If you read this post, you win a hundred points!

Gamification is a barely new concept that is changing the way people do activities these days. It can be defined as the the application of game elements and mechanics and digital game design techniques to non-game problems or contexts. It is a current trend among software developers who want to make their programs more engaging and businesses who want to increase the productivity among their workers.

Basic techniques of gamification motivate certain desired behaviors by taking advantage of the human tendency to engage in gaming, as it distracts people from what they are actually doing. These techniques are known to most internet users, as they are already present in very famous sites such as Facebook and Foursquare. They are more simple than anyone could think: winning points, obtaining badges, leveling up, climbing up “leader boards”, using virtual currency, showing progress bars, fulfilling quest, having avatars, etc. Adding these features to websites and programs, where there may be tasks considered otherwise rather dull or stressing, makes them not only endurable, but also enjoyable.

One important example of the brilliant use of gamification is the educational website khanacademy.org. Salman Khan, the site creator, incorporated game-like characteristics to make it more attractive for a younger learner audience. Students can win points and badges by doing exercises and watching videos and progress bars tell them how good their performance is at a given task.

You got to the end of this article, so you are now a hundred points richer. One can only wonder what else can be made into a game by just adding points to it. Is everything considered boring going to be “gamified” some day?

Vaccines in direct relation with mental problems?

Common cold, allergies, chicken pox, tetanus, and any other illnesses which require vaccination for its eradication are the common denominator when healthcare is required. 

According to several studies, such as the one conducted by the National Vaccine Information Center, state that the entire branch of vaccines--besides of containing powerful agents that engage indirectly with the diseases afflicted and which are inquired to be purged--also contain mercury preservative, a neurotoxic agent definitely not needed inside our bodies since it may cause overt mental disorders; in addition to a lowered IQ.

Neurological disorders were very uncommon 40-50 years ago, when children were not vaccinated until they were 6 years old. Nowadays children are vaccinated at birth when their Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), which function is to prevent some materials existing in the blood from entering the brain, has not been fully developed.

Worldwide, and before mass immunization programs began, autism was unheard of. In addition, parallel to these findings ADD learning disorders have been tracked down diligently to childhood inoculations. Furthermore, the neurologic disorders related to shots are diverse and numerous which are listed like so: Encephalitis, Ataxia/Apraxia, Retardation, Meningitis, Paralysis, Lupus, Hyperactivity - ADD, Learning Disability (LD), Demyelinization diseases (paralysis, difficulty breathing, speech disorders, and cognitive and physical impairment), Epilepsy, Convulsions – Seizures, Blindness, Deafness, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Mental confusion - Lowered IQ, and Brain tumors just to name a few, for this is not the inclusive list.

When fully understanding how useful or damaging certain elements that we allow into our lives are. Also, considering how much love one holds for oneself, have you ever considered the total extent of what are you willing to do when seeing the full picture? Whether that might be a fact or just presumptions?   

    

Frogs, mice and cancer. What do they have in common?

An important research related to cancer has been conducted in the last years. Scientists from Queen´s University, one of the UK leading research intensive universities, discovered that there are some proteins in frogs’ skin that can regulate how blood vessels grow. Cancer tumors can grow only to a certain size and then they need blood vessels to keep developing. The frog's skin proteins could prevent tumors to grow; therefore, cancer could be transform from a terminal illness into a chronic one. Trials on mice have shown excellent results so now human clinical trials are set to begin.

Everything is rosy till this point. People may just welcome this good news and be happy, but there is an important part of the news which hasn't been considered yet.

What about mice and frogs? On one hand, mice have been used on trials, which mean keeping the mice on laboratories, under several experiments. On the other hand, the frogs’ skin is crucial on this research. It is also necessary to keep frogs on laboratories and extract secretions from their skins on an unnatural way. Mice and frogs are being used on experiments with the purpose of curing a severe human disease.

There are two very different sides of a coin: Humans’ health versus animals’ rights. Lives saved versus cruelty. Apparently it's hard to find a balance in life and we may want to rethink at the moment of picking a side onn this discussion.

Small jar, big benefits.

