Cute (Lame) Biology Pics..

....because we all have those moments. Visitors of the page, please enjoy!

Diabetes rant.

I would like to begin this post by saying that this comment of diabetes has definitely succeeded in getting me all riled up. I would like to put my foot down and say that irresponsibility of someone's diet does not always correlate with diabetes. Do not assume that just because a person is diabetic, it shows they have no self control over what they eat. While the statement may be true for some people, who do not pay attention to what they eat, and thus leads them to a life with diabetes, they can't represent the entire population of diabetics. More often than not, diabetes (or rather, the risk of developing it) is passed from generation to generation. It's hard to tell where to cross the line at "controlling a diet" because if some people are more susceptible to diabetes than others, then it doesn't take much for them to start showing the symptoms and thus eventually diagnosed with diabetes.
             


Once again, the idea of the government stepping in to take over control is always a bad idea. Since we are a democracy, if citizens don't like the idea of the government taking complete control of our diet, then we can always rebel against this rule, and get rid of the government if we're not satisfied with what they're doing. This is our lifestyle, our health, and ultimately, our choice if we want to live better, or live an eventual life of constant insulin shots. This freedom and the right to lead the life we want is what gives significance to our democratic society, so taking away this freedom of choosing what we get to eat would defeat the whole purpose of democracy.
Besides, if people originally weren't willing to control their diet, what makes you think that making the government step in would make any changes? If anything, it will cause an outrage amongst the people, and they will look for ways to get the freedom they had constantly had throughout their life.

The best solution would be to continue to educate the people on the dangers of diabetes. Education costs money, but since the rate of diabetes is increasing drastically each year, should it not be a worthy cause? One can only hope that people will decide to make the right choice, and if they don't, then in the end, it's their life. It's up to them to decide how they want to spend it, whether it be dying sooner or dying later, as long as they are aware of what they are doing to their own lives, which is what the aim is through education.

Are Vaccines Worth it?

After the presentation about vaccines, it made me think twice about whether I wanted to get close to another needle ever again. Then, I quickly berated myself for being such a scaredy cat, because life is all about taking risks, hence the annoying term, yolo.
                                         
While it may be true that vaccines can have horrible side effects, that can ultimately lead to severe brain disorders such as autism, ADD, and Parkinson's,the other side of the argument is if a person doesn't get vaccinated, they can die from deadly illness like HPV.
 In a situation like this, where both options seem equally devastating, you have to ask yourself; which one of these two bad options seems more bearable? And the truth is, it depends.

               
If you are living in a town that is sexually active, then the better option for you is to get that vaccine shot. However, if you are in a town where everyone is abstinent, what's the point of getting vaccinated other than to playing Russian Roulette with the chance of getting brain disorders? I guess all I'm trying to say here is to be rational about this. Vaccines are an important, and effective way to prevent illnesses from spreading, and a method for citizens to protect themselves. The chance of getting a brain disorder and other harmful effects is minute, and unfortunately, that's one of the risks you have to take to protect yourself from the disease. We can't always live our lives in a nutshell, as good and pleasant as it sounds at times. If you're afraid of taking risks, then don't even bother stepping outside of your house anymore.

One thing I really disliked about this entire ordeal is the fact that the government had to be so secretive about the risks of a vaccine. I realize that if the citizens were aware of the effects of vaccines, there would be far less people coming for vaccinations, especially since the chances of receiving the effects are so small, but at the same time, the government should never be hiding something as important as this to their people. I understand the communist government hiding issues from their citizens, because they have complete control of their country, and no one is allowed to go against them to say otherwise. Therefore, they can do absolutely anything they want. However, we live in a democratic country, where we should be just as involved in making decisions as the rest of government, especially on an issue regarding our safety. By filtering that out, the government is now seen as someone we can't rely on to keep us safe, someone we question why we support.
We as citizens should have been educated about the side effects of the vaccines, but told the truth of it, that there is only a rare chance of experiencing the side effects, and how important it is for us to be vaccinated at the moment for the disease we could potentially get if we don't vaccinate.
Knowledge is power, afterall.

Parasites.

The entire idea of parasites just gives me goosebumps. I know that a lot of people are scared of big tough animals like sharks, and rhinos, but personally, I would say parasites. Why?  Well, because animals such as sharks and rhinos can be visibly seen from miles away, and thus easily avoidable. Parasites, however, aren't usually noticed with the naked eye, and can sneak up on you when you least expect it, and if you think that just because of their size correlates with the amount of harm they can inflict on a person, you are dead wrong.  Parasites lives off of their hosts, exploiting them for food, water, heat, and pretty much everything else that they need to survive. These nasty little organisms can kill you from the inside, slowly. and painfully.

I apologize for the following comparison. It's completely been stuck in my head ever since I through of "parasites". It's kind of like, comparing that big, huge bully in your school, to a sneaky, conniving, backstabbing classmate. You already know the bully is a threat to you, so you would do anything to avoid making any direct eye contact with them, in hopes that you are not their next target. Even if you are, you know what to expect from them. However, what may be even worse than the bully is an evil classmate, who thrives on the drama, always takes the chance to stir the pot a little but never gets directly involved, so that they are able to live through you. This classmate would usually be a bigger threat because they take you by surprise, when your guard is down, and you get knocked completely off your feet.

Okay, so now that we have established the hazardous level of parasites, we can move onto solutions on how to prevent for parasitic infections!

Ways of getting infected with parasites:
 To be perfectly honest, there are lots of ways you can be infected by parasites, because there are so many different types of parasites, but I'll just list a few of the more common ways:

• Eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with feces (especially that of contaminated humans or animals)
• Raw meat
• Through insects such as mosquitoes
• Sexually transmitted infections

Don't be afraid though, because there are always signs to tell whether you have parasites living inside you or not:

• Stomach or intestinal infections
• Fatigue and problems with sleep
• Skin Disorders or Allergies
• Mood and anxiety problems
• Weight and appetite problems
• Muscle and joint pain
• Sexual and reproductive problems

*As I learned in biology class, however, you should not always depend on the symptoms to diagnose the disease, so it's always best to get tested as well!

Now, onto methods of prevention:

• Washing your hands (generic, but useful!)
• Disinfecting your drinking water (especially when you travel to places where there is no sources of clean water)
• Thoroughly cooking your food, and be aware of where you are getting your food from!
• Getting yourself, your family, and your household pets checked regularly  

Overall, I've had WAY too much fun writing about parasites, so I really think I should stop here. BUT, while searching for information, I've come across this website, which is interesting, in a disturbing way. If I saw this, you have to see it too. Be careful of parasites, everyone!

http://listverse.com/2010/01/13/top-10-most-horrific-parasite-infections/