Counterintuitive Spring 2023

What does culture mean to a person? When one is presented with this they might answer with “beliefs or ways of life.” Culture is an important aspect of life to any geographical location. Those that answer the question understand that culture varies from nation to nation but does culture have the ability to actually destroy another culture? Citizens of any nations are always constantly trying to indulge in other cultures. Americans are spending thousands of dollars every year flying to a vast number of countries to spend time in other countries and citizens in other countries are flying to the United States, which this is no problem, this is experiencing culture at free will. The problem nowadays is that alien cultures are being pushed into other cultures. There soon will be no need to travel since one dominant culture will be taking over everywhere in the world. This is the exact opposite of what is okay. American fast food culture is a prime example of a pushy culture. The  fast food chain culture of America are destroying cultures worldwide.

Culture has a unique characteristic about it, in that is is different from area to area of the world. Every geographical location on this planet has a certain kind of food that they eat, drink, and their way of life. Most countries, before Fast Food companies took over, ate natural things and lived over all healthy lives. The people of all areas had such rich diets that did not include any processed foods but contain colorful vegetables and grains. Then fast food culture grabbed hold of the public.A recent survey, from rt.com, showed that Mexico, in 2013, had surpassed the United States with an obesity rate of 32.8 percent and has maintained the record for obesity rate since then. Culture used to allow regions to cook healthy, colorful foods and  Mexico was a prime example. They had such a colorful diet, containing taste-bud-punching foods such as fresh salsa or cabrito(baby goat), then the fast food chains were built and now has a 31.8% of obesity. Fast Food chains have started to negatively influence the food that the world is consuming.

Not only is culture the type of food one consumes, but it is their way of life, like their daily routines and exercises. The average person should be getting at least 60 minutes of activity a day, but now with the introduction of fast food in these nations, their way of life is being affected. With the rise of obesity rates in other nations such as China and India, health is on the incline and health care costs are on the incline also. A study shows that diabetes is on the rise and that in 2030, China is projected to grow from 90 million to 130 million. India is projected to have their number, 61 million, jump to 101 million. If we were to get rid of the fast food chains and influence people to get back into their old way of life then these problems would decrease over time. Not only now with  the increase of people being diagnosed with diabetes, it means that the demand for the medication will only sky rocket. In the United States it costs anywhere from $8-$200 for the daily dosage of medication to live with diabetes. Those that do not have health insurance are the ones that are going to have to have the burden of the cost on themselves. In other nations, such as Mexico, it costs the user 50% of the total cost.

Culture is what makes up many aspects of a persons life, and now that fast food has been introduced it is trying to change the definition of culture. America needs to realize that the fast food chain culture, that they created, is now bringing  damage to other nations. Their fast food chains are only bringing dangerous health problems to other nations and their culture. They are being an overbearing with their fast food chains and need to understand that their “culture” is not natural and the damage will be done and nothing can be done in order to remove it.

Works Cited

“‘Globesity’: US Junk Food Industry Tips Global Scales.” RT English. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

Pan, An, Vasanti Malik, and Frank B. Hu. “Exporting Diabetes to Asia: The Impact of Western-Style Fast Food.” Circulation. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

My favorite animals are orca whales. SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has been holding orca whales captive for over fifty years. Beloved animals are close to our hearts. Whether it is a pet or wild, everyone has a favorite animal. How would you feel if you knew your favorite animal would soon no longer be a part of this earth? What if you were told that your favorite animal was endangered? This means that a specific species of creatures are seriously at risk for extinction. Since SeaWorld is holding orcas captive, the species in the wild is growing smaller and smaller. SeaWorld does more harm to the orca species than good, causing the whales to become endangered in the wild.

The orca is not the only species endangered by parks and zoos. When visiting zoos, we can see that the animals are not starving or dying behind their cages. But too often, the causes of suffering tend to smudge our view of what is wrong. Animals in cages might automatically lead to us responding with sadness and quilt. We should not believe all captivity is helping these animals. Many consequences occur when being taken away from natural habitats, like a shortened life span and the inability to reproduce freely. Captive animals also ruin our circle of life. If all prey were captive, what would the predator eat? Nothing. That would lead to the predator starving to death and ultimately cause it to go extinct.