Could you survive in temperatures below -30ºC? Although it seems impossible for humans to put up with those temperatures, there are other kinds of living beings who do; not only animals and not just thanks to their fur.

For decades, scientists have studied and used protein molecules present in different organisms, including insects, fish, plants and bacteria, and which are mostly used for extending harvest and improving farm fish production in cooler climates; also are used for enhancing preservation of tissues for transplant or transfusion in medicine, and treating hypothermia. But a recent discovery in this field can place an important change in the use of antifreeze molecules.

In Alaska, scientists of the University of Notre Dame have been working with an antifreeze molecule taken from a freeze-tolerant Alaskan beetle (Upis ceramboides). This molecule, unlike most of the molecules used in science, is not a protein but a mixture of fatty acids and saccharides which exists in this type of beetle in small quantities.

Some of its most interesting aspects are that this molecule is the first one tried on isolation of antifreeze and also given that its chemical composition could be easily synthesized in the laboratory of small chains of sugar companies, making them cheaper and easier to manufacture than biologically assembled molecules.

Given this recent discovery, scientist have started to look out for more uses for this molecule and see what else this small creatures have to offer. How much has the natural world for us? Can you imagine all the possibilities? For now the best I can think is that we are getting closer to use them as examples and not so much as raw material.

Motion capture in the creation of "Just Dance"

Many are the technological techniques that have been developed for several industries. One of them is the motion capture. This process, also known as “mocap” consists of recording the movement of an object or people; this recording is used later to create digital versions of what was recorded. Film, animation and games industry are pioneers using this technique—although it is a very useful tool in sports, medicine, robotics, even in military issues.

During last 3 years, a video game developer, Ubisoft, has used this technological tool in an “unusual” way: record movements for you to follow them. In 2009 a new game for the Wii was released by this French developer. The game named Just Dance consists of mimic a silhouette of a dancer, which is created through motion capture, using the standard Wii remote. This game featured a wide range of very-known songs, each one with a different choreography. This, combined with the benefits of an active and “healthy” game, made the game a complete success; in fact, there are 2 sequels already released and a fourth one coming in October.

This revolutionary idea was achieved thanks to LiveMove, software used specifically for Wii games whose special characteristic is that it can record very fast dance steps and movements without losing the quality of the motion—other techniques create motions that look too “computerized”. Because of this, imitating the steps involves less effort and players feel more comfortable playing the game.

Motion capture in video games industry is, perhaps, making a change developing games that may contribute to health rather than only entertaining. Could you as gamers prefer these games instead of the ordinary ones? You can check the link below (a video from a song of Just Dance 3) and think about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VevE4v065sA

Not so Nice to "Meat" You

Meat may be one of the most popular foods—especially here in Chile during the month of September; human beings have been eating it since the homo habilis started creating weapons for hunting animals for food and clothing—and since that moment, we have not stopped. Beef, pork, chicken and even whale are a few examples of the animals that people ingest everyday, but are you aware of the effects that the consuming of animal products has on people’s behavior?

First of all, we can mention the difference between carnivore and herbivore animals: the first ones intrinsically present a hostile behavior—similar to people who eat meat constantly, who tend to be aggressive, violent or apathetic—unlike vegetarians, whose way of acting is usually gentler, peaceful and easy-going. This change in behavior is related to the secretion of neurotransmitters, which are chemicals from our nervous system that transmit brain signals from one neuron to another to make us act in a particular way.

And, secondly, we can mention that human beings are affected by the environment; in this case, the diet that people incorporate to their lives, given that people can gradually change their behavior at the moment that meat is being either added or cut off from their diet. For instance, in times of war, to increase soldiers’ aggressiveness, the portions of meat in their meals were bigger. This made them “qualified” for going to the frontlines.

If meat is said to be one of the causes of people's aggressiveness, should we transform into a new vegetarian society or we should just keep taking the risk?

Don't 'Weight' for Showing some Moves!

The next time that your parents state that playing videogames is a waste of time and that it just promotes slothfulness and obesity, you should let them know how erroneous is their allegation; have any of you ever heard about a game named Dance Dance Revolution?

