A free-allergy glass of milk: Real possibility?

Paulina Valdivia and Ignacia Leiva present a controversial piece of news. This information is going to be analyzed from two different points of view. On one hand, there is the original article, retrieved from the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS), named “Targeted microRNA expression in dairy cattle directs production of β-lactoglobulin-free, high-casein milk.” On the other hand, there is the article’s presentation in a newspaper. The Guardian published the information under the title “The creation of a Genetically Modified cow designed to produce milk without an allergy-causing protein”.

Is Transsexualism a mental disorder?

According to the World Health Organization, it is. People who are not satisfied with the sex they were born and feel they should have the opposite sex are diagnosed  by psychologists with Gender Identity Disorder (GID).

The American Psychiatric Association defines a mental disorder as “...a health condition characterized by significant dysfunction in an individual’s cognitions, emotions, or behaviors that reflects a disturbance in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.”  Nevertheless, latest medical studies on brain structures of transsexual people could prove that these persons have the brain structures of the opposite sex; in other words, their brain structure corresponds to the sex they feel identified with.

Furthermore, in 2008, a group of Australian researchers found a genetic difference related to the androgen receptor gene in male-to-female transsexuals that could provoke debility in testosterone signals.

These studies indicate that Transsexualism is not actually a mental illness, since there are physical aspects involved.

Actually, a petition made by a female-to-male transsexual called Maxwell Zachs at Change.org asking for declassifying Transsexualism as a mental disorder from the World Health Organization has been signed by more than 42.000 people.  It is part of an International campaign in which Trans people claim that they are not sick, they are just people who were born in a different body, and that the classification of Transsexualism as a mental disorder just contributes to discrimination.

Here's the link to the full petition of Maxwell Zachs: http://www.change.org/petitions/world-health-organisation-who-we-are-trans-not-sick

Do you consider that Transsexualism is a mental disorder? What do you think about Maxwell Zachs's petition?

Boys now enter puberty younger than decades ago!

People have always said that boys are immature in thinking and they get stuck in their childhood, facts which are true, but a recent study documented in US showed that boys are getting into puberty before than many years ago.

A large study conducted by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) suggests that boys are entering to puberty earlier than several decades ago; they are showing signs of puberty six months to two years earlier than was reported in a previous research.

For the study, researchers enlisted up to 200 pediatrics in 41 states to record information on 4,131 healthy boys ages 6 to 16 during their well-child examinations; they paid attention on different physical aspects: size of testicles, pubic hair, etc. Then, researchers compared the new data to all the previous studies and they found out that boys are experiencing the onset of their puberty at the age of 9 to 10.

As the study was published by the AAP, researchers said that they couldn’t came up with a concrete reasons as possible determiners of this accelerated maturation in boys, although they mentioned changes in diet, less physical activity and other environmental factors as possibilities.  

What’s the reality in Chile? Are we boys entering to puberty before than expected? Is there any genetic factor that makes us different from American boys?

For further information about this study and other findings related to puberty in American Children, check this link out:

Official Article from the American Academy of Pediatrics

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Study-Documents-Early-Puberty-Onset-In-Boys.aspx

Is there life after death?

 Dr. Eben Alexander is a fifty eight-year old neurosurgeon of Harvard University who lived a near-death experience (NDE) four years ago. It was caused by an extremely rare illness that attacked the neocortex, an important part of the brain that controls thought and emotion—and in essence makes us human. Dr. Alexander’s brain shut down completely for seven days during which he laid in a hospital bed in a deep coma. One day, out of the sudden, his eyes popped open. This surprised his doctors who had weighed the possibility of stopping the treatment.  They explained Dr. Alexander’s come back as a medical miracle.

Surprisingly, the miracle was not just that Dr. Alexander had returned from a coma, it was that while he was unconscious, and according to what he declared, his mind “travelled beyond this world and had an encounter with an angelical being who guided him into the deepest realm of super-physical existence where he met and spoke with the Divine source of the universe itself.”