A large debate is whether or not to keep animals in zoos. 67% of people say no. Arguments presented include: once an animal is taken from the wild and placed in a zoo, it will never return to the wild. Most people view zoos as prisons and a sick form of entertainment. Animals are being taken away from their territory, natural habitat, and their families. Therefore, taking an animal out of the wild can cause endangerment. In the wild, animals already are born with the knowledge of how to hunt and care for their families and themselves. They are not born needing help.

Animals are not meant to be held captive. Captivity not only shortens lifespans of already captive animals, but animals in the wild because it affects the circle of life. Most people would agree that captivity is wrong and there needs to be an end to it. We do not want our wildlife being endangered any longer.

Work Cited

“Should We Keep Animals in Zoos?” Should We Keep Animals in Zoos? N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Moosa, Tauriq. “Is Animal Captivity Wrong? | Big Think.” Big Think. N.p., 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Multivitamins Are Killer

Although convenient, multivitamins are a terrible substitute for the nutrients we would receive from everyday healthy foods. So why are so many Americans taking multivitamins daily? Recent research has shown that studies on many multivitamins are deceiving. It has been found that ‘junk’ vitamins are being used in many of their testing groups. Meaning that no matter the result, the study is completely useless. They publish information from the tests that have large health benefits in their results. They may not feel so bad about these false studies because the majority of americans do not do their research on multivitamins. And for those who do, they are being tricked by any industries that are using this type of testing style.

These deceiving studies are creating large profit for pharmacies everywhere. With most people being clueless to the facts, they are still purchasing multivitamins. The false studies are benefiting everyone involved in the business. In an article called ‘Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Don’t Work’ by Cameron Scott, there are some eye opening statistics about multivitamins. All producers, suppliers and merchants are reeling in a great amount of profit. The merchant’s also include any type of store that sells multivitamins. Grocery stores are making a surprisingly large profit from common multivitamins. They make up for five percent of all sales from grocery stores. The profit they receive is a whopping ten times as high as those from groceries alone. The supplements in fact help with the sales of many small groceries. There is an estimated twenty-one billion dollars in profit from supplements expected in 2015.

Many people believe that taking multivitamins can help make up for a poor diet. Not only is this completely untrue but it in fact may be harming more than helping anyone. It has been found that most people are doing this completely on their own. They ignore the research and just because it says “vitamin” on a bottle, they will purchase it and believe it will be helpful. In an article written by, Stefanie Stickel called ‘Why Multivitamins Might Do More Harm Than Good’ there are some eye-opening statistics. A study that followed more than thirty-eight thousand women for twenty years showed that those who took vitamins daily actually died sooner than those who didn’t. For a small vitamin that’s supposed to be helping us, that a big scary result.

It is significantly better to receive nutrients through food rather than through a supplement. For example the amount of nutrients in an orange is much greater than a tablet of vitamin C. Not only restoring your body with vitamin C, an orange includes many other nutrients fulfilling your body. If we could all do our research and purchase healthy foods that supply our body with the required nutrients, we could save a lot of money. Not to mention stop wasting money on multivitamins that are not always effective, and may even be harming us.

Across the board, placebo controlled scientific studies have consistently showed that vitamin supplements do not prevent disease. And in some cases may even increase ones risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality. Not to mention if one eats three decent meals per day, even if only semi healthy, they will have most likely received all the nutrients required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Half of all americans take multivitamins, and if any of them did the research they would find out the facts. Saving themselves money and creating a healthy habit for generations to come.

Works Cited

 Why Multivitamins Might Do More Harm Than Good. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015.

Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Don’t Work. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015.

Communication takes control

Doctors on average spend a decade of their life studying extensively about science and the human body so that they can help others in need of medical attention; yet, how well doctors help their patients depends on how well the patient can convey their problems.

Not all patients have the ability to effectively communicate to doctors. Many hindrances could be social status, language barriers, and the culture of the patients but because all these elements that prevents patients from being treated by the doctors to the doctor’s best ability, this raises the problem of health disparities, which are “inequalities that exist when members of certain population groups do not benefit from the same health status as other groups,” according to the National institution of Health.

We were able to retrieve information on the doctor’s performances with different patients by giving surveys to patients.  The data was observed by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and they shockingly found that physicians perform poorly when helping families with low-income. Some assumptions were made claiming perhaps physicians care better for the rich for the money but in reality, the doctors are unable to tell or have time to look through the income of families; they just help as many people they can.