Dance Dance Revolution—also known as DDR and formerly known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australia—is a series of electronic games of the genre of music produced by the Japanese entertainment company Konami Kabushiki-Gaisha (“Konami” for short).

This game consists basically in standing on a platform which has four arrows placed in different directions—up, down, left and right—and stepping on the corresponding one at the rhythm of any of the songs you can choose from a playlist that appears in the screen. DDR is available in both arcade and console game formats.

What has made this game so engaging for people—mostly teenagers—is the fact that it is the player the one that dances to the music and not only the character that appears in the videogame; even though it actually can be played using controls, that is not the idea. In other words, the participant ends up playing a videogame and doing exercise at the same time in a particularly enjoyable fashion.

Not only does DDR help you drop off a couple of pounds by pressing the dance steps, but also contributes in the improvement of your reflexes, increases the speed of your feet and your whole body, facilitates coordination and develops physical working endurance. These benefits have been taken into account in such way that even some schools have considered using this game as a tool for their Physical Education classes.

A concrete example of this proposal is the case of private schools of West Virginia in the United States, where DDR has been incorporated as a way of struggling against childhood obesity. Situations like this may make some of us want to go back to school and show some moves, don’t you think so? What would happen if this proposal was made here in Chile as well?

Smartphones Addiction: Do you really know your limits?

Twelve years ago, the only utility of cell phones was to make calls and to text messages. In that time, people were amazed with the possibility of talking through a “small” device from any place there were antennas nearby.  However, time advanced and so did technology; new features started being incorporated until cell phones became almost small laptops.

Nowadays, smartphones have become part of our lives.  Either to check our emails, to chat, to take photos, to read newspapers or to check twitter and facebook; we are using them the entire day because of a necessity of being connected.

However, it is said that several people around the world are becoming addicted to this devices. According to Lisa Merlo, Psychologist from the University of Florida, there is a series of behaviors regarding smartphones which may be alarming and signals of addiction; for instance, checking the phone every 5 minutes not only for missed calls, but also to catch up on anything that happens in social networks or emails; faking to do something on the phone to avoid contact with other people; getting into the phone and losing awareness of what is happening around; freaking out if the phone is left at home; among others.

The consequences can be sleep problems, increase of stress and nervousness, increase of dependence, lose of social skills and even extreme anxiety when the phone is not near.

In the next CBS News report, Betty Nguyen consults specialists about this issue.

What about you? Do you consider yourself as addicted to your smartphone? If you don't have one, would you like to?

Facebook: A doubled-edge sword for kids

 Facebook, founded in 2004 by M. Zuckerberg, was initially directed to Harvard’s students only; however, nowadays everyone has access to it. We all know what this website is about, how it works, how to use it and most of us have a Facebook account.

  Facebook states that kids under the age of 13 are not allowed to have an account, but is not so difficult to lie about age on the website. Moreover, parents do not always allow their children to have FB accounts, yet kids can dive into FB on their own.

 The benefits of using the site seem to be not few compared to the adverse consequences of it: it improves children’s social skills by allowing them to have contact with other people, it gives them the chance to express themselves, it provides them online social media skills, it helps them to communicate with their classmates and discuss school work.

 The disadvantages, on the other hand refer to bullying, addiction to the website, an opened door to other websites not appropriate for teens or kids, and fake accounts with pedophiles behind them. Teenagers do not always know to differentiate right from wrong and kids under 13, or even 14, are exposed to great dangers they don’t even imagine. I think it’s not FB the problem, but an “age” one: FB is not necessary a bad thing, but it is when it's used by kids who have no idea what they are doing.

 So, if you had a child under 13, would you let him/her have a FB account?

Let’s switch uteri!

In Sweden two women received new wombs donated by their mothers, something that seemed utopian twenty years ago it is possible today!

The surgery took place on September 15 and 16 from this year, where their mother’s healthy uteri were transplanted into their daughter’s body. The women are in their thirties, one had cervical cancer and had hers removed a few years ago, and the second woman was born without one.

