Month: April 2019
A Question of Women Rights in Othello?
Othello is a great example of William Shakespeare's talent. His vision, imagery, and attention to detail is put on full display during this epic tragedy. The most important part to be drawn from this play is how women, and women's rights were viewed at this period in time; women during this time were often treated poorly. They had no real place in politics, or even in society. The one true job that most women held was to be basically a Stay at home wife, and to please their husband in any way possible. They were not educated, and their words meant nothing especially when held against the words of a man. This is shows throughout Othello, especially in the latter portion of the play. Key characters such as Desdemona, Emilia, and even a subtle one such as Bianca all represent examples of this. These women in this play masterfully portray a message to the society of the time that women's rights are, and always will be a major issue until something is done in the world between both woman and men.
The speech given in Act IV is often considered a plea for women's rights. Emilia and Desdemona are both extremely tired of the way they were being treated how the other women are being treated. They are pleading for a change, and are seemingly calling out the men in the play and the audience as well. This is was mainly particular for the time period in which this play was set. Shakespeare is taking a real chance of receiving some serious backlash from his implications and suggestions of a needed change in the role women had in families, marriages, and society. The picture that is painted by Shakespeare is a beyond accurate representation of this. Men of this time period held all the power and responsibility, and what Shakespeare is suggesting would upend that entirely. He is sending a message to his audience that this behavior is not acceptable. Women were often given little to no respect. One of the very few examples of respect of a woman shown in this play was by Othello before the climax of the play, and Iago's evil plan began to take place. During other times during the play, women were seen being shoved around, sexually abused, and told directly what to do by men with no way for any sort of free choice. Men were treating their own wives like some form of doll which they use at their own convenience, and also leave at their own will with little to no consequences. (Cantor) One would create what was basically a human sex slave out of their wives, and that is all.
A man of this time period could very easily commit adultery, and his wife could say or do something and nothing would be done. However, if the wife in turn committed an adulterous act or was even rumored to have committed any form of an adulterous act, she was going to be beaten. This was obviously seen with the death of Desdemona. Iago simply started a rumor about her, and continuously fed lies to Othello. So, instead of getting a divorce, or even truly listening to her side of the story, he murders her in cold blood, while calling her a whore and other such terrible things. This may be one of the things if this woman has been known as a harlot, but Desdemona was known as an upstanding, and well respected woman. She was in all actuality the picture perfect wife; she did as her husband commanded, and showed him nothing but compassion. Her loyalty never once faded, even as she took her final breath. Wives of this time truly felt and were treated less than human.
Shakespeare also shows us an example by his concern of women's rights through his portrayal of the character Bianca. She is a seemingly very minor character without much purpose in the play. However, when reading and watching the play in the particular context of a work centered on women's rights, her role makes perfect sense. Bianca was, in fact a stereotypical prostitute. She was in love with Cassio, but he mistreated her. She was put in the play to show the real difference between Desdemona and herself. Desdemona was a beautiful, upstanding woman with good morals. While, Bianca was a prostitute. The sad thing was that both of these women were seen the exact same way. Both were regarded, at least at some point or another during the play, as whores. Each of these women were severely mistreated, and prove yet again that Shakespeare is sending a key message to people. Othello failed to recognize the difference between these two women, and it ultimately ended up costing more than just one life. Sure, there are bad woman in this world, just as there are bad men. Even Emilia admits that in the later part of Act IV. However, the thought that all women are the same, and all are pieces of garbage is absolutely crazy. Shakespeare's portrayal of Bianca is one of pity, or could be considered sympathetic. It's almost as if he feels bad for her, and the fact that she is not getting a fair shake at life. It is as if she cannot get her chance at true love, simply because her reputation as a whore precedes her. Unfortunately, she is not even given a remote opportunity to prove her worth as a human being much less a suitable wife.
Throughout the play Othello, women rights, are put front and center on display for the world to see. This was an extraordinarily brave move by Shakespeare, considering that this time period was entirely male dominated. Women had no control over their own lives, and were treated no better than livestock at the time. Their word meant nothing, and unfortunately, by the time that Othello realized Desdemona was being truthful, it was far too late. Shakespeare took full advantage of his position as a renowned play writer, and used this power to shine some light on an issue that was, and continued to be a hot topic for a long time after. He ignored the possible backlash that could come from this slap in the face to society, and stood up for what he believed in. In this case, it was for the fair and balanced treatment of women.
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Gender Equality in America
The oppression of women has proved to be an issue since the United States declared its independence from Great Britain and continues be. The Constitution itself declares that all men, not women are equal. Equal rights for women is a centuries long battle that needs to be won. Although men and women are biologically different, they are equal as humans and should be treated as such. Men and women are equally important, each adding different, valuable aspects to American society.
Women's suffrage has been a controversial topic, but it should not be. Women deserve contribute much to society and deserve equal rights, but they have been wrongly oppressed in all aspects of life including the workplace, the home, and in government. America's founding fathers scoffed at the thought of Constitutional rights for women. Only two centuries ago, was it that the voices of the oppressed began to be heard by those who had power to make a change. Tamar Rothenberg writes that The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1869, said that race was no bar to voting, but made no mention of sex. Women would have to wait until the next century (Rothenburg par 21). It was not until the the early 18th century however, that American women loudly demanded that they be given the same rights as men. Elisabeth J. Friedman writes that all of these, ...campaigns were conceived of women (Friedman par 4).
Nearly all of these protests for women's suffrage were organized, performed, and supported by women and it was not until August 18th 1920, that women even had the legal right to vote. Even today women are battling for their rights. In 1914 women began to work in factories out of necessity during World War 1. Ivette Romero-Cesareo writes that, women were able to get away from their homes and participate in activities other than domestic work and childbearing (Romero-Cesareo par 2). As men and women began to work alongside one another, it became clear that having the same job did not make them equal. After over 100 years of participation in the workforce, women are still not viewed as equal to men or paid fairly. Today, the woman on average makes only 80 percent of the man's dollar for the same job. The role of women in society is still controversial. Many believe that it is a woman's duty to assume the role of the homemaker. In the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes, that I am absolutely forbidden to work until I am well again (Gilman par 3). Work is often viewed as a burden on women and it is agreed by many that women should not work unless financially necessary. Women that choose to pursue a career rather than have children are looked down upon as selfish.
However women add a new perspective that is needed in the workforce.Often women's value to society and to the workforce are often undermined unless it concerns there responsibility in the home. Friedman writes that, women's citizenship has often been restricted in ways that reflect societal assumptions about their duties as homemakers, specifically as mothers (Friedman par 4). Women by nature add different perspectives, ideas and opinions to society and the workplace. Throughout history women have brought about change that would not have been possible by the minds of men alone. This is made clear in the short story Trifles, by Susan Glaspell as she writes, Mrs. Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us (Glaspell p 3). In this story the two women are able to pick out abnormalities around the crime scene that the men would not have been able to because of their experience as women. Women have much to contribute to society, and when given the opportunity have proven this to be true.
In 2018, almost a century after women have been given the right to vote, they are still fighting for equal rights. It has become obvious that there is a lack of female representation in government and in politics. There is less than 20 percent of women represented in Congress, and the United States ranks 98th in the world for female representation in government. Without women representing women in government it may be impossible to make the changes that need to be made. Women need female representation and t this is the only way that their voices can be truly heard. Friedman states that women need to be more active in politics as they offer a distinctively female perspective on social change. Women want equal pay, and the right to make decisions concerning their bodies, however these decisions have been and continue to be made by men. Rothenburg states that today, the struggle to improve the position of women in society continues. And, more people are recognizing that history is only half told without women's side of the story (Rothenburg par 36). History cannot be rewritten, but the course of the future can be changed as women take part in the making of it.
Women have undoubtedly endured a long history of oppression in American society. Throughout history, gender roles and stereotypes have condemned females to lifetimes of childbearing and homemaking. Not even a century ago, women were granted the right to vote in America. And still, women are not completely equal to men. Women in the workforce still receive unequal pay and are often frowned upon by society for not pursuing their duties as mothers. However, women need to be empowered and given the opportunity by society to progress and help change the world. Men and women should view each other as partners in society who are both working towards the betterment of it. Equal rights are a crucial aspect of achieving changes necessary to the improvement of this nation. Female empowerment and equal rights will change this country for the better.