Therefore, it has been concluded that the main reason why these patients did not receive the best treatment is because of their communication. Many people overlook communication between the physicians and the patients, when really it is the communication that helps the doctors makes decisions. According to American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the benefits of effective communication are that the patient and physician can develop a partnership and the “patient has been fully educated in the nature of his or her condition and the different methods to address the problem.”  In addition, the patient will have a say in the decisions, which would contribute to their satisfaction.

Works Cited

“Doctors Who See Poorer Patients Get Poorer Performance Ratings.”Examiner.com. AXS Digital Group LLC D/b/a Examiner.com, 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

“The Office of Health Communications and Health Disparities.” What Are Health Disparities. Temple University Health System, Inc, 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

“Information Statement.” Importance of Good Communication in the Physician-Patient Relationship. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons., Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

The Mormons Aren’t Hurting Anyone

In contrast with the opinions of many individuals of many faiths, I submit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should not be condemned or otherwise publically reprimanded for their unusual practice of posthumous baptism.  I should like to additionally assert that in spite of the claims of some Jewish individuals, the Mormon Church does not overstep religious boundaries by performing the practice of posthumous baptism for victims of the Holocaust—or any other person or group of persons, regardless of faith, state of life, or cause of death—, and furthermore causes no harm to any individual, living or dead, by doing so.

As we have previously established, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the belief that it is never too late to achieve salvation, even after death.  As a result of this, the Church permits baptisms to be performed by the dead.  However, this is not done out of disrespect for the deceased.  Rather, it is done out of love for humanity, and a desire to prove salvation for all.  The Mormons show the utmost respect for the deceased individual, and assures the world that the remains of the dead person are not physically disturbed—the baptism is performed by proxy.  A young adult in the Church is physically baptized in water, while a Mormon priest calls out the names of the person or person who is to be baptized as the holy imposter remains submerged.  The Church believes that this is good enough for Heavenly Father, and that the soul of the dead person has been given the chance to achieve salvation.

Out of further respect for the dead person and their soul, the Church states that the process of baptism does not necessarily mean that a person is suddenly a Mormon—because of their apparent value of individual choice, the Mormons believe that a dead person’s soul must decide whether or not it would like to join Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom.  There is, however, no way to tell what the soul’s choice is, which has led to certain individuals being baptized more than once.  However, all of this shows that the Mormon Church cannot possibly doing any harm—the Church is demonstrating a truly generous display of religious tolerance by baptizing victims of the Holocaust, while simultaneously ensuring that the deceased individuals are not disturbed, as Jewish law forbids the exhumation of bodies.  Further still, the Church still values the freedom of choice for every being, living or dead.  It is only in a society that despises freedom that a practice that offers salvation, yet respects religious beliefs and personal choice can be considered harmful.

To avoid stacking the deck and claiming that no religious practice is harmful, we naturally examine a second religious practice, which has, unfortunately and without exaggeration, caused infants to die.  Interestingly, this is a practice performed by the Jews—the very people who have spoken out against the Mormons for not hurting anybody.  It is a universal practice in the Jewish community to circumcise baby boys on their eighth day of life.  In Orthodox communities, the Rabbi performing the circumcision will suck the blood from the infant’s penis, in a ritual practice thought to help cleanse the wound.  However, the practice of circumcision has been labelled as nothing more than the mutilation of a baby’s genitals, and does not serve any apparent purpose.

Circumcision, as opposed to post-mortem baptism, does not provide the chance for salvation—in fact, it seems to be completely arbitrary.  In the Christian Bible (the first five books of which constitute the Jewish Torah), in the book of Genesis, verses 9-14, we are told that:

God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.  This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.  You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.  For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.  Whether born in your house or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.  My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.  Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

From this text, we can conclude that the practice of circumcision is, in context, completely arbitrary.  As opposed to posthumous baptism—which, according to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, is permitted by 1 Corinthians 15:29—there is no reason for circumcisions to be performed except for the fact that the Jews believe God commanded it.  Furthermore, the Jewish babies have no choice in the matter, unlike the soul of a deceased person who has been baptized.  However, assuming that one practice is valid and the other is not would be disrespectful, as it would insinuate a belief that the Jewish faith is superior to that of the Mormons.

