this borders on it, and it is an issue I'm not sure where i stand on, but the benefits are clear and it is great to see that a negative can be such a positive.