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Gender Equality In America. (2019, Apr 15).
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The Issue of Women’s Rights
The issue of Women's rights is not a new one. For many years women have had their differences in the world. There have been many women who stood up for women as a whole and put their lives on the line to fight for their basic human rights which were against domestic violence, education, and gender equality. Even though in this century things aren't as bad as before. Although there are still problems women face today. For example, did you know that if a man and women work the same exact job, a man still earns 4% more? This goes to show that even though we can't seem to see it in plain sight these ideals are still around.
One of the biggest issues that are around is Gender Equality. In so many countries around the world, there is an imbalance in men and women's rights. Women still seem to have a problem being treated with the same respect and privileges as men. So many opportunities were lost for women because of their gender. For example in the US even though you would think since it is a First world country it wouldn't deal with this but a woman with the same job as a man in the same company still earn much less than a man does.
Another issue is Education, so many girls and women in so many countries aren't allowed to go to school because they are female. Many in developing countries still to this day believe women are meant to stay home and clean while men work and get educations. Even though in the last 50 years the percent of educating girls has gone up there are many places that till don't allow education for women. Gender stereotyping falls under this too. For example, some stereotyping views that women are homemakers, and caregivers and that leads to so many families thinking what's the point of sending their daughters to school if their gonna stay home. Also stereotyping about different physical and learning abilities leads to certain school subjects and teaching methods being gendered biased.
Furthermore, domestic violence is also another problem. The consequences of domestic violence, both physical and psychological, are so devastating that some consider it a form of torture. Domestic violence affects not only women with the problem and their children but also the entire community. Due to the problem of domestic violence in nearly every part of the world, women have problems that relate into, jobs, freedom and education.
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Declaration of Sentiments
The primary source- Abigail Adams, Letters to John Adams and His Reply (1776).
It is the most famous letter addressed to her husband who took an active part in the creation of the Declaration of Independence. The period of 1775-1783 is famous for one of the biggest events in world history, the war in the United States for the independence of the people. The revolution began with tax discontent. The driving force behind the revolution was the desire to secede England which viewed the American territories of Britain as a specialized part of a single system of conditional empire. Residents of American territories of Britain did not want to be a specialized part and subject to the common interests of the whole empire. They wanted to separate and use all their resources on their own.
Thus, 13 American bourgeois colonies gained independence from monarchical England. This happened on July 4, 1776 when America adopted the "Declaration of Independence" written by Thomas Jefferson. The declaration stated that from now on 13 North American public colonies were being suspended from England and united into one state that is the United States (United States of America). The reason for its proclamation called the fact that the metropolis oppressed and infringed upon the rights of the colonies of the New World. The main idea of the Declaration of Independence was that from now on only the people were considered as the source of power. The United States became Republican, and people of different nationalities and religions supposed to become equal among themselves and had the same rights. The status of women in this period was dictated by the British law system which stipulated that an unmarried woman could own property, sign contracts, sue, and be liable before the court. However, when she got married, she became the whole with her husband and refuse both her surname and her property which was transferred under the control of her husband. The situation in other social and political spheres was also not in favor of women.
The significance of this source is that we could find out when the long road of fight for women's rights begin. The first public defender of the rights of American women was the wife of the leader of American Revolution John Adams and who became a second president of the United Stated. In letters written to her husband Mrs. Abigail Adams argued that women deserve to have equal political, economic, and social rights with men. She put it like this: I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend (Reader, p.8). This desire of Abigail was not taken seriously: I cannot but laugh and in the newly proclaimed American republic women for long decades remained in a subordinate position both legally and socially (Reader, p.8).
The primary source “ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments (1848).
The woman at all times played the role of the keeper of the hearth. In almost all countries of the world marriages were exclusively religious in nature, and divorces were strictly forbidden or condemned by society. The duties of the spouse were to provide food for the family. The wife had to bring up children and completely submit to her spouse. The right of America said that the fair sex does not exist in legal terms if there is no husband or father behind it. Without the consent of the man, the couple did not have the opportunity to own property, enter into contracts or appear in court. But the time has come when women lost patience, and women of Western civilization began their struggle for equality in the 19th century. The women's movement was known as suffragism which literally means the right to vote. In addition to the right to vote, women wanted to attend and study in universities, and they wanted to have equal rights to any property. The suffragist movement's manifesto was announced by American activists at the very first conference on women's rights where they approved a Declaration of Sentiments in 1848 in Seneca Falls. It laid out the principles of existence and the basic ideas of suffragism. This Declaration was proposed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She wanted to somehow connect her work with the "Declaration of Independence" of America.
It's significant that at the conference activists were able to clearly articulate the slogan of their own movement: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Reader, p.19). According to our primary source, they listed main eighteen repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her (Reader, p.19).
To summarize, according to our secondary source: Women were denied access to professions, trades, and education; their rights in marriage and motherhood; their self-confidence; and their moral equality before God...right to vote (TWY, p. 240).The significance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her Declaration of Sentiments manifested in the fact that she launched a series of events that led to the fact that all women were entitled to vote.
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Is Water so Important?
We never realized how easy it is to obtain water but we almost never think how necessary it is for man, animals and plants. Next to the air we breathe, water is the most important thing in our lives. Human bodies, animals and plants contain more water than any substance, without it, we could die. Water is one of our natural resources that will never dry up but fresh,clean water is not always available. Many people are unaware of how so many things that we use in our daily lives can destroy the cleanliness of our water systems. Sewage, wasting solid materials, acidic particles in atmosphere, accidental oil spills and rising temperatures due to global warming are harmful effects on our waterways. Not only does it have an affect on human population, it can also affect the wildlife ecosystems.
We easily take clean water for granted. Farmers and businesses use great quantities of water. Households use thousands of gallons in a year for bathing, cooking, cleaning and watering lawns. Waterways provide for necessary ways to ship goods. Landscapes would look uninteresting without lakes,creeks,rivers and ocean views.
Water is described as a colorless liquid with the formula H2O. A tiny molecule of water contains one atom of oxygen and 2 atoms of hydrogen. All living things need oxygen to survive. Without it animals could not survive. A person could die within minutes without it. Because water is important and used for so many things, it is crucial that we keep water free from impurities that can harm our environment.
Many cities continue to spill untreated sewage into nearby lakes and rivers where drinking water is obtained. Industries also pour waste into accessible waters. Pesticides and chemicals in fertilizers wash off farmlands into streams. As a result of this, water purification is becoming harder and more expensive to achieve.
Other waste products are ejected into the air, on the ground and into bodies of water. They can end up polluting our water systems and other natural resources. The burning of fossil fuels from factories or power plants can be mixed into water vapors that are present. And gases, such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides, are released into the atmosphere. Acid rain is polluting the water supplies, killing trees and plants,fisheries and water systems. It is undoubtedly evident in areas near power plants, factories and automobiles.
An abundance of sewage or chemicals in bodies of water can cause algae to grow which in turns blocks sunlight to marine plants under the water's surface. Animal that feed off these plants would die. The overload of algae and the dead matter builds up over time. Eventually, oxygen supply is expended and bacteria that can live without oxygen takes over. What once was a clean source of water and a habitat for aquatic creatures, is now a tainted, contaminated swamp.
Poisonous chemicals that leak into the ground and filter into nearby lakes and rivers which contaminate the water systems can have negative effects on our health. The chemicals from the pesticides can cause damage to our nervous,reproductive and endocrinal body systems. Other contaminants to our water such as lead, nitrates and florides can cause the development of cancers, brain damage and birth defects.
Oil spills in the ocean contain many common chemicals that can affect marine ecosystems. The oil spill of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the biggest disasters yet. The impact of the oil spill devastated the ecosystem for miles. According to Amadad, after 10 million pounds of oil was cleaned up, the residue planted into the marshlands,killed the vegetation and caused erosion. Birds and turtles washed up on the shore along with the oil. (2018).