But this is not all; in vitro procedures were performed on these women and until now everything has turned out well. "Both patients that received new uteri are doing fine, but are tired after surgery," Dr. Mats Brannstrom, who led the team of doctors performing the surgery, said in a hospital statement on Tuesday. "The donating mothers are up and walking and will be discharged from the hospital within a few days". More details in this video.

The idea of having uteri removed it’s not new, in 2011 a successful uteri transplant was conducted in Turkey, but the woman hasn’t been able to conceive.

The benefit of this milestone in the history of fertility is amazing: Women who are unable to have children will be able to do it. We can end with infertility. 

This leads to the question, could men also have children? Of course this is a future thing, but could it be possible? Would it be ethical? Would it be “right”?

A "New" & Natural Alternative Sweetener

When it comes to lose some weight (or other situations related to one’s health), many people are told to give up sugar—chocolates, cookies, soda, cakes, and many other products. But as it is very difficult to stop eating such a vital element of our diet, some sugar users have decided to include other sweetener alternatives to their lives.

As you may know, there are many options when referring to food sweeteners: the most important ones (and the most popular) are saccharin, sucralose and aspartame. Alternative sweeteners are said to be calorie-free and represent an important alternative for those who do not want to gain extra weight. Artificial sugar substitutes can be bought in supermarkets and they are not particularly expensive.

Nowadays, there is a "new" sugar substitute that has plenty of followers. This new product is called Stevia, and it is derived from a South American shrub called Stevia rebaudiana which contains a substance that is said to be about 250 times sweeter than sugar. In 1991, this product was banned in the United States due to some studies that suggested that Stevia may cause cancer and reduce fertility, and although this product has been used for centuries by many cultures, it was not until now that Stevia has become popular and widely available for anyone who wants to replace artificial sweeteners for a more natural sugar substitute.

Some experts claim that Stevia, when consumed in large amounts, may have harmful effects, but it cannot be still proved due to the lack of long-term studies related to this topic. At the same time, Stevia followers claim that its natural properties are less harmful than those of artificial sweeteners.

Not all natural products are always good for our health, and Stevia may be a good example. Do you always trust nature? Or do you prefer to do some research before consuming new products that claim to have natural properties?

Would you erase bad memories?

I guess many (if not all) of us have been through some very bad experiences that we would like to wipe out of our memory: a bad date, a car accident, a terrible performance, a desvastating break up. If you are into cinema you might be thinkg about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Lacuna Inc.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, have been looking for a similar idea that the movie presents but the key factor in their research is a protein (instead of a brain-wake gizmo) with a very important role in learning and memory consolidation. The protein is called  "Alpha-CaM Kinase II" and have been tried on conditionated mice and their long term memory. The experiment's outcome showed that the mice had actually forgot about what they "learnt" or remembered about their conditioning.

This strikes me quite hard because if yoy forget a specific event in your life, wouldn't you also forget what you learnt from that? and you can't make other forget the same and they'll tell you about it and if you are given specific details about something your mind will recreate it and you will accept it. As explained in this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il0u2s_WGXA&feature=player_embedded

But this is a bad thing as well, because you can get some new false memories and be tricked by mean people.

How will the get to just One and That memory only? What if they miss it and delete your best memory? Do you create a shoot or a pill? If this is developed and controlled by war pigs or rotten politicians to mass control people? Where is the stop line for this?

PS:  The term “lacuna” means a gap or missing part; there’s a disorder called lacunar amnesia, in which a person develops a gap in his or her memory about a specific event.

Her name was Mary... something...

Marijuana is a drug which derivates from a plant named cannabis sativa and, according to the United Nations, it is the most consumed drug among people around the world. It is used either for medicinal, religious or recreational reasons, and consuming it at an early age can bring dreadful consequences.

The consuming of marijuana as a usual activity can have an effect on your cognitive processes! According to the research conducted by the scientist Madelein H. Meier, adolescents who make use of this drug showed a significant decrease in their intellectual coefficient in contrast with any person who does not consume this drug; 1075 young people born in New Zealand between the years 1972 and 1973 were part of the group that was studied until their thirty-eighth birthday.

