RED BLOOD CELLS: MARVELOUS ASPECT OF CREATION

The most common cell in your bloodstream gives blood its red color and is thus called a red blood cell. Just one drop of your blood contains hundreds of millions of such cells. When viewed through a microscope, they look like doughnuts with a depressed center instead of a hole. Each cell is packed with hundreds of millions of hemoglobin molecules. Each hemoglobin is, in turn, a beautiful spherical structure made up of about 10,000 hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur atoms, plus four heavier atoms of iron, which gives blood its oxygen- carrying ability. Hemoglobin facilitates the transport of carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs, where it is exhaled.

Another vital part of your red blood cells is their skin, called membrane. This marvelous covering enables the cells to stretch into thin shapes so as to pass through your thinnest blood vessels and thus sustain every part of your body.
Manufacturing of the red blood cell is done in the bone marrow. Once a new one is created, it enters your blood stream; it may circulate through your heart and body more than 100,000 times. Unlike the other cells, the red blood cells have no nucleus. This gives them more space to carry oxygen and makes it lighter, which helps your heart to pump millions of red blood cells throughout your body. However, lack of a nucleus results to inability to renew their internal parts. Thus, after 120 days, your red blood cell begins to deteriorate and lose their elasticity.

The large white blood cell called phagocytes consumes these worn-out cells and spit out the iron atoms. The scarce iron atoms attach themselves to transport molecules that take them to your bone marrow to be used in the manufacture of new red cells. Every second, your bone marrow releases two to three million new red blood cells into your bloodstream!

If your trillions of red blood cells were suddenly to stop functioning, that entails death within minutes. No doubt, you will agree with me, the essence of this marvelous creation.

FACTS ABOUT AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS).

What is ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that progress rapidly and attacks the motor neurons (nerve cells) in the spinal cord and lower brain. The motor neurons are responsible for transmitting messages from the brain to the voluntary muscles throughout the body.

WHY ALS IS ALSO CALLED LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE?
Lou Gehrig was a famous American baseball player who was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 and died in 1941 at 38 years of age. ALS is sometimes referred as Charcot’s disease, after Jean-Martin Charcot, the French neurologist who first described it in 1986.

WHAT CAUSES ALS?
Causes of ALS are not known. According to researchers, the suspected cause includes virus’s proteins deficiencies, genetic defects, heavy metals, neurotoxins, immune-system abnormalities, and enzymes abnormalities.

WHAT IS THE PROGNOSIS?
As the disease progress, muscle weakness and atrophy spread throughout the respiratory system and eventually patients must depend on a ventilator. Since the disease affects the motor neurons, it does not impair the patient’s mind, personality, intelligence, or memory. Neither does it impair the senses-patients are able to see, smell, taste, hear, and recognize touch. ALS usually proves fatal within three to five years of the onset of symptoms, but up to 10 percent of patients may survive for ten years or more.

WHAT IS DONE TO TREAT THE DISEASE?
There is no known cure for ALS. A doctor may prescribe medications to help reduce the discomforts associated with certain symptoms. Depending on the symptoms and the stage of the disease, the patient may benefit from certain rehabilitation services, including physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, and various assistive devices.

Autism - Meaning, Causes and the Way Out

Autism (say: aw-tih-zum) causes kids to experience the world differently from the way most other kids do. It's hard for kids with autism to talk with other people and express themselves using words. Kids who have autism usually keep to themselves and many can't communicate without special help.

They also may react to what's going on around them in unusual ways. Normal sounds may really bother someone with autism - so much so that the person covers his or her ears. Being touched, even in a gentle way, may feel uncomfortable.

Kids with autism often can't make connections that other kids make easily. For example, when someone smiles, you know the smiling person is happy or being friendly. But a kid with autism may have trouble connecting that smile with the person's happy feelings.

A kid who has autism also has trouble linking words to their meanings. Imagine trying to understand what your mom is saying if you didn't know what her words really mean. It is doubly frustrating then if a kid can't come up with the right words to express his or her own thoughts.

Autism causes kids to act in unusual ways. They might flap their hands, say certain words over and over, have temper tantrums, or play only with one particular toy. Most kids with autism don't like changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same. They also may insist that their toys or other objects be arranged a certain way and get upset if these items are moved or disturbed.

If someone has autism, his or her brain has trouble with an important job: making sense of the world. Every day, your brain interprets the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations that you experience. If your brain couldn't help you understand these things, you would have trouble functioning, talking, going to school, and doing other everyday stuff. Kids can be mildly affected by autism, so that they only have a little trouble in life, or they can be very affected, so that they need a lot of help.

What Do Doctors Do?

Figuring out if a kid has autism can be difficult. A parent is usually the first to suspect that something is wrong. Maybe the kid is old enough to speak but doesn't, doesn't seem interested in people, or behaves in other unusual ways. But autism isn't the only problem that can cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, kids who have hearing problems might have trouble speaking, too.

Usually, the results of lab tests and other medical tests are normal in kids with autism, but doctors may do them to make sure the kid doesn't have other problems. These medical tests can include blood and urine tests, a hearing exam, an EEG (a test to measure brain waves), and an MRI (a picture that shows the structure of the brain). Intelligence (IQ) tests also might be done.

Often, specialists work together as a team to figure out what is wrong. The team might include a pediatrician, a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric developmentalist, a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, speech and language therapists, and others. The team members study how the child plays, learns, communicates, and behaves. The team listens carefully to what parents have noticed, too. Using the information they've gathered, doctors can decide whether a child has autism or another problem.

What Do Doctors Do?

Figuring out if a kid has autism can be difficult. A parent is usually the first to suspect that something is wrong. Maybe the kid is old enough to speak but doesn't, doesn't seem interested in people, or behaves in other unusual ways. But autism isn't the only problem that can cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, kids who have hearing problems might have trouble speaking, too.

Usually, the results of lab tests and other medical tests are normal in kids with autism, but doctors may do them to make sure the kid doesn't have other problems. These medical tests can include blood and urine tests, a hearing exam, an EEG (a test to measure brain waves), and an MRI (a picture that shows the structure of the brain). Intelligence (IQ) tests also might be done.

Often, specialists work together as a team to figure out what is wrong. The team might include a pediatrician, a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric developmentalist, a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, speech and language therapists, and others. The team members study how the child plays, learns, communicates, and behaves. The team listens carefully to what parents have noticed, too. Using the information they've gathered, doctors can decide whether a child has autism or another problem.

How Is Autism Treated?

There is no cure for autism, but doctors, therapists, and special teachers can help kids with autism overcome or adjust to many difficulties. The earlier a kid starts treatment for autism, the better.

Different kids need different kinds of help, but learning how to communicate is always an important first step. Spoken language can be hard for kids with autism to learn. Most understand words better by seeing them, so therapists teach them how to communicate by pointing or using pictures or sign language. That makes learning other things easier, and eventually, many kids with autism learn to talk.

Therapists also help kids learn social skills, such as how to greet people, wait for a turn, and follow directions. Some kids need special help with living skills (like brushing teeth or making a bed). Others have trouble sitting still or controlling their tempers and need therapy to help them control their behavior. Some kids take medications to help their moods and behavior, but there's no medicine that will make a kid's autism go away.

Students with mild autism sometimes can go to regular school. But most kids with autism need calmer, more orderly surroundings. They also need teachers trained to understand the problems they have with communicating and learning. They may learn at home or in special classes at public or private schools.

Living With Autism

Some kids with mild autism will grow up and be able to live on their own. Those with more serious problems will always need some kind of help. But all kids with autism have brighter futures when they have the support and understanding of doctors, teachers, caregivers, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends.

SELF-INJURY: HOW CAN I STOP HURTING MYSELF?

In my previous article (Self-injury: Is It Body Piercing or Tattooing?), I highlighted why people (most especially the youth) deliberately hurt or harm themselves, a diverse profile of self-injurers, and the critical times.
Generally, those who practice self-injury wants to quit but find it difficult. This concluding article seeks to highlight how a self-injuring person can stop or quit this behavior, and treatment for self-injury.

HOW A SELF-INJURING PERSON CAN QUIT THIS BEHAVIOR.
Self-injury, as earlier explained in my previous article, can be seen as a behavior that over time becomes compulsive and addictive. Just as any other addiction, even though other people may reason the person should quit, most addicts have a hard time just saying ‘no’ to their behavior-even when they realize it is unhealthy.
In this regard, below are some helpful tips in dealing with someone who self-injures:
• Learn to understand that self-injury behavior is attempts to maintain a certain degree of control which in and of itself is a way of self-soothing.
• Endeavor to encourage expressions of emotions including anger.
• Make the person involve understand that you care about him or her and are always available to listen.
• Spend some quality time doing enjoyable activities together.
• Offer to help find a therapist or support group.
• Make no judgmental comments or tell the person to stop the self-injuring behavior-people who feel worthless and powerless are even more likely to self-injure.