The dangerous effects that create pollution to our water resources disrupts our ecosystems and their developments. Wildlife that consumes the contaminated water may contact diseases and this can decrease their population. Furthermore, if humans consume the wildlife, plants or seafood that are contaminated by these pollutants, numerous illnesses can be contracted.
There has been some progress in the reducing of pollutants in our water systems through the use of chemical filters and devices to control exhaust leaks on automobiles. Improvement of industrial pollution bear in mind comes with a huge price tag.
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The Causes of Water Pollution
The percentage of 2.3 shows the amount of water in which is viewed as safe to consume. There are many ways water gets polluted, people pollute water by decomposing hazardous substances Like chemicals, trash, oil, and its decaying the water supplies. There are different types of pollution and for example surface water pollution and groundwater pollution. Safe drinkable water is depended on about 40 percent of americans. There are many issues in which water pollution creates and people have to know the causes water pollution to attempt to find resolve the problems. (Water Pollution)
There are many imitators that cause water pollution to occur and come in many different ways. Water pollution is triggered by pollution that is mostly and highly created by humans. Industry buildings, plantations, and populated areas like towns and cities are polluting the waters around the world. Big factories let off heat into the atmosphere and believe it or not climate change affects the water but reducing the amount of oxygen in the water leaving marine animals and plants to die.
Greater amount of humans are being killed due to hazardous water compared to to casualties in war like disasters. The pollution of water is damaging our environment and ecosystems in a way that it becomes harmful for people and animals who rely on safe water. Water pollution is affecting people by ruining and contaminating the water we drink with trash and other dangerous liquids like oil, fertilizers, This is killing people and destroying humans health not only people but also animals like marine animals and the animals in which drink or use water.
Water pollution can be irreversible but that doesn't mean people can't stop it from continuing occur. There are some big solutions in which can help reduce the pollution of water. Huge amounts of pollutants come from sea transportations or haul ships in which can have oil spills and could drop some cargo or items along the way making sure that items being transported are super secure and being careful to not have oil spills. In addition to this, huge factories who are mostly point source pollutants could help by getting rid of harmful chemicals and substances carefully to avoid polluting water and helping improve the oceans, lakes, and rivers. In fact, 300 to 400 metric tons of debris are dumped into bodies of water, Unfortunately, this is only coming from big industrial developments.. If many causiants of the pollution could decrease or stop polluting it would massively help the environment and help the water quality.
There are many things in which aren't easy for people to control because they don't control some industrial building or other huge main source pollutants and they can't completely stop them. That doesn't mean they don't have control over water pollution because it's people who have control over the increase or decrease of water pollution. Therefore, people can contribute and help decrease water pollution by acting immediately. Avoiding to dispose non-biodegradable trash anywhere in a body of water or around water can help the marine life like the animals and plants who get harmed by waste and unsafe water.
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The Causes Of Water Pollution. (2019, Apr 15).
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Effects of Urbanization on Water Pollution
Urbanization has become a growing issue across the United States; most people prefer to live in larger cities where there are more opportunities and arguably better ways of life. This increase in population in urban areas demands serious expansion outwards, most notably to the suburbs or rural areas, due to the lack of space. Thus, development is inevitable. Development may be beneficial for accommodating extra bodies, yet still has drastic consequences, especially on the environment, and on quality of life and the strain of infrastructure as well (Fox, 2010). Urban sprawl has also been shown to have an impact on human health, whether due to more vehicular accidents, increased obesity rates, higher emissions of carbon, or prolonged wait time for emergency medical assistance (Lambert et al., 2012). The increase in urban development in big cities, otherwise known as urban sprawl, has caused a drastic rise in pollution, especially in the United States. The pollution, both air and water, that results from this growth can destroy the environment and be detrimental to human health as well. Drinking water and groundwater can be polluted and the atmosphere can see an influx of gases and particles that contribute to global warming.
More traffic occurs during urban development due to the closing of roads or changes in traffic patterns. This backup of cars causes more pollutants to be released into the atmosphere, resulting in a slight increase in global warming. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are the main greenhouse gases given off from combustion of gasoline by cars. Vehicles associated with the construction itself, such as dump trucks, cranes, bulldozers, or excavators, also give off these greenhouse gases, adding more harmful particles to the atmosphere. The deterioration of water quality following increased urban sprawl is due to the combination of population and land-use changes (Tu et al., 2007). Water pollution can often occur following bouts of rain that wash the chemicals from the sites to bodies of water. In addition to runoff, the pollutants in the air can fall to bodies of water, thus affecting both the atmosphere and the water sources.
To determine the amount of pollution associated with urban sprawl, Bereitschaft and Debbage used linear regression models with the (1) O3 precursors, NOx and volatile organic compounds, and PM2.5 (in 2000) from polluted runoff from land, (2) CO2 emissions, and (3) O3 and PM2.5 averaged ambient concentrations as the dependent variables and different measurements of urban sprawl as the independent variables (2013). The linear regression models also included some controls including temperature, moisture, wind speed, metropolitan population, and regional population to justify certain variations in concentration of pollutants or to distinguish between pollutants/emissions that were not associated with urban sprawl (Bereitschaft and Debbage, 2013). These models helped determine the relationships between the dependent and independent variables and the correlation between the two. To measure this relationship, data of air pollution (nonpoint source emissions and on-road emissions) was compiled from a database from 86 different cities in the United States with a 500,000 person population or greater.
The data from the other half of this relationship, regarding urban sprawl, was acquired from five different indexes and the experimenters also took into account urban continuity and shape complexity from satellites to better determine the relationship between pollution and urban sprawl. Land cover data was also used from the National Landcover Dataset (NLCD) to measure the boundary of the metropolitan area and to calculate landscape metrics. To better approximate the boundaries of the metropolitan area, they also used satellites to evaluate anthropogenic lighting intensity as shown by Figure 1C (Bereitschaft and Debbage, 2013). Another experiment, by Tu et al., demonstrated this same correlation between urban sprawl and pollution, but focusing on the water quality aspect, specifically in Massachusetts (2007). They used the Massachusetts Geographic Information System to procure data on land-use and population and many aerial photographs were obtained from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Research Mapping Project to determine the developed land use areas. Data from the USGS National Water Information System Web was obtained to measure the water quality in 37 areas and many parameters were created to indicate certain water quality (dissolved nutrients, dissolved ions, dissolved solid, suspended sediment, specific conductance).
In the first phase of this experiment, the effects of urban sprawl on specific conductance (SC) of water was measured using ArcGIS software by creating water quality layers over different periods of time. They used this layering to overlap with the indicators of urban sprawl during those same time periods to see the correlation between the two variables (water quality and urban sprawl). For the second phase of this experiment, correlation analysis was used to measure spatial as well as temporal relationships between the two variables. For each of the 37 sites, watersheds were delineated using ArcGIS and this watershed layer, land-use layers, and population layers were all overlapped using this same software to determine certain indicators for urban sprawl. The implementation of Spearman rank correlation analysis was advantageous in determining the relationship of water quality and urban sprawl over time (Tu et al., 2007).
The experiment by Bereitschaft and Debbage, which looked at the relationship between urban sprawl and pollution, found that all of the linear regression models performed had statistically significant correlations (p<0.001) (2013), thus providing evidence that urban sprawl does in fact negatively impact the amount of pollution. In regards to urban continuity and urban shape complexity, the experiment results showed that decreasing urban continuity led to an increase in CO2, PM2.5, VOCs, and NOx emissions and increasing shape complexity led to an increase in NOx and PM2.5 emissions (Bereitschaft and Debbage, 2013). To reduce pollutants, it is better to have a more contiguous area, rather than more fragmentation, because more area between different developments can cause more emissions from vehicles due to greater travel. The urban area should also have less complexity to its shape or less irregularity to the boundary for this same automotive reason. Therefore, the urban sprawl associated with these areas should follow these continuity and shape complexity recommendations for less emissions. According to Bereitschaft and Debbage, continuity and shape complexity of urban areas affect ambient concentrations as well, including ozone; however, the urban sprawl indexes had a more compelling correlation with ambient concentrations than the other two urban formations as shown by Figure 2. Every index demonstrated that when there is an increase in urban sprawl, the concentrations and emissions of air pollutants significantly increased or remained consistent.
However, the Sutton index was the most accurate index due to it being the only one to have a significant correlation with ozone concentration and PM2.5 emissions. It was also shown that there was an increase in ozone concentration when there was a rise in temperature (Bereitschaft and Debbage, 2013). This demonstrates the positive feedback loop associated with global warming and how these pollutants, especially O3, that potentially result from urban sprawl can contribute to the detrimental warming of the Earth. The experiment by Tu et al., showed similar findings. Areas with higher population density (PD) were shown to have higher specific conductance (SC) concentrations in the water (Tu et al., 2007). The suburban and rural areas surrounding the metropolitan center of a city were increasing in population density and percentage of developed land use. The specific conductance is a great indicator of water pollution because more compounds in the water leads to more ions in the water which leads to a higher conductivity. Therefore, a high SC is indicative of pollutants in the water.
According to Tu et al., growth in a population around a metropolitan area (i.e., suburbs), results in a rise in SC concentrations within the metropolitan area (2007), which could be due to urban sprawl. Areas with increased percentage of developed land use (PDLU) around the metropolitan site were also associated with higher concentrations of specific conductance and areas with lower per capita developed land use (PCDLU) had an increase in SC concentrations (very urbanized area). The suburbs around Boston, as reported by Tu et al., showed a drastic rise in PD and PDLU, and, therefore, had higher SC concentrations, while the Boston area had a lower increase in PD, PDLU, and SC. As a result, it can be assumed that both population growth and development of land have a severe impact on the quality of water due to urban sprawl. For every season, it was found that there were significantly positive correlations between PD and SC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, and dissolved solid (DS) concentrations and between PDLU and and SC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, and DS concentrations (except for SC and Ca in winter). Dissolved nitrogen also had positive correlations with PDLU and PD, yet not all values were significant. The suspended sediment (SS) values were also positively correlated with PD and PDLU (Tu et al., 2007). Therefore, according to these values, it is shown that the higher concentrations of many of the indicators for water quality were found in areas with higher PD and PDLU. On the other hand, higher PCDLU areas had more indicators associated with urbanization (significant negative correlations) rather than PD or PDLU, including dissolved nitrogen, potassium, and sulfate concentrations. From these results, it was presumed that as the development of land increased, the water quality deteriorated more quickly, according to the PDLU (Tu et al., 2007).
Urban sprawl is a continuous problem in the United States that needs to be addressed. It is significantly adding to our global warming issue by supplementing the pollutants in the atmosphere and it is also drastically impacting our waterways and human health. In order to reduce these negative consequences, the problem at hand needs to be dealt with. Therefore, if we were to diminish the amount of urban development that is occurring, especially throughout developed nations, the overall pollution would decrease as well; this would dramatically improve our air and water quality. Some US cities, such as Seattle, have followed Vancouver's lead and have executed Smart Growth policies to reduce the amount of sprawl that is occurring within these large cities (Fox, 2010). These policies, according to Fox, are beneficial to the environment and human health while also balancing economic development by focusing on the transportation issues in very urbanized areas (2010). Canada has managed to use this approach much more effectively than in the United States; these principles could be extremely beneficial in the U.S. if more cities were to implement them.
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Effects Of Urbanization On Water Pollution. (2019, Apr 15).
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https://studydriver.com/2019/04/page/12/
Lake Okeechobee and Environmental Pollution
For my ethical issue, I will be talking about lake Okeechobee and how the pollution from the environment are destroying our lakes and wildlife. It is the second largest fresh water lake in the United States. It is over seven hundred square miles. A long time ago wetlands formed deposits and eventually made a lake. Rain, warmth and poisons have caused a flare-up of lethal green growth blossoms, which can cause medical issues. Presently, administrators in Florida need the representative to proclaim a highly sensitive situation over a green growth issue at Lake Okeechobee, the oceanic soul of South Florida.
The issue begins at Lake Okeechobee. After overwhelming downpours, the Army Corps of Engineers discharged a huge number of gallons to alleviate weight on the lake's old earthen dam. Be that as it may, the water is crammed with synthetic compounds and supplements quite a bit of it overflow from business agribusiness and rambling advancement. At the point when that blend prepares in the late spring sun, the green growth populace detonates. The poisons and microbes deliver are unbelievably intense. They influence liver capacity. Neurotoxins they deliver so it's a suite of extremely dangerous stuff that can execute natural life and truly affect individuals' wellbeing.
In South Florida, the biological system is the economy. The region flourishes off of a water based lifestyle and when that is removed there is next to one side. Business anglers can't angle when the majority of the fish are dead and coasting on the river ways from green growth sprouts and destructive saltiness levels. All water exercises whether it is drifting, skiing, paddle boarding, or simply getting a charge out of multi day out in the water, are stopped in light of the fact that the low saltiness of the water is the ideal reproducing reason for substance eating microscopic organisms called vibrio unifaces, which killed two individuals a year ago in South Florida and left a large number of people wiped out.
These estuaries and waterfront biological systems that are by and large totally wrecked and slaughtered are territory for more than 4,300 types of plants and creatures, including many imperiled and undermined species, the most biodiverse environment in North America. Individuals are kicking the bucket, dead, debilitated, or out of a vocation with nothing to take a gander at in their once lovely and flourishing town yet dead stream life and darker water. Nothing is being finished. The State Legislators of Florida are turning a visually impaired eye to the harm that can undoubtedly be ended and in the long run switched to satisfy themselves by keeping the enormous cash of Big Sugar glad instead of reasoning of the numerous creatures that are languishing over the few. By releasing the harming waters to the ill-advised areas, the Army Corps of Engineers who are controlled by the State, are putting a conclusion to the lives of numerous creatures that they could without much of a stretch spare. The absence of thought of all associated with the basic leadership of depleting of Lake Okeechobee is ludicrous.
Floridians are going to bat for their conduits and their natural life and to spare the lives that can't spare themselves and the legislature is doing nothing to help because of the absence of comfort that the circumstance has. In due time, South Florida's most delightful shorelines, streams, most valuable estuaries, South Florida's aquifer and the Everglades will be harmed destroyed notwithstanding the endeavors of those competing to spare it, with the answer for the majority of the issues inside arms reach because of the disregard of the state's administrators of its most profitable resource. The bill that gutted water regulations is in full effect and is already under way and moving fast. The bill prodigiously passed the two councils of the Legislature. Under the new law, dirtying homesteads can meet guidelines by holding fast to Best Management Practices, for example, building wall to keep creatures out conduits.
However, tree huggers said that there are steps the bill could have taken with regards to observing these ranches, such as including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Rather than giving more capacity to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to reduce contamination, the bill put more mistake under the control of Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This bill additionally guides the Secretary of the Army to adjust activities of current ventures to guarantee that general wellbeing and security, as characterized above, is the prime thought. The Secretary will build up a Master Operational Manual to guarantee that the tasks are figured out how to ensure general wellbeing and security. The bill does not modify the water rights minimal between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe, nor lessen access to water for the Miccosukee Tribe. The bill additionally won't obstruct the development of CERP and CEPP ventures. For instance, they singled out an arrangement for observing wasteful water licenses. The law requires inefficient utilized grants for funnels with an inside distance across of 8 inches or more. Before this, utilities needed to have a destructive utilize allow for more pipes under 8 inches, too.
The truth of the matter is, mechanical polluters have been utilizing open waters as their shabby, private sewers for a considerable length of time. Presently, they are conveying significant political and money related powers to battle against clean water principles that people in general overwhelmingly underpins. It is the ideal opportunity for Florida to set up cutoff points on the water contamination that compromises families' wellbeing and drinking water.
This contamination is harming the waterways, lakes and streams that supply the water to kitchen taps. Floridians merit clean drinking water, not water contaminated with sewage, compost and excrement spillover. Water contamination is influencing the earth and human wellbeing and prosperity. One of the biggest natural issues is with manures running off into conduits. Additional supplements, for example, nitrogen can cause green growth sprouts. Conceived in more profound water, the red tides are conveyed to shore by flows and winds. This red hold has spread over a 100-mile stretch of drift, yet it is an uneven intrusion. The ruddy oceans wax and melt away relying upon the day and even the hour, in light of conditions.
Contamination from inland sources, especially composts, can wash into the sea and give fuel to destroy the ecosystem. In any case, the minor animals have numerous nourishment sources.
Lake Okeechobee has turned into an ideal petri dish for a few strains of microorganisms as of late, as a multiplication of farmland and towns has spilled nitrogen and phosphorous-based composts into the watershed. The harmful stew was supercharged when Hurricane Irma constrained a surge of extra contaminated spillover into the lake. Cyanobacteria slurped up the additional supplements, recreating exponentially in Florida's rebuffing summer warm.
The green growth creates a poison that can gag creatures as well as in people cause migraines, sore throats, spewing, looseness of the bowels and pneumonia. Long haul introduction to some green growth blossoms has been connected to liver malignancy and neurological maladies, for example, Alzheimer's. In any case, subsidizing for huge scale fixes is rare. Thus, much contamination has gathered in the lake base, it would take a long time for it to scatter, regardless of whether new contamination from sugar ranches, dairies and different sources could be closed down. Nothing unexpected, at that point, that the contamination crisis has turned into a political problem area in various races including the wounding challenge for U.S. Senate that pits Bill Nelson, the Democratic officeholder, against Rick Scott, the state's Republican representative. Nelson has slammed Scott for cutting controls on contaminating ranches and organizations. Scott countered that Nelson has done little to satisfy guarantees to tidy up Okeechobee.
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Veterans and Suicide
Suicide is something that few want to talk about, however, there is no better time than now to increase dialogue in every way possible. The suicide rate among one group in particular is rising faster than ever before: United States veterans are taking their own lives in record numbers. In a ten-year span between 2005 and 2015, the suicide rate went from approximately 24 deaths per day to approximately 30 deaths per day, per every 100,000 in population (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2018). The numbers are alarming, to many, the numbers signify that there is a need to look at the spiritual and religious well-being of today's veterans. Studies have shown that positive mental health outcomes are associated with having religious or spiritual experiences (Kopacz, 2013).
There is an assumed image to live up to as a service member: the warrior, the defender” there is no room for complaining much less counseling. This macho mentality is leading to a force burdened with overwhelming emotions building day after day with no outlet to release them. The military has a long standing of barking orders of toughness and implying a necessity for members to suppress their emotions, and above all, never show weakness. Seeking counseling may be seen as a weakness therefore the spiritual and religious leaders are possibly seen as the safest people to turn to. Religion is usually associated with an organized group of people who share the same beliefs regarding a higher power while spirituality is be better defined as an experience or feeling one gets from an experience. Our veterans, those who have served and are still serving are at the heart of a disturbing statistic and it is going to take some intervention of a less utilized tool: religion and spirituality are key to suspending suicidal ideation among veterans and improving their mental health. In this paper we will look at religion and spiritual involvement as depression and anxiety relief, the positive outcomes of religious and spiritual group settings and prayer as being instrumental in improving mental health.
Those that partake in religious or spiritual rituals may find that there is a degree of peace that comes with letting go of the evils that fill the corners of their minds. According to Bonner et. al., a study showed, not only can veterans find relief from depression and anxiety through religious interactions, they genuinely want it (2013). Seeking counseling may be more difficult for some than others, it may be seen as a sign of weakness, some may fear that their career could be impacted by seeking mental health service. Fear of these things could potentially grow the darkness that lurks within the mind of one who begins to have suicidal ideations. For this reason, some may prefer to seek out spiritual or religious counseling, as it may be more private and even anonymous (Kopacz et. al., 2016). Finding that thing that lets one release the bad while taking in the good such as spirituality, has been long overlooked as a preventative measure against veteran suicide (Kopacz, 2013).
Although the Department of Veterans Affairs has recently begun to educate and involve community pastoral staff and clergymen, there are still a vast number of veterans who are not receiving the mental health care they need including religious/spiritual counseling (as cited in, Bonner et. al., 2013). Currently there is a relatively small percentage of veterans who are using pastoral or chaplain services, a mere 18%-31% (as cited in, Kopacz et.al., 2016). There may be a lack of understanding among veterans regarding the services that are available to them. It is not necessary to be a recipient of disability or be retired from the service to receive help or care from any VA facility; simply being a prior service member allows the utilization of VA services. Exiting the fog and darkness of the mind may seem impossible if not given the tools that are right for each individual. It is for this reason that it is so important for veterans to understand what is available and how they can benefit. In order to push past the evil that floods the mind when one is depressed or suffering with intense anxiety requires one to first learn how to look deeper within. Spirituality is personal, and in that aspect, it may help one take a deeper look and develop a set of coping skills for everyday situations. Spirituality may offer an opportunity to discover and grow as an individual while also achieving a level of mindfulness ( Amato, Kayman, Lombardo, & Goldstein, (2016). Finding relief from depression and anxiety while achieving awareness and inner growth may allow a person to open themselves up on a larger scale. Speaking about experiences that triggered the mental unrest, and sharing with others that have similar experiences may allow one to feel that they are not alone and perhaps what they feel is not at all out of the ordinary.
Religion is often associated with a group of people whether large or small and most who think of religion likely think of an organized gathering such as church or study/Bible groups of a sort. Being part of a group allows one to feel connected, something that is difficult for someone contemplating suicide. However, its more than just a group, it's a type of belonging and sense of community. When one is part of a community there is a perception of responsibility or accountability within that community, this is likely crucial in thwarting those suicidal ideations or at the very least de-escalating them. Additionally, a benefit to belonging to a spiritual or religious group is the fact that most, if not all, tend to promote and celebrate life.
It would likely be difficult to belong to such a group if there were not a willingness to participate as well as contemplate one's own mental health (Amato, Kayman, Lombardo and Goldstein, 2016). There is power in the selflessness of listening to and thinking of others, it re-focuses the mind off self-depredating thought and onto someone else's needs. Focusing on another in need can distract and quiet the mind of hurtful thoughts towards oneself. Group settings also offer the opportunity to receive prayer from others, this seemingly small act can foster feelings of belonging and importance. There is power in prayer”a popular phrase in religious communities; according to Malmin, this expression of one's faith is evident in studies showing that prayer does improve mental health for some individuals (2013).
Let's begin with group prayer, praying for someone else's healing allows those who are praying to feel needed, feeling needed certainly negates feelings of uselessness. Self-degrading thoughts could potentially be silenced when focus is put on another. In addition to praying for others, receiving prayer can allow one to hear they are worthy and they have a purpose; worth and purpose are important for the healing process. When sfeeling of burden or worthlessness are involved for those who are contemplating suicide, group prayer may be difficult at first but in the end can prove to be an important tool in recovery and healing. For those that prefer a less public form of prayer, meditation or quiet time may be helpful.
Meditation involves focusing thoughts and reflecting on chosen moments, this type of awareness may induce a calming effect for an individual and a deeper understanding regarding past experiences. Meditation is thought to reduce stress and pain and has been used in clinical settings to address these issues (Malmin, 2013). Whether focusing on the positive or cleansing the negative, as believers in Christ, praying allows one to focus on healing as well as receiving support and love. For veterans, an important verse to focus on is this, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9, New international Version, 2004). The Lord knows the heart and when the heart is right the Lord is pleased.
Although there have been many improvements over the recent years, there has not been enough focus on spiritual health of our veterans. There is still a strong call for service members to be strong both physically and mentally, however, there is little discussion of what it means to stay mentally strong. Mental strength can be associated with strong morals, values and ethics; all of which can be attributed to having a strong religious or spiritual connection of some sort. Without God, evil sees an open door, an invitation to corrupt the mind. Walking with the Lord means allowing the Lord to take the sorrow, the hurt, and the evil that one has been exposed to or has had to experience in any way takes an incredible amount of trust. It is not easy to let to go of such things without the Lord, the forgiveness and understanding that are received are something that cannot be taken away.
The research supports, and in some cases, has proven that religion and spirituality are in fact a benefit to one's mental health as well as improving happiness and the ability to become part of a community that supports and lifts one another up. The cumulative effects of interacting with religion and spirituality, participating in religious groups, and prayer can suspend the suicidal ideation and begin the journey to self-love. Suicidal ideation among veterans can be thwarted with increased mental health intervention and the positive effects of religion and spirituality. The great Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying, Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind. (as cited in Malmin, 2013). Finding peace through the relief of anxiety and depression allows for inner growth which in turn can lead to an improved mental health. Additionally, becoming part of a group or community can foster the formation of connections with others in similar situations. Likewise, prayer has a healing nature, whether it is a personal conversation between an individual and God, or a conversation with God for another to be healed, there is solace in knowing that God answers prayers.
The Bible mentions the governments' role in protection and defending society several times, one such account is in Romans 13, Paul writes that the governing authorities are God's servants to do good, and there is no real authority without God establishing it first. This would support the thesis that religion and spirituality are indeed a much-needed facet within that authority (authority included soldiers). God is necessary in treating those who have or wish to have a spiritual or religious connection, there should be no judgement or shame in believing in something that gives one hope and lends itself to healing. It is written in the Bible, Therefor, let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. (Romans 14:13, NIV, 2004).
The health and welfare of our brave peacemakers is of the utmost importance; the rate of suicide among this group is unacceptable. Veterans need to be aware of the services available to them and be afforded the opportunity to utilize those service without fear judgement, fear for loss of job advancement, or wore, loss of job. There is no shame in receiving counseling, this is the message that needs to get to our veterans. Those at risk for suicide will benefit greatly from continued and expanded exploration of religion and spirituality. Availability to the aforementioned is crucial if a reduction in suicide among veterans is going to be achieved.
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Veterans’ Suffering
In high schools across the United States, army recruiters come and talk to students to persuade them on signing up, or to at least consider joining the army. The recruiters tell students that joining the army can help develop new job skills which will later help after leaving the force or how joining the army can help pay college tuition. Recruiters tend to tell high school students all the benefits about joining the army, but what the students do not know is that they do not have a promise that they will come back home or that they will not develop any physical or mental disabilities; if students were to look at the media they would be better informed in the effects of soldiers during and after war. Army campaigns tend to promise college tuition, affordable housing, job skills and many other things, but the media shows that most veterans experience homelessness, mental and physical disabilities, and some can not get a job. The media's portrayal of soldiers accurately expresses the difficulties soldiers have to deal with when returning from war.
Troops are leaving the military with permanent injuries, injuries that stop veterans from maintaining a job. Veterans who come home with permanent injuries have to rely on the government to survive, and the government is not making it any easier on veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs issued unnecessary medical reexaminations on veterans to allow them to continue receiving benefits, and although the reexaminations were a waste of money the overall benefits for veterans did not change (Davidson). Veterans should not have to jump through hoops just to receive the benefits they are qualified for under law. The reexaminations were just another problem added on to the list of difficulties disabled veterans already have to deal with. The media accurately displays the way soldiers suffers not only physically, but also mentally after returning from the battlefield.
During wartime many soldiers go through traumatic events that later lead to problems, and the media often shows what they go through and advertises how to help our soldiers. In the short story The Prisoners, it tells about the horrible things a young soldier had to go through at a war camp, if a person were to experience what the character dealt with, whomever would return with some kind of trauma (Travers). A nationwide media outlet, CNN, provided an article which found that, A disproportionate number have come back with mental health challenges like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, research shows. The number of suicides for veterans of these wars has reached a record (Christensen). Becoming informed with how to help soldiers is now easier due to the amount of articles media outlets have provided online. Nationwide media sources provide information to the public on the amount of soldiers that suffer even after war; this way people become better informed on how to help soldiers with mental illnesses by the amount of easily accessible media sources. Not only are veterans suffering in the inside, some veterans still have difficulty finding a home when returning from battlefields.
Homeless veterans are a significant problem in the United States, and media outlets accurately portray information on how cities are helping with this problem. Media outlets often express concern towards homeless veterans and what cities are sheltering veterans. In Jacksonville, Florida, a non-profit local organization is planning on building small homes that will shelter once-homeless veterans (Clark). This organization will build possibly twenty or more homes in their neighborhood. Any media source, nationwide or local, helps to contribute information on which organizations are helping veterans. In Los Angeles, a vast majority of homeless people are veterans and the city is helping with providing a shelter towards veterans (VHA Office of Mental Health).
Homeless people are often seen in street corners or under bridges, often some hold signs saying they are veterans just to receive extra change from people; media outlets are informing society in ways they can help veterans who are not sheltered by providing information on how to help. Some soldiers do not have a home to come to when returning from war. Steve Estrine, a behavioral expert, wrote in his book, Service Delivery for Vulnerable Populations: New Directions in Behavioral Health, A number of studies have indicated that the risk factors for homelessness are the same among veteran and non [-] veteran populations: poverty, housing instability, joblessness or underemployment, substance abuse, mental illness, and medical problems (Estrine). The media is a big contributor on informing society about how soldiers are being treated in their own country.
The media encourage the public to protect and provide for veterans. Media outlets further motivate the public to have a tete-a-tete with veterans. Veterans are suffering physically and mentally, and some still do not have a safe place to go to at night, and the media is representing all of this and providing information on how to help. Our veterans fought to defend our rights, now as a society, it is up to us to provide a safe home for the people that protected our home. Media sources, local or nationwide, accurately depict the way soldiers are being treated when returning home from war.
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War in the View of Toni Morrison
Fighting in a war doesn't just change how a person views life, it can change how they act as well. Before Shadrack went into World War I, he was a young handsome man and fearsome-looking, but his experiences in the war left him emotionally scared. Once he returned to the bottom he become somewhat of a hermit. He survived off fishing and the Ohio River living in an abandoned shack. The only time anyone really sees him is when he parades through the Bottom carrying a cowbell leading the annual National Suicide Day letting people know that they can kill themselves or someone else.
While people of the bottom think National Suicide Day symbolizes hatred, despair, and spiteful, Shadrack wants people to understand and realize that he can be understanding and kindhearted. Shadrack came up with the idea of National Suicide day because, It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the unexpectedness of both if one day a year were devoted to it, everybody could get it out of the way and the rest of the year would be safe and free (Sula 14). He implemented this on January Third every year.
September 10th is world Suicide Prevention Day which helps to provide worldwide actions to prevent suicides since 2003. How Toni Morrison describes National Suicide Day in her novel Sula, is very different from what the world knows it to be. Toni Morrison published Sula in 1973 before there was a lot of research about suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention states that in 2017 Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and over 47,000 Americans died by suicide. These statistics do not include those who attempted to commit suicide. In 2015, 505,507 people visited a hospital for injuries due to self-harm (Suicide Statistics). There are statistics about race, age, and gender for suicide but nonetheless, suicide and suicide attempts occur across all demographics.
In Jerry Lembcke's article ?Shell Shock in the American Imagination: World War I's Most Enduring Legacy' he writes, The war veteran suffering shell shock is one of the most enduring images of the twentieth-century war. Shell shock is a term that was coined during World War I, which later becomes useful in creating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During World War I, doctors saw soldiers experiencing things that they hadn't seen before. They had tremors, many soldiers had become blind or deaf and some had even gone mute. Soldiers who had physical disabilities also experienced these unexplained symptoms as well. Many believe that British doctor Charles Myers, a medically trained psychologist, coined the term shell shock, it was actually the soldiers who came up with the term. the Army appointed Myers as consulting psychologist to the British Expeditionary Force to offer opinions on cases of shell shock and gather data for a policy to address the burgeoning issue of psychiatric battle casualties (Jones).
As time went on soldiers who hadn't been on the front line or experienced combat yet appeared to have similar symptoms. ?Dr.Joseph Babinski hypothesized the symptoms may be brought about not by the war itself but either by unintentional suggestion from doctors or by the patient's auto?suggestion and imitation.' (Lembcke). Many doctors had rejected the idea of Shell Shock. It got to the point where the British Army Medical Service outlawed Shell Shock in 1917. In 1922, the British War Office Committee outlined its findings by saying that The war produced no new nervous disorders, and those which occurred had previously been recognized in civil medical practice. Some people believed that those who had shell shock were repressing their memories of failure.
Personally, growing up where disorders have been researched and have evidence of the cause, I believe that during World War I the experiences that the soldiers faced and the symptoms they had once they returned home will not only stay in their memory but it has changed who they are as a person, how they view others, and what they do day to day. Everyone experiences something traumatic, and that event no matter when it happened in someone's life, it will affect them. For example, when I was in a car accident and I rear ended the person in front of me, I was scared to drive for a few days. Ever since that day I have changed the way I drive and how close I follow behind someone. I feel that the claims made by the British Army in 1917, was premature. they didn't have much evidence to support their claim. To say that the war produced no new disorder, is being ignorant and not doing the research to back up their claim.
When Shadrack was released from the hospital after the explosion in the War, he couldn't stand to look at his hands. They kept growing larger and large the more he looked at them. He felt safe when he couldn't see the two things that he needs to do pretty much anything. Once he built up the strength to walk out of the doors of the hospital he struggled to walk, breathe, and see clearly. He was confused, lost and had absolutely nothing: No past, no language, no tribe, no source, no address book, no comb, no pencil, no clock, no pocket handkerchief, no rug, no bed, no can opener, no faded postcard, no soap, no key, no tobacco pouch, no soiled underwear and nothing nothing nothing to do (Sula 12). Shadrack had basically lost his mind. The cops showed up and took him to jail thinking he was intoxicated when in reality he was suffering from PTSD. He had post traumatic stress disorder from what he experienced at war and from being in the hospital for a year, not knowing who or what he was. He knew what he wanted and remember what his life before war was like but he couldn't figure out how to get there.
PTSD isn't something that is cured. When a soldier goes to war and comes home with PTSD, his life isn't the same. He has to deal with the triggers, reoccurring thoughts, visual images in his head and around him and he also has to try and hold himself together because he is a soldier and he is strong and brave. That isn't always the case for returning soldiers with PTSD. Not everyone who is diagnosed with PTSD is suicidal. Sy Mukherjee's states in her article ?What's killing America's Veterans? Here's what the Data says' an average of 20 veterans committed suicide every day in 2014. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that the biggest issue is that veterans don't have access or don't get the health care services that they are entitled to. Many veterans die from accidental overdoses because they are prescribed painkillers to help deal with injuries from combat.
It is unfortunate that the people who served our country end up accidentally dying, or kill themselves because they were out making our lives better. Shadrack is a good example of how some veterans are treated once they return home. People in the Bottom were frightened when they saw him on the first National Suicide Day. His eyes were so wild, his hair so long and matted, his voice was so full of authority and thunder (15), people didn't understand how to act around him. After the first couple January firsts, people understood the boundaries and nature of his madness.
Today people know about PTSD and what type of events can trigger it but many people do not know that they can receive help and what some of the symptoms are. although the novel takes place from 1919 through 1965, and Toni Morrison wrote it in the mid 1970's, she does do a fantastic job at describing and illustrating what post traumatic stress disorder is. Much of what Toni Morrison writes is still true to how PTSD is today. Sula is so much more than just the character Sula and what she goes through. The novel is about friendship, the affects or war, poverty, feminism and racism. Toni Morrison ties all these elements into each other and created this fictional literature that people can learn from and realize just how the past isn't so different from the present.
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War In The View Of Toni Morrison. (2019, Apr 15).
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America’s Strong Sense of Military Pride
America as a whole has a strong sense of pride in our military, but the the debate among many of us is do we as a country give enough back to our men and women who have risked their lives for our safety and freedom. The answer to that is yes, the United States does enough if not more than needed to welcome back and support our veterans. Returned soldiers have everything they need from healthcare , physical and mental, to financial help and much more. The real problem lies within the normal citizens who feel the need to complain on the behalf of returned military personnel because they think they know everything that a soldier has gone through.
Everyday americans don't understand what goes on overseas, all they are told is stories and shown images that makes up only a fraction of what really happens. Many people picture all veterans with mental problems such as PTSD, but no one can truly understand what is inside the mind of a veteran. Some people could possibly be sent to fight with pre existing issues that are only noticed when they return, And even most of those who do come away from them without any permanent damage (Joyner). Another major assumption by the average population is that a person with a physical disability must have served and lost their limb or a function that way. The majority of soldiers that face severe trauma survive with little damage thanks to our advanced medical technology that improves how fast and well we react to traumas (Brands). We should take pride in the medical care we give our troops.
Besides healthcare, the government provides more ways to support our troops. In many situations the military will give funds to pay for college related needs, The government pays up to $17,500 a year plus living expenses for three years of education and training (Brands). This amount of money should be plentiful in supplying veterans with the education they need to get back on their feet after the service. There are many differences between all students who attend college, such as age, jobs, and family. These differences can create a struggle within the diverse group of students that is far beyond their combat experiences (Joyner). Our government takes very good care of our soldiers school wise.
Some argue we do not do enough for our armed forces. They may say this because they simply don't know the facts or they could just agree with the first side of the story they were told. While we do owe a great deal to those who risk their lives for our freedom we also give a great deal. You can argue all day that we just lure men and women into the military with promises of free college, but the truth is that we do give a lot in funds going towards tuition and living expenses (Brands). Another major debate is do we offer enough medical care to those who need it, and yes we do. There's no doubt that getting shot at and seeing friends killed in explosions are life-changing experiences. But most veterans, even those deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, don't have those experiences. And even most of those who do come away from them without any permanent damage (Joyner). All in all we do what is needed to help our vets.
Americas strong sense of military pride is something to cherish. Even though we have those people that feel we don't give back to our military men and women, we do. With the advanced medical care we give and money we offer in educational purposes our returned veterans are more than taken care of.
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Treatment of Combat Veterans
It is very unfortunate that many men and women who serve combat in the military come home suffering with a stress disorder. Soldiers in combat are typically educated on worst case scenarios and how to act on them, but once the soldiers are physically in a situation where there are casualties and extreme chaos everything they have been taught might fly out of their head and they are stuck with flight or fight instincts. Most people cannot even fathom what it is like to watch civilians, friends, and even themselves get injured or killed unless they were there in the action.
Although, it is easy for some people to say oh if I was in combat I would have a lot of fun killing bad guys! I am tough and can take it all., but if they haven't experienced combat then they cannot speak for how they definitely would act. Stressful events can change people and they can do things that they never would have pictured themselves doing. This can cause serious regret and lead to posttraumatic stress disorder.
Numerous people have shared that [b]ehavioral exposure techniques have helped reduce specific symptoms, and they have often led to improvements in overall adjustment In fact, some studies indicate that exposure treatment is the single most helpful intervention for persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (Comer 151). One specific exposure therapy that is useful for treating combat veterans who suffer from stress disorders is virtual exposure, where a client puts a device on their head that covers their eyes and gives them a new view of an environment that they are familiar with.
Typically, the exposure therapist shows the environments that the client developed the stress disorder from, but they gradually display a lot of the specific triggers that the client has. For example, a veteran who is suffering from PTSD and is in virtual exposure therapy might be looking through the virtual reality device and view a realistic sight of them in a tank driving down a dirt path in the middle of a city. At first it is slow and not chaotic, so the veteran isn't too triggered yet, but then the tank abruptly stops and there is the first sound of a gunshot. The veteran might tense up and panic, but they will be in a safe space with their therapist and can explain every thought they are experiencing. Exposure treatment can be difficult for sufferers of PTSD because of how real the therapy sessions feel. The client is encouraged to face their fears and relive their traumas to try to help understand them and how to properly treat them.
