Animal Testing and me

Animals should be used on research for the sole purpose that since theirs nervous systems are similar to ours we are able to experiment and help save millions of human lives.  If animals weren't available for research then many of the medical innovations we have now wouldn't be available to the public. Animals should be used in research in order to come up with cures for the diseases and to help decrease the human mortality rate.

Animals are able to feel pain and be frightened but “Animals and humans do not think alike, feel alike, or experience alike,” (Derbyshire, Stuart)  which is what puts humans on a higher scale than animals. We, humans, need animals to test. If there was another way to experiment we would use it but there isn't so for now the best option we have in order to save humans lives is to test animals, An example of such would be the need for dogs in order to test for insulin. About 17 million people have diabetes from which 209,664 died because of it in 1991 (AALAS). Without animal testing we wouldn't have been able to identify the cause of diabetes and we wouldn't have insulin for the diabetic people to take in. This would result in even more deaths which could be prevented through animal testing. Dogs are used in order to research open-heart surgeries, strokes, and heart attacks in order to improve treatment for humans. About 50 million Americas (ages 6 and older) have high blood pressure which can result in stokes, heart attacks, and heart diseases. Animals are tested to find treatments and ways to prevent the people being treated to die.

Animal testing has led to the discovery of cures for diseases such as Herpes Simplex, Hepatitis B, Polio, rabies, malaria, and mumps (Source A) which have helped the human population and prevented deaths.  This has helped save many human lives and helped discover more cures for different diseases. Treatments for chronic diseases have decreased the mortality rate and raised awareness such as treatment for Breast Cancer, Childhood Leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, and lung cancer. About 95% of the animals used in testing are rats or mice as stated by the AMP (Americans for Medical Process). The scientists make sure that the animals used are needed and are treated to the 3R’s:  refinement, reduction, and replacement. Refinement of the experiment so the animal will receive the least amount of pain possible, Reduction of the number of animals used in the experiment, and finally Replacement in which they try to do experiments that do not require the use of animals.  

The research done has set several goals for the scientists that didn't seem possible a few years back. For example, there is hope in finding a way to stop Parkinson’s disease from progressing in its victims. The research has led to a decrease in the amount of Heart Diseases/ Strokes related deaths in America.

In reality, many are against animal research because they deem it as “inhumane” but most of the animals used are mice. Research involves the use of same type of animals (mice) that people try so hard to get rid of in their homes with traps and poison. The people that are sick and want to get well will continue to take their medicine regardless of whether or not an animal was used to research the treatment. The people that are anti-animal research can’t expect everyone to convert to their ideals and stop taking their insulin (for those with diabetes) daily in order to protect the feelings of a mouse/rat. At least when researchers use animals they try to help others and advance the knowledge on a certain topic/disease. There are strict guidelines when it comes to animal testing such as research can’t be done on a sick animal or the USDA can shut down the program.

Animals are needed in order to continue finding cures for diseases that are seen now and will be coming up again because new epidemics will always arise.

References:

1. "ANIMAL RESEARCH." Americans For Medical Progress. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
2. "Home." Http://awic.nal.usda.gov/. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
3. Who Would You Rather See Alive ? Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

Bigger Doesn't Mean Better

GMO’s ( Genetically Modified Organisms) have been used and fed to the consumer for quite some time now without the consumer being properly informed as to the effects or lack of studies done to test how healthy they might be. One of the more popular genetically modified food’s happens to be tomatoes. Genetically modified tomatoes were first introduced to the public in 1994 and only four years later, they were removed from supermarkets. Not enough studies had been done and although they were expected to be safe for the public studies done on mice show that the long term effects could lead to serious health risks.In his article about GMO's and diseases, Sean Poulter states that “The first lifetime trials involving rats fed on GM corn found a raised incidence of breast tumors, liver and kidney damage”(Poulter). Consumers that buy GM foods are at risks of developing long term health issues since the health issues associated with GMO’s aren't certain.

Genetically modified foods are significantly cheaper and have been thought to help end world hunger because with GMO’s, you’re able to create a large amount of food and have the food be significantly bigger. Salmon has been genetically modified in order to allow them to grow twice as bigger and to mature much faster than regular salmon.  Having large quantities of food and having them be bigger than their normal size allows more people to feed for less money than would be needed if they bought food that was not modified. Families are not always aware that they are buying genetically modified foods because they tend to look like normal food and because big name companies have fought so hard to not allow bills to have genetically modified foods be labeled passed. Consumers on a low budget will tend to fall prey to genetically modified foods because they will be getting “more for their dollar” than if they were to buy food that has not been genetically altered due to the size difference between the foods.