It is believed that the persistent use of marijuana can have effects on memory and attention, and the results of the research show that teenagers who were more likely to consume this drug constantly showed a more noteworthy decline in their intellectual coefficient than the people who started consuming marijuana at an elder age. To quit smoking or to reduce the doses of cannabis does not restore the neuropsychological system among the users of cannabis in adolescence and believe that to smoke this drug at such a young age could have consequences related to neurotoxins.

Marijuana is extremely controversial given that it has a list of benefits—for example, decreasing asthma and migraine; also helps against depression—as well as detriments such as memory loss and issues related to body coordination; its legalization has been a never-ending debate. Considering both advantages and disadvantages, which side would you take?

Regenerating lost body parts - Starfish style

Starfish are curious creatures. Perhaps, their most characteristic ability is how they can regenerate lost limbs. If a starfish lost a limb, it is going to be regenerated. Even more surprising, a new starfish will be born from that lost limb.

This “T-1000” characteristic caught the attention of several biogenetics researches. In 2004, doctors from the University of California studied starfish’s genetic code and discover that some genes could be useful to understand some specific characteristics of cancer, effects of aging and, of course, regeneration. In addition, researchers created new genes on which similar cells from both human and starfish coexist. This experiment was the first of a set that involved computing techniques to do a more thorough work. At the same time, researchers of the University of Auckland got interested on this investigation because they were conducting research on brain regeneration to treat patients with degenerative diseases. So, it is proper to say that starfish may have the answer to several problems that diseases cause to us.

 

Despite starfish and humans are quite different, researchers keep doing experiments to find the expected result: discover how to mix genes that could make humans regenerate lost parts of their bodies. These experiments represents the hopes of many amputees, whose life have changed in a negative way after losing an arm or a leg—in worse cases, the two arms or legs.

Although studies on starfish may provide new solutions to the medicine field, they are considered animal experimentation. Starfish are still not so well known creatures, considering some of their characteristics a mystery. So, should researches continue with this investigation? Are starfish the answer to other degenerating diseases?

For more information, check this The New Zealand Herald article:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3584086

Living like Ken: An option for men?

A recent study conducted by scientists of the University of Inha in South Korea, showed that eunuchs–men that have been castrated, who existed there for centuries—were able to live a longer life. After studying the genealogical records of the members of the imperial court of the Chosun Dynasty (from 1392 to 1910 D.C.), scientists discovered a range of life of 14 to 19 years longer than common men.

This recent study suggests that testosterone, the primary masculine hormone, might be the responsible for life shortening. According to one of the investigators of the group, this hormone is known for reducing immunity functions and raising the probabilities of heart diseases as its production generates high levels of stress for the body; since castration stops testosterone production, negative effects related to this hormone decrease as well.

Among the number of men considered in this study, 3/81 lived more than 100 years—something that, considering how long ago this was, is a huge achievement. Although some might suggest that this fact was more related to the life style eunuchs had in the imperial palace, evidence shows that they spent the same amount of time inside and outside the palace; even more, kings and male members of the royal family lived for only 40 to 50 years.

Fortunately for us, women do not have to worry about this, as we usually live longer according to statistics; so now is up to you guys to judge and choose: quantity or quality? Can you have both?

Tumour Pong: Fake Food Is Not Good

            Genetically modified foods, also known as transgenic foods, are the kind of nourishment which composition has been altered by adding some element provided by the genes transferred from another organism; this helps not only to prevent disasters caused by drought or plagues, but also to resist against herbicides. Furthermore, this genetic manipulation enables an increase in production—in both harvests and aliments for livestock—and durability, which means that it is possible for more people to obtain their provisions.

            However, many of us are aware about the controversy that transgenic foods have caused even from their beginning; production may have increased, yet costs have as well. In addition, these transformed products are the main cause of ecological disasters such as the death of numerous pollinators, resistance to antibiotics or secretion of toxic waste.

            According to a research conducted by the French scientist Gilles Eric Séralini, genetically manipulated food is not only potentially harmful for humans or insects, but it also is for animals such as rats; in the University of Caen, an experiment was being held with these little creatures who turned out to develop shocking tumours which had a size similar to a ping-pong ball.

            These laboratory rats had been fed their whole life with genetically altered corn from Monsanto (an American agricultural biotechnology industry) which grew from NK603, a variety of seeds that is resistant to herbicides such as “Roundup”—Monsanto’s own product. Unlike the lamentably diseased group, the rats that were fed with their usual diet lived longer.

            Given this concrete—and recent—state of affairs, do you still think that transgenic foods should stay in the market? Rats were the first grievous victims; what comes next? We cannot even trust in what we eat nowadays.

Transgenic food: To eat or not to eat

Lately, I have heard a lot of people complaining about the taste of some vegetables and meat. I don’t know if this is actually real, but one thing is certain, transgenic food has entered to the market and our houses causing changes in flavor and size.

Transgenic food can be defined as meat and vegetables modified through genetic engineering. Food modification is not new since a long time humans have being using a technique called selective breading which is possible only within the same species and using natural reproduction. But now food engineering allows humans to transfer genetic material from one organism to another, it doesn’t matter if it is from the same species. The problem with this is that the alien gens are forced in the animal or plant producing mutated food which long-term effects for the human health are still unknown.

Many people like farmers and Scientifics argue that transgenic food may result harmful for our health and the environment. One of the most worrying claims is that transgenic food cause cancer. According to Dr Samuel Epstein of the University of Chicago and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, a growth hormone (GH) injected in cows to make them produce more milk is responsible for several cases of breast cancer. Canadian studies proved that the growth hormone induces malignant transformation in the breast cells.

Monsanto whom are one of the biggest owners of transgenic seeds and food (if not the only ones) argued that the hormone was killed after the process of pasteurization therefore the breast’s cancer cases had nothing to do with their products.

Whether to eat transgenic food can cause cancer and others diseases or not is still under investigation. There are many experiments and studies around the world that prove that genetically altered food represent a menace for the human being and fewer studies that claim the opposite. In my opinion, until we don’t have a clear answer, I will try to avoid this new kind of mutant food.

Allopathic medicine v/s Natural Medicine: Which one is the best option?

The idea that traditional medicine, also known as allopathic medicine, is the best option to heal our illnesses has always existed. However, the World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the world’s population prefers herbal and natural treatments as their first health care option. This is, basically, because people do not trust conventional medicine and its secondary effects.

On one hand, it is true that allopathic medicine is often highly effective because is focused on specific dysfunctions that the human body may have. But, what about the side effects? Traditional medicine is based on invasive treatments that attack individual symptoms, but our body is not separated in systems: it is a whole. Most of the time, we cure one illness at the expense of another part of our body that, in the future, would be affected because of the treatments that we have already used.

On the other hand, alternative medicine cares not only about the problem, but also about the entire body. An herbalist may recommend you a mix of different herbs or roots, but that is not everything. Natural healing is about a lifestyle change that allows you to keep a health life. This may include diets, reflexology, yoga, massages or other natural treatments.

The most important things are, first, that all people are different and everyone needs a different treatment depending on the illness; and second, both types of healing have certain limitations, so the complementary use of both is recommended. The decision you have to make is: which one should be used over the other one? Would you prefer to use allopathic or natural medicine as your first health care option?

Culinary ingredient or natural medicine?

Since ancient times, olive has been used as part of a regular diet in countries like Egypt, Greece, or Africa.


Nowadays other places such as Spain, Italy and California, -motivated in the culinary industry- have become the major producers of olive oil based on it taste and health properties.
Regular consumers around the world have included olive oil to their meals, even though many of them don’t know for sure the benefits it is presume to have.

Some major health issues in today’s society are obesity and problems with cholesterol levels. 

According to  Dr Patrick Davey, cardiologist  “Having too much cholesterol in the blood is not a disease in itself, but can lead to the hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) in the major vascular systems.”

There are two types of cholesterol: HDL (also known as “good” cholesterol that prevents us from atherosclerosis), and LDL (“bad” cholesterol, associated to diseases of the heart); they both should be maintained in the appropriate levels in order to function properly in the body. 

One of the best-known monosaturated fats (reduces the bad cholesterol) is the olive oil, which in moderation also can provide some nutrients as antioxdidants and vitamin E both helpful for the prevention of blood clots formation that might lead to heart attacks. All of this means that some olive oil might help preventing Heart diseases, gallstone formation, ease the symptoms of ulcers and gastritis. Spanish researchers conducted studies among rats, and got the conclusions that olive oil possibly can reduce the risk to get colon cancer. 

There are several types of olive oils which derive from the quality and grades of oil from the olive when it is extracted. The more cold (high temperatures can cause the oil get rancid) and preserved the oil is (virgin) the purer the taste and nutrients might be. 

Would you take care of your health by adding some mediterranean flavor to your meals or do you still consider it as a traditional culinary ingredient?  

The problem when water is not enough

Since a while sports drinks have been gaining popularity. These products promise to help you to exercise better and increase energy levels. It is true that water is the best choice for hydration, but when we exercise, we lose electrolytes (medical term for salts, specifically ions) from perspiration and it is necessary for the body to recover them. Also, we can get a carbohydrate boost from sports drink, which is very useful when doing exercise.

Till this point, sports drinks are nothing but a helpful beverage. However, there is a huge problem that can be associated with this product. All the benefits can turn into damages when the drinkers are not athletes. People who work in offices, teachers and others that seek to get an “energetic blow” drink sports drinks. And what is worst, kids also prefer these beverages because of their taste and colors. Sports drinks are supposed to serve a specific function: to enhance exercise performance.

When sports drinks are used for others purposes, the body can suffered the consequences. High amounts of sugar and proteins are contributing to increase obesity levels in kids and adolescents. Caffeine is another component present on sports drinks. It can produce headaches and if consumed after initiated the exercise can even provoke gastrointestinal problems.

These problems could be solved if both, companies and us, worked together. The questions are: Are companies disposed to tell all the truth about their products? Are we going to start drinking water or other beverages?

Aspartame: Is it really good for your health?

Aspartame is a sugar substitute that can be found in many products, such as sodas, chewing gum, breakfast cereal, and even medicines. This artificial sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so it can be considered free of calories because of the small quantity needed to sweet food, even if it has almost the same amount of calories that sugar has. Since it was first approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981, it has been used in more than 6,000 food products, and consumed by over 200 million people worldwide. Although the popularity of this product, numerous studies have proved that this sugar substitute is one of the most dangerous food additives today.

According to the FDA, over the 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives are due to aspartame. These reactions include headaches, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, insomnia, vision problems, memory loss, loss of taste; or even worse things such as brain tumors, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
Several recent studies have scientifically proved this:
• In Italy, a study on rats has shown that aspartame is a multi-potential carcinogenic compound. Its effects are evident at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight, less than the recommended for humans.
• In Greece, a group of scientists have shown that aspartame ingestion worsen learning and causes memory loss.
• In Spain, a study on rats has proved that ingestion of aspartame promotes the formation of a known carcinogen called formaldehyde.

Having this in mind, Are you going to prefer food that contains aspartame instead of sugar?

When does life begin?

Even though it sounds a simple question, it’s not. During all these years scientists all over the world have discussed about the origin of life, till now they haven’t been able to come to a consensus.

Here are a few theories:

-Pro-life groups claim that life begins as soon as a sperm fuses with an egg, and therefore as a future human being, the embryo has rights and interests.

-Ian Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep, sustains that life begins after 14 days with the development of the spinal column.

-Jonathan Glover, director of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics at King's College London, argues that life begins with the beginning of consciousness.

All these arguments have led to a number of controversial issues: birth control pills, DIU, abortion and the day after pill. About the last one pro-life and religious groups claim that the day after pill is abortive and it is killing a future human being because it prevents sperm fuses with an egg.

I personally take Wilmut’s side and agree on life beginning with the backbone, but I don’t discredit the other theories because there is no reason to claim one is right and the other one is wrong.

 As I said above this is personal, so when does life begin to you?