Recently, some Jewish infants contracted herpes as a direct result of ritual circumcisions.  Following the part of the ritual in which the Rabbi sucks the blood of the infant with his mouth, no fewer than eleven babies contracted the herpes virus between 2000 and 2012, at least one of whom died.  Ethics dictate that killing babies is most certainly unethical, and that is exactly what the Jews have done via the practice of infant circumcision.  While each individual person is different, and thus some may disagree, I submit that any practice that mutilates the genitals of infants who are merely days old, and furthermore can and has caused them to develop a terrible disease and even die, is most certainly a harmful one.  The hypocrisy of the Jews is darkly ironic: while their own religion has caused physical harm to members of their own religion, they speak out against another religion’s practice of saving as many people as possible.

The Jews’ claim that the Mormon practice of posthumous baptism is harmful is simply ludicrous.  While this practice is based out of love and causes no harm to anyone, the Jews are hypocritical in allowing babies to develop herpes and even die.  Furthermore, the Mormons’ religious practice is biblically supported, while the Jews simply must allow God to say, “Do this because I said so,” which is hardly a convincing argument.  Additionally, posthumous baptism respects the choice of the individual by allowing the soul to choose to convert or not, while babies have no say in their circumcisions.  It is also interesting to note that while the Mormons graciously extend their ritual to people of any and all religions, we scarcely hear of any Jews going around and offering to circumcise people, which reflects an unfortunately stereotypical greed.  Ultimately, after examining the two religious practices of the two religions involved in the controversy surrounding posthumous baptism, I submit that it is quite easy to determine what is harmful, and what is not.

Works Cited

“Why Do Mormons Perform Baptisms for the Dead?” Mormon.org. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Otterman, Sharon. “Mayor De Blasio and Rabbis Near Accord on New Circumcision Rule.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

James, Susan Donaldson. “Baby Dies of Herpes in Ritual Circumcision By Orthodox Jews.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Genesis. Holy Bible. Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2011. Print.

Video Games: Improving Cognitive Abilities, Treating Disorders

Soon, we will be able to walk into our local pharmacy and pick up an interesting prescription: a video game. Long thought of as simply entertainment, video games are proving to be feasible therapy for an array of cognitive disorders. As it stands, they are not currently available as treatment. However, strides are being made by neuroscientists and game developers, who have successfully crafted games that alleviate the ails of disorders from ADHD to autism. Video gaming should no longer be thought of as a pastime of the bored teenager. It is now to be considered a therapeutic undertaking.

Project Evo epitomizes the work neuroscientists and game designers are doing to aid in treating cognitive ailments. Players control a skidding car on ice, simultaneously tapping color-specified fish that appear at the top of the screen. Doing so employs multitasking, a capability in the same neural networks as attention span and working memory. These areas are bridged together while playing, training the brain to increase its focus and memorization. Driving a virtual car while tapping fish sounds nonsensical, but players in nine completed clinical trials displayed improvements in ADHD, depression, and autism.

Current ADHD medicine comes with negative side effects — sleep loss, low appetite, and stomach pain, to name a few. The creators of Project Evo expect a rapid decline in the use of these uncomfortable ADHD treatments once therapeutic games inevitably become available over the counter. Playing a video game with no side effects, aside from potential sore thumbs, is a much more humane treatment approach than swallowing pills that cause various bodily nags. Skeptics are not being outrageous when questioning if video games should replace certain prescription medications. Yet, the interactive, entertaining, and side-effect free aspects, backed by neuroscience, provide a strong case for the classification of video games as therapy.

One major roadblock stands in the way of this necessary classification: the FDA. Games typically travel from conception to retail shelves in six months. This ordinarily simple and quick process extends to an arduous ordeal that can take up to three or four years to complete, and cost several million dollars, when the FDA must approve a medical device. The small companies who are behind these health-centric games do not currently have the money or time that the FDA stamp of approval requires. The science, logic, and clinical trials have all been established. Doctors can prescribe the games and insurance companies can begin covering the cost for patients once the approval is given. Even drug companies are waking up to the possibilities. Pfizer, working alongside the Project Evo team, is attempting to improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s using the game.

Neuroscientists, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies have all realized the potential that video games hold for treating cognitive disorders. The FDA is the black sheep, the sole reason that these medically beneficial games are not currently prescriptions. Once the FDA is on board, video games will be legally legitimized as what they clearly are: therapy.

Works Cited

Dembosky, April. “‘Play This Video Game And Call Me In The Morning’“NPR. NPR, 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

“Therapeutic Video Game, “Project: EVO” Makes Headlines.” Autism Speaks. N.p., 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.