Organic food has gained popularity because it is a healthier choice as opposed to the food that is being constantly advertised to consumers, GMO’s , which are not the healthiest of choice. GMO have been altered to be resistant to many pesticides and some even contain DNA of bacteria.  “Avoiding pesticides and antibiotic-resistant infections are two good reasons to eat organic food...”(Meredith).  For those wanting a healthier body, it would serve better to steer away from GMO due to all the genetic changes that are made to the food that is consumed. The consumer needs to be better informed of their options and of the food they are consuming. Most foods in the supermarket are genetically modified, however, a consumer won’t be able to pinpoint out which exactly are and are not GMO’s hence why food labeling is essential. By depriving the customer the right to know what they’re eating, companies are not avoiding “mass panic” but rather are misinforming the consumer about their product.

References:

1. Heyes, J. D. "New Monstrous Breeds of GMO Tomato Coming to a Store near You." NaturalNews. N.p., July-Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
2. Poulter, Sean. "Cancer Row over GM Foods as Study Says It Did THIS to Rats... and Can Cause Organ Damage and Early Death in Humans." Mail Online. N.p., 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
3. "The Fish." Salmon Nation: Genetically Engineered Salmon. Ecotrust, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
4. Melnick, Meredith. "Is Organic Food Healthier?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013

1. Digital image. New York Times, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Right in the gut!

Your gut is filled with bacteria that helps protect you. Bacteria found in our gut can dramatically affect our glucose-tolerance levels and help us stay away from type 2 diabetes. The bacterium Bacteroides is fundamental in improved glucose-tolerance however, the bigger one is (as in body weight) - the less Bacteroides one has. We need to be informed of everything that goes on in our body. We need to be aware of what causes what and why. Why is this bacterium important ? It helps us be healthier and lowers the risks of Type 2 diabetes. Not only that but knowing how the bacteria in our gut helps us allows us to come up with methods to help prevent diseases. This is explored in the Nadja Larsen's article Gut Microbiota in Human Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Differs from Non-Diabetic Adults.

"In conclusion, our data suggests that the levels of glucose tolerance or severity of diabetes should be considered while linking microbiota with obesity... It is specially important for developing strategies to modify the gut microbiota in order to control metabolic diseases..." (Larsen). We want to help those suffering from Type 2 diabetes and prevent others from suffering from the disease, understand and analyzing our gut bacterium would allow us to come up with research methods to help those in need. 

Understanding how our body works is key in allowing us to stay healthy and helping those around us stay healthy as well. Hopefully with such knowledge of gut bacterium, we can work towards helping increase Bacteroides in people at risk of Type 2 diabetes. I would help people like my friends that are at risk live a healthier life.

As someone who has family and friends that are at risk of diabetes, it is important to me to educate them on the dangers of such disease and how they could improve their health. If the bacteria in our stomach is key in preventing Type 2 diabetes then I feel it crucial to be able to teach and inform others of it. Understanding why something is happening and how to prevent it is a step in the right direction to preventing others from suffering from Type 2 diabetes. The microbiota in our stomachs need to thoroughly studied in order to save others.

Although there will always be people who oppose to scientific research and its methods - the underlying result of helping others be healthy is what must push us to inform the public. Human research has helped us better understand how the human body is affected and how it reacts to certain things that can't be observed in research with the usage of animals. If we're able to increase the Bacteroides in a person's stomach we could be increasing their chances of not contracting Type 2 diabetes and hence live a healthier life. Scientists have been able to conduct thorough research on Bacteroides and how it varies with body weight as well as its effects on the the subject's health which is very important in determining how to increase the Bacteroides count in each individual person.

References:

1. Larsen, Nadja, Finn K. Vogensen, Frans W. J. Van Den Berg, Dennis Sandris Nielsen, Anne Sofie Andreasen, Bente K. Pedersen, Waleed Abu Al-Soud, Søren J. Sørensen, Lars H. Hansen, and Mogens Jakobsen. "Gut Microbiota in Human Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Differs from Non-Diabetic Adults." Ed. Stefan Bereswill. PLoS ONE 5.2 (2010): E9085. Print.
2. Obesity and Gut Bacterium. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Tech Memory

If I have a problem remembering a word or thing, my first instinct is to go to Google to find the correct spelling or the place. However, I soon thereafter forget because its simple to just search it again. If I had to physically get up, acquire a dictionary, and look for the word - maybe I would remember it better. Technology has been an incredible advance that has helped us communicate with people throughout the world and has allowed us to have access to tons of information with the touch of a fingertip, however, it is damaging our memory. We don't need to remember anything anymore and hence, we don't.

"We are becoming symbiotic with our computer tools, growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found" (Sparrow).  In her studies of memory and internet usage (Google) Betsy Sparrow in her article Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information At our Fingertips concludes that the usage of internet search engines as our way of knowledge has diminished how much we remember because we rely heavily on being able to find it on our laptops. This is a problem because we need capable people in our workforce, we need people who are able to utilize the internet as a helping source and not as their main source of knowledge. 

Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan in their article Meet your iBrain argue that technology has enhanced us as human beings to perform more efficiently. You are able to organize your entire agenda with the touch of your fingertips. "A constant barrage of e-contacts is both stimulating - sharpening certain cognitive skills - and draining, studies show" (Small/Vorgan). Our brains are interacting with the said technological environment and in turn we're turning into mini robots. 

Having technology isn't bad. Its just always good to know and be reassured that human capacity won't be stolen away by a laptop. We want to be able to be knowledgeable and get our word around. There has to be a balance between both. Or we might become robots. Beep Beep Bop. This. Robot. Is. Done. 

References:

1. Small, Gary, and Gigi Vorgan. "Meet Your IBrain: How the Technologies That Have Become Part of Our Daily Lives Are Changing the Way We Think." Scientific American Mind n.d.: 43-49. Print.
2. Sparrow, B., J. Liu, and D. M. Wegner. "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips." Science 333.6043 (2011): 776-78. Print.
3. Irobot. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

Teens and Rationality

*Notice how in the above picture the brain doesn't truly develop 'till after the teen years where there are still shades of greenish which imply immaturity. It isn't until the 20's where most of the brain is mature.*

Do you remember a time in which hanging out with your friends seem like such a great idea even though you know you needed to study for an exam? Well, teens make reckless decisions because their brains aren't fully developed however, they are expected to act and make rational decisions as an adult would. Even if a teenager acts in an adult manner, their brains are still not as developed and hence are more prone to mess up. Sabbagh in her article "The Teen Brain, Hard at Work: No, Really" argues that even a highly responsible teen is could mess up due to an overload of the frontal cortex. The frontal cortex of the brain is the major part of decision making and behavior. Under stressful conditions, teens tend to use their frontal cortex much more than an adult would and thus this overload causes them to mess up. "The implication is that something unexpected occurs in an already stressful situation, an adolescent may exhaust his or her prefrontal cortex resources" (Sabbagh). This would lead to a teenager messing up in a situation that an adult may have had a better reaction to. It may not be that the teenager is looking to be placed in dangerous situations that adults may believe could be avoided but that their prefrontal cortex is still relatively immature and thus these mistakes in situations occur.

Many aspects of Reyna and Farley article "Is the Teen Brain Too Rational?",which believe an intervention at a young age will completely prevent problems that may result from someone's teenage years, are flawed. Although interventions for harmful habits may be helpful, Reyna and Farley would rather take the decision making part away from the teen and have their life dictated. Although programs are implemented to reduce the rate of certain habits - such as the contraction of STD's, Teenage Drinking...etc - and in many times have helped reduced the rate of such habits it seems as it is not enough for Reyna and Farley. Although many teens tend to behave and indulge in a reckless manner, it is part of their growing up. Guiding a teenager through their teenage years is very different from believing they have absolutely no control over their lives and hence must be hand held until they come of age. Teenagers may weigh the benefits more heavily than the risks only because their brain isn't as mature as an adult's is however, this does not imply that they should be excluded from the decision making process of their lives.

Although both articles agree on the point that the teenage brain isn't mature enough for certain decisions, their approach is completely different. Whereas Sabbagh tries to understand and explain that teenagers can't help but mess up at times, Reyna and Farley want to prevent bad behavior at all costs. Trying to prevent bad behavior is a good thing but not when you have no faith in your subjects. It all comes from an immature prefrontal cortex which will with time develop. Teens do not behave badly because they want to but because at times, they can't help it.