His story has caused a big impact in the science world because, according to the medical understanding of the brain and mind, he could have never had experienced even a reduced state of consciousness during the coma. Alexander is a man of science who would always explain that NDEs, despite feeling real to people who have experienced them, are simply fantasies produced by brains after extreme stress. But this incredible experience made him change his mind and question himself if there is life after death.  

Now he thinks of death not as the end of personal existence but as a transition. He also believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize than God and the soul are real.

What do you think about Dr. Alexander’s experience and words about the existence of afterlife? Do you believe in life after death? 

You can click here to watch and listen his testimony and learn about "Proof of Heaven," a book Dr. Alexander wrote inspired by his experience.  

Rohypnol: The date rape drug

Rohypnol is the brand name for the drug flunitrazepam, a drug used in the short-term treatment of insomnia and for inducing anaesthesia. Currently another use has been attributed to it: rape.

Rohypnol has been labeled as a 'date rape' drug because it produces sedative effects as muscle relaxation and amnesia, therefore the consumers cannot remember what they go on during the time they are under the influence of Rohypnol and because of the sedative effects of it they are not capable to defend themselves.

Most of the rape attacks occur in clubs: Rapist tend to slip the drug into a drink before it’s served and because Rohypnol is tasteless, odorless, and colorless, in other words, undetectable, the victim doesn’t notice it.

According to the web page www.bbc.co.uk, adverse effects of Rohypnol use include: drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech and weakness. 

In the following video, Donna Barnes,a relationship expert gives advices to protect ourselves from this drug:

Rohypnol is illegal in the U.S., but in Latin America you can get it with a prescription. What does it tell us about our society? Should we also forbid the production and sale of Rohypnol? Another controversial issue is the defamation of Rohypnol as the date rape drug. Not many people know about this so, why authorities haven’t diffused the dangers of this drug?

Addicted by isolation

A study was conducted for over two years and the findings are clear: Gay people are more likely to consume drugs than straight people. Marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy are the most common drugs among gay people as well as alcohol. The study proved that gays showed higher signs of dependency on these substances. This study was conducted by the Lesbian and Gay foundation and over 4,000 people were tested.


Lesbians, gays and bisexual people are more likely to consume and abuse drugs. A third of gay people admitted to have taken one or more illegal drug during the last month of investigation against the five percent of the rest of the people. 

Regarding these findings, gay movement leaders have a lot to say. Kitty Richardson, a 25 years old woman who runs a blog for lesbians, said it is all about labels. People tend to label gay people as troubled or needy. The fact is that the easiest way to socialize among gays involves alcohol and drugs because they are isolated from society.

David Stuart, outreach and education manager of London Friend, stated that the use and abuse of drugs has to do with different feelings such as rejection and fear.

Beyond drug addiction itself, this study shows the hard reality that part of the population lives given discrimination and prejudice. Do you think it is fair for gay people to live hiding?

(Clicking Here you can find the testimony of Brendon, a gay man who was addicted to crystal meth)

Pro fashion or pro animals?

It is well-known that animals are really important to our ecosystem. For thousands of years humans have cared for them, developing different protection associations that have been concerned of the species conservation, especially those that are endangered.

Although the efforts made to keep the animal welfare, some people ignore this and use these creatures just for their own benefit; for example, earning money through the use of animals for fashion. How? Their furs are considered to be a luxury item of clothing that grant high status on its wearing. Therefore, designers are capable to do whatever is needed to get this raw material, even killing animals. The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament establishes that there are 6.000 fur farms in the United States, and that this country accounts for 63% of global mink production and 70% of fox production.
Sadly, because of this selfish action, more than 50 million animals are cruelty killed for use in fashion every year. This industry is damaging our nature, because of its higher energy costs, land deterioration, pollution, and reductions in species of wild animals; but if consumers keep on buying this luxury items, this animal mistreatment will never stops.
If you could afford it, would you like to buy and wear expensive items of clothing that have been confectioned with animal’s fur? Do you think this is ethic, considering the cruelty of this industry? Where do you stand: pro fashion or pro animals?


For more information, watch this video: