Page 1:
Article: PMHS tops Carolfest; MBBS, second; ABM, third.
Correction: It was UP Zoological Society that joined the CS Carolfest, and not UP Pre-Medical Society.
Page 4:
Article: An in-depth look at what it takes to win.
Correction: Angelo Ramoso is part of the article compilers.
Page 12:
Cartoon/Comic
Correction: Patricia Alvarado is the illustrator.
Please email onlinescientia@gmail.com if you happen to spot any major errata (small typos not included.) Thank you! :)
Q1: D
Q2: C
Q3: A
Q4: B
Riddle 1: A towel
Riddle 2: A coffin
Riddle 3: A nose
Riddle 4: A hole
by Sam
Vinluan
The body needs to take in organic
nutrients to continue regulating the daily processes of life. Today, the human
race, however, is facing another threat to quality life - the pervasive and
deliberate manipulation of our food supply. The leading root cause of such is
the contamination of food with synthetic chemicals along with the production
techniques that almost completely eradicate the nutritional value of raw food.
In
conventional farming, pesticides and herbicides are used to exterminate pests
and weeds that can affect growing crops. Healthy soil makes plants resistant to
infestation due to the worms and bacteria in it while farmland soil that uses
synthetic fertilizer and pesticides does not display the said descriptions. It
was in 1995 when a committee of international experts went to Sicily to attend
a work session about the effects of some chemicals harmful to the endocrine
system. They found out that intervening with the thyroid hormone during the
years of development may result to deficiencies of the brain and the behavioral
development. Examples of which are hydrocephalus, seizures, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, and cerebral palsy.
As we
go to supermarkets, we may have noticed monosodium glutamate (MSG) placed in
the spices section. MSG does not have its own flavor, yet it is used to enhance
the taste of the dishes synthetically. An over-reaction to flavors by neuron
cells in the mouth results to the intensification of the taste. This generally
alters how the nervous system communicates with the tongue. Later, neuron cells
bulge and die within 30 minutes of consuming processed foods with high MSG
content. The more we ingest, the higher the reaction to human beings becomes relatively
fatal. According to psychiatrist Dr. John Olney from Washington University in
America, a study 20 years ago showed that glutamate can cause brain damage to
infant animals.
Aspartame
is used as an artificial sweetener in not more than 5000 products worldwide.
Further studies proved that it impedes the production of serotonin, which in
effect gives us the feeling as if we are not yet full. Problems associated with
aspartame include vertigo, nausea, hearing loss, mood changes,
gastrointestional disorders, anxiety attacks, skin lesions, memory loss and
blindness. Substances that cause over-stimulation of neurons resulting to brain
damage in varying degrees are called excitoxins. In Dr. Russell L. Blaylock’s
book, Excitoxins: The Taste that Kills,
he mentioned that “….aspartame is a dangerous neurotoxin, as
well as a significant carcinogen for many organs, and should be avoided at all
cost.”
The “purification” process on
food, better known as irradiation, involves exposing them in gamma radiation
which kills bacteria that may cause food poison and spoilage. However, the
process also tends to lose up to 80 percent of the substances to fight free
radicals, vitamins and folic acid. Such radiation may come from x-rays and
electronic beams which have nuclear materials such as cobalt-60 and cesium-137.
To animals, kidney failure, tumors, reproductive problems and miscarriages were
the effects of irradiated foods. According to S.G. Srikantia, Professor of Food and Nutrition at the University of Mysore in
India, the abrupt increase in the number of cases on abnormalities strongly
suggests a link to cancer.
Refined
sugar is also an addictive toxin. Other than tooth decay and obesity, excessive
intake of it can lead to more serious health complications. It is does not only
lack in nutritional value but also steal minerals, such as copper, zinc and
chromium, from our body. As it moves through the bloodstream in greater
quantities, there is a shocking effect to the stomach and pancreas. This
results to a sudden burst of energy for 2 hours but eventually drops after. Also,
the nervous system is damaged by weakening the ability of white blood cells to
kill germs up to 5 hours after intake, reducing the antibodies production,
counteracting the action of vital fatty acids and causing serious mineral
unevenness.
Now,
are these 5 enough reasons why we should now go organic? Again, organic foods
are safer, fresher, purer and tastier as compared to synthetically grown ones. Moreover,
its consumption can really help support farmers worldwide and encourage
biodiversity. Above all, they are richer in vitamins, minerals and vital fatty
acids. Let’s go back to nature!
Mary Angelie M. Alagao
After three days of 2-hour sleep, your body starts to weaken and your head starts to ache yet you know you cannot give in to sickness. There are still so many things to do and the deadlines are up. You find yourself summoning a power from within. You tell yourself, “I cannot get sick. I have to finish this!” The body allows itself to recharge only when everything has been done. The power of the mind has been victorious.
Some people do not get sick even when everyone else does because they think they won’t catch the disease, not to mention taking the necessary precautions. Others get sick because they think they will.
There was a story about a 39-year old woman who was able to change her positive skin test for varicella zoster, or chicken pox, at will. She used imagery to change it from positive to negative. She imagined that the redness and swelling in her skin were getting smaller and smaller, while sending the “healing energy” to that area. This was a documented case by Dr. G. Richard Smith and his colleagues from the University of Arkansas, College of Medicine. It was also reported that the same woman used the same technique to catch the disease again, 6 months after.
One of the most-feared diseases we have today is cancer. According to the ‘surveillance’ theory, our bodies develop cancer cells all the time. Before they evolve into dangerous tumors, our white blood cells destroy them. When this routine is threatened, the immune system is suppressed, thus, fostering malignancy. This explains why the cancer doesn’t occur in one part the body only.
Mental and emotional factors affect the immune system adversely. If this is the case, stress can be correlated with cancer. Quoting a 1976 study by L.E Hinkle, events do not cause stress, rather, how we interpret situations that arise. In short, we have control over stress.
A researcher and a psychiatrist at the Stanford University Medical School, Professor David Spiegel, once refuted the idea that cancer and mental health are correlated. In a study he conducted, he observed 86 women with breast cancer for 10 years. He was stunned to find out that the women who received group therapy and lessons in self-hypnosis lived twice as long as those who were given medical treatment.
Another study by Dr. Sandra Levy and Dr. Ronald B. Herberman of the University of Pittsburgh led to the discovery of the effect of depression in the immune cell activity. It was observed that depression diminished the cell activity of the natural-killer T-cells and caused the tumor to spread fast in breast cancer patients.
Mental process can also strengthen or restore our immune system. In an investigation by Dr. Barry Gruber of Medical Illness Counseling Center in Chase, Maryland, and Dr. Nicholas R. Hall of the University of South Florida, the patients were asked to imagine themselves waging a war against the cancer cells. It was found out that depending on the level of relaxation and imagery, the pattern of the immune response changes. It can stimulate the lymphocytes, increase the production of antibodies and interleukin-2 cells, enhance the cell activity of the natural killer cell and the augment the effectiveness of the cytotoxic T cells. Another striking fact was that it also increased the determination of the patients to overcome the disease.
There are a lot of techniques used in overcoming stress, which in effect, aid in healing diseases. One that is dominant in the case studies cited above is imagery. Other techniques include yoga and meditation. What is important is a fighting spirit, the determination to get healed. As they say, the real healing power comes from within. Whatever you feed in your brain manifests in physical reality. Anima sana in corpora sano. A sound mind in a healthy body.