TREATMENTS FOR SELF-INJURY
The most associated danger with self-injury is that it tends to become an “addictive behavior” habit that is difficult to break, even when the individual wants to stop. As with other addictions, qualified professional help is almost always necessary. It is pertinent to find a therapist who understands this behavior and is not upset or repulsed by it. Enlisted below are treatments for self-injury:
• A history of abuse or incest may be at the core of an individual’s self-injuring behavior, therapist addressing post-traumatic stress disorder such as “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” (EMDR) may be helpful.
• Cognitive-behavior therapy can be adopted to assist the person learn to recognize and address triggering feelings in healthier ways.
• Other forms of self-relaxation techniques are helpful in reducing the stress and tension that often precede injuring incidents.
• Group therapy may be helpful in decreasing shame associated with self-injury, and help to support healthy expressions of emotions.
• In-patient hospitalization program with multi-disciplinary team approach may be required in severe cases.
• In a situation of moderate severe depression or anxiety, an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication may be used to reduce the impulsive urges to self-harm in response to stress, while other coping strategies are developed.

Conclusively, there is no one best way to treat self-injury. Treatment is tailored to specific issues and any related mental health conditions associated with the self-injurer. It can take time, hard work, and one’s desire to recover.

Self-Injury - Is It Body Piercing Or Tattooing?

You might have heard or be familiar with the above topic, growing at a geometric rate amongst the youth today. It could be a school mate, a sibling, or it could be you. In the United States alone, it is estimated that millions of people-many youths-deliberately hurt themselves by various means, such as cutting, burning, bruising, or scraping their skin.

Deliberately hurting themselves? In the past many would link such behavior with some bizarre fed or occult. In recent years, however, knowledge about self-injury-which includes cutting or self-mutilation-has grown dramatically. Evidently, so has the number of those coming forward with the problem. "Every clinician says it is increasing, "states Michael Hollander, director of a treatment center in the United States.

Self-injury is rarely fatal, but it is dangerous. Many sufferers have carried the practice of self-injury into adulthood.

A DIVERSE PROFILE
It is difficult to put self-injurers, as they are sometimes called-into a single category. Some come from troubled families; others from stable, happy homes. A number are falling at school, but many are excelling as students. Often, self-injurers give little if any indication that they have a problem, for a person who is not adversity does not always show it on the outside. The Bible states: "Even in laughter the heart may be in life."-Proverbs 14-13.

Then, too, the severity of self-injury differs from one person to the next. One study, for example, found that some individuals cut themselves only once in a year, while others average twice a day. Interestingly, more males are injuring themselves than was once thought. Still, the problem is found mostly among adolescent girls.

Even with such a diverse profile, some self-injurers seem to share certain traits. One encyclopedia on youths observes: "Adolescents who self-injure often feel powerless, have difficulty trusting others with emotions feel isolated or alienated, feel afraid, and have low self-esteem.

Of course, some may say that this description could fit almost any young person who is facing the fears and insecurities of growing up. For the self-injurer, though, the struggle is particularly intense. The inability to put troubled feelings into words and to express this confidant can make pressures from school, demands of work, or conflicts at home appear overwhelming. She feels no solution and feels she has no one to talk to. The tension feels unbearable. Finally, she discovers something! By hurting herself physically, she seems to find some relief from the emotional anguish, and she feels she can carry on with her life-at least for the moment.

WHY DOES THE CUTTER RESORT TO PHYSICAL PAIN IN AN EFFORT TO RELIEVE EMOTIONAL ANGUISH?
To answer the above question, consider what happens when you get in a doctor's office about to get a shot. As the process begins, have you ever found yourself pinching your skin or perhaps putting pressure on it with your fingernails, just to distract yourself from the sting of the needle? What the self-injurers does is similar, although, on a more serious level. To the sel-injurer, cutting provides a form of distraction and a sense of relief from the sting of the emotional anguish. And the anguish is so great that by comparison, physical pain is preferable. Perhaps that is why one self-injurer described cutting as "medicine for my fears."

A MECHANISM TO COPE WITH STRESS.
To those who are not acquainted with the disorder, self-injury may appear to be an attempt at suicide. But this is not usually the case." Generally speaking, these people are trying to end just their pain, not their lives," writes Sabrina Sollin Weill, executive editor of a magazine for teens. Hence, one reference work refers to self-injury as "a 'life preserver' rather than an exit strategy." It also calls the practice "mechanism to cope with stress."

What kind of stress? It has been found that many self-injurers have suffered some type of trauma, such as childhood abuse or neglect. For others, family conflict or the alcoholism of a parent is the factor. For some, a mental disorder is involved. There could be other problems as well. To others, self-injury is mere self-discipline, while self-injury could be a reflection of a deep self-loathing.

Some might wonder why such a disturbing practice has only come to light in recent decades, the challenges of adolescent-in some cases, coupled with the tragic life experiences-can provide the groundwork for a pattern of harmful behavior, including self-injury. Whatever relief self-injury may seem to offer is short-lived. Sooner or later the problem returns, and so does self-injury.

In conclusion, those who practice wants to quit but find it difficult. How have some been able to break the practice of self-injury? This will be highlighted in my next article.

Living With Albinism

“Whether I fill in a form requesting information about my race, I always mark ‘Black,’ “says John “even though I’m whiter than most who check ‘white,’ “John, a West African living near the border between Benin and Nigeria, has albinism-a genetic disorder in which one’s eyes, skin, or hair (in some cases one’s eyes alone) have little or no pigmentation. What are the type of albinism we have? How widespread is albinism? How does it affect individual’s daily life? What can help those with albinism to live with their condition?
While albinism is most perceptible among dark-skinned people, races, and peoples. It is estimated that albinism affects 1 out of every 20,000 persons.

Some Types Of Albinism.
The main categories of albinism include the following:
• Occulocutaneous albinism: The pigment melanin is missing from the skin, the hair, and the eyes. There are about 20 variants of this type.
• Ocular albinism: Its effects are limited to the eyes and hairs usually appear normal.

There are many other forms of albinism that are well-known. For instance, one type is associated with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS). Those with HPS have a tendency to bruise or bleed easily. There is a high concentration of this type of albinism in the Puerto Rican population, where the frequency to be 1 to 1800 of the population.

Effects On Skin and Eyes.
For most light-skinned people, wild exposure to the sun results in a tan when a pigment called melanin is produced to protect the skin. Without pigment, an albino’s skin is easily sunburned. Sunburn in itself is an unpleasant and painful condition. However, albinos who do not sufficiently protect their skin also risk developing skin cancer. This is especially so in tropical areas.
Albinism can also affect the eyes in the variety of ways. Pigment in the iris normally screens sunlight entering the eye, other than through the pupil. However, an albino’s iris is nearly translucent, which allows stray light to pass through it and cause irritation.
Through commonly thought that people with albinism have reddish eyes, but this is a misconception. Most albinos have irises tinted either dull gray, brown, or blue. This reddish reflection comes from retina. This effect might be compared with red-eye, the reflection in the eyes that sometimes appears in photographs taken with a flash. In many countries, therapy is either not available or very expensive.

SOCIAL CHALLENGES.
Most people living with albinism learn how to live with their physical limitations. Many, however, find it difficult to endure the social stigmatization that comes with the condition. This can be especially challenging for children.
In some parts of West Africa, children with albinism are jeered or mocked with racist expressions. This can easily lead to feelings of rejection and uselessness.

THE END OF ALBINISM
In recent years, much has changed in the treatment of albinism. Medical science is able to provide more assistance than ever before. Self-help groups offer a forum for exchange experiences and improving understanding of the condition. The ultimate solution however, rest not with man but with his or her creator (God).

Your Sense Of Taste-Was It Designed?

Bit into your favorite food, and immediately your sense of taste is activated. But just how does this amazing process work?

Consider your tongue-as well as other parts of your mouth and throat-includes clusters of skin cells called “taste buds.” Many of which are located within papillae on the surface of the tongue. A taste bud contains up to a hundred receptor cells, each of which can detect one of four types of taste-sour, salty, sweet. Or bitter. Spicy is different category altogether. Spices stimulate pain receptors-not taste buds! In any event, taste-receptor calls are connected to sensory nerves that, when stimulated by chemicals in food, instantly transmitting signals to the lower brain stem.

Taste, however, involves more than your mouth. The five million odour receptors in your nose-which allows you to detect some 10,000 unique odours-plays a vital role in the tasting process. It has been estimated that about 75 percent of what we can taste is actually the result of what we smell.

Scientist have developed an electrochemical nose that uses chemical gas sensors as an artificial olfaction device. Nonetheless, neurophysiologist John Kauer quoted in Research/Penn State notes: “Any artificial device is going to be extremely simplistic in comparison to the biology, which is wonderfully elegant and sophisticated.”

No one would deny that the sense of taste adds pleasure to a meal. Researchers are still baffled, though, by what causes people to favor one type of taste over another. “Science have many of the basics of the human body down, “say Science Daily, “but our sense of taste and smell are still somewhat a mystery.”

What do you think? Did your sense of taste come about by chance? Or is this evidence of design?