Another treatment that has been successful for many combat veterans is drug therapy. It has been proposed that [a]mong veterans with PTSD, as diagnosed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 89% are treated with SSRIs (Alexander, 2012). SSRIs stand for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and they are a type of antidepressant that is used for depression and sometimes even anxiety disorders. This type of antidepressant works by intensifying the jobs of nerve cells in the brain that control emotion. The nerve cells have three jobs and they are to obtain signals, to move those signals, and to bring those signals in this case to the brain. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that deliver the signals that the nerve cells are in control of and one of the most important neurotransmitters in the case of depression and anxiety is serotonin. SSRIs assist by making more serotonin obtainable by stalling the reuptake course, thus helping to regulate mood, sleep, and even memory. Both [s]ertraline and paroxetine are the only antidepressants approved by the FDA for the treatment of PTSD and are the most extensively studied SSRIs for this indication (Alexander, 2012).
In order to get drug therapy a patient must first go to a psychiatrist and make an appointment. Then the patient will have to complete some tests and using those tests and the patient explaining their symptoms/why they made the appointment, the doctor will make a diagnosis and see if the patient will benefit from drug therapy. In many cases the psychiatrist will recommend to their patient to also be in talk therapy to help them further.
One more treatment that has been found successful in treating combat veterans experiencing stress disorders is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapyis considered to have the strongest evidence for reducing the symptoms of PTSD in veterans and has been shown to be more effective than any other nondrug treatment (Reisman, 2016). CBT typically focuses on particular issues the client is having and the therapist uses a goal-oriented method to help them. Some of the treatment techniques that happens in CBT is that theclinicians often try to help veterans bring out deep-seated feelings, accept what they have done and experienced, become less judgmental of themselves, and learn to trust other people once again (Comer 153).
Often times the therapist will give their client homework related to the client's distresses, whether that be to just observe their behaviors and thoughts and write them in a journal, or to practice techniques to help them relax when anxious. Once the client recognizes their negative thoughts and feelings then they can try to change their thinking patterns with the help of the therapist. An example of CBT session for a combat veteran could go like this: the therapist asks the client how their week has been going and how they felt. Based off what the client says, such as It was awful. I had several flashbacks of losing my best friend due to the grenade. Then the therapist might help the client figure out a lot of possible triggers to these flashbacks or teach them grounding techniques, which includes all of the five senses to encourage you to come back to the present.
All three of these treatments have the potential to help sufferers of stress disorders. Each treatment mentioned is not guaranteed to help, but it is definitely worth a shot to ease the pain. If a combat veteran tries one treatment, such as drug therapy, and it doesn't help then they should not give up. Sometimes it takes a few different treatment choices to find the right match, but once the client finds the right treatment it can help them tremendously and change their outlook on life.
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Treatment Of Combat Veterans. (2019, Apr 15).
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Marginalized Women: Veterans with PTSD
MARGINALIZED WOMEN: VETERANS WITH PTSD
Veterans with PTSD In 2015 a study was conducted that showed an increase of about 47 percent of women veterans that are utilizing the Veteran Administration healthcare system, (Shivakumar, Anderson, Suris, & North, 2017). These women are much younger than their male colleagues in the same positions. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD is one of the most common diagnosis among women the ages 18-44, (Shivakumar, Anderson, Suris, & North, 2017). Around 7.5 percent of the total patients seen by the VA healthcare system in 2015 consisted of women. (Kehle-Forbes, Harwood, Spoont, Sayer, Gerould, & Murdoch, 2017).
It was shown that women use the VA services more frequently than males, but care of those veteran women is lacking and needs to be enhanced. Women report feeling not welcomed and an inconsiderateness to their needs was apparent. The woman studied, discontinued their care because they felt as though the provider was not meeting their needs, (Kehle-Forbes, Harwood, Spoont, Sayer, Gerould, & Murdoch, 2017). Less than half of woman veterans that received services for mental health within the VA system felt as though their needs had been met, (Kehle- Forbes, Harwood, Spoont, Sayer, Gerould, & Murdoch, 2017).
This paper examines the common issues women veterans encounter when receiving mental healthcare for PTSD from the VA healthcare system. These issues will be addressed as well as social justice problems, ethical issues, socio-economic problems and strategies of action to bring about positive outcomes. An action plan will be prepared and conveyed to the VA Hospital administration in hopes that it will be taken into consideration to create a new process to help female veterans in obtaining adequate care. Several scholarly studies and evidence-based methods as well as current guidelines will be applied to create this action plan. It is important to consider any gender differences when managing the unique needs of the female veterans. There is room for enhancements in assessment, improved screening tools, and treatments that coincide with current interventions to minimize the psychological impact and encourage recovery.
Current Incidence and Prevalence recent study showed that 17 percent of The National Guard and 15 percent of active military are A female. The same study also showed that 20 percent of new recruits are women, (Conard & Sauls, 2013). About half of these woman deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. These missions place these women right in the middle of the action in war zone territories, (Conard & Sauls, 2013). they are not in direct combat, they Even if are exposed to the war zone in other ways such as medical units. In today's military, woman take on the same roles and tasks as the men they serve beside including combat pilots, police, intelligence, medical personal, etc, (Conard & Sauls, 2013).
Suicide and car bombings, roadside bombs, and ambushes are just some of the hostile situations these woman endure. Even when in noncombat type rolls, they are exposed to these violent a encounters and witness other traumatic events such as sexual assault, torture, and death. This can be a daily occurrence and when unable to return home and step away from these situations, leads to post traumatic stress it a it disorder, or PTSD, (Conard & Sauls, 2013). Sensory exposure happens to many medical service women due to the constant exposure to dying patients and leads to woman having difficulty caring for the wounded in combat zone, (Conard & Sauls, 2013). Anxiety, depression and PTSD go hand in hand and commonly present together increasing the risk of suicide among this group. The reports are outstanding, with woman veterans times more likely to commit suicide than non-military woman, (Conard & Sauls, 2013).
These woman being 3 a have an absence of personal hygiene and privacy as well as other issues that their male counterparts do not experience. Along with the added stress of war, these women also have chance of extended deployments, a (Conard & Sauls, 2013). About 20 percent of female veterans deployed to Iraq have been diagnosed with PTSD, (National Center for PTSD, 20118). Socioeconomic Aspects of Women Veterans with PTSD A PTSD impacts the female veteran's quality of life and vulnerability while deployed. study showed that 59 percent of the woman veterans had unmet medical needs and also screened positive for PTSD in the 12 months prior. Cost was reported as the delay in seeking care, (Lehavot, Der-Martirosian, Simpson, Sadler)
A PTSD is a it Social Justice The effect of social justice and injustice of mental health and the VA Healthcare system majorly impact female veterans and their treatment for PTSD. In a survey of female veterans with PTSD that deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, found that their opinion of treatment of their mental illness from the VA to be negative rather than positive, (Fox, Meyer, & Vogt, 2015). They also felt that male veterans were treated better than the female veterans and swayed their longing to seek out treatment at the VA, (Fox, Meyer, & Vogt, 2015). There is a stigma that accompanies any mental illness in itself, but for women veterans with PTSD to feel as though they are being treated differently because of sex is an injustice to not only them, but the entire VA system. Ethical Issues Suicide and PTSD in our veterans has been a big topic in the mainstream media. There is a huge stigma associated with mental illness and suicides, veterans with PTSD owning firearms, and the VA system in general, (Bongar, Sullivan, & James, 2017).
Politics and avoidance of responsibility has dominated over ethical obligations to the female veterans with PTSD. Cost and financial obligation have become more of an ethics issue when dealing with our female veterans. Fear of judgement sometimes tends delay woman from seeking care and treatment, (Koven, 2017). The substandard care of women veterans with PTSD has a negative effect on the nations citizens because it causes distrust of the government. Theses woman risk their lives for a country that refuses to give quality mental health care, (Koven, 2017). Washington, 2013). recent study found that most of the women with PTSD did not have any insurance other than the VA and they did not know that they were eligible for VA benefits, (Lehavot, Der-Martirosian, Simpson, Sadler, & Washington, 2013).
Recent reports
have shown that many female veterans feel uneasy in societal institutions because of instances that occurred in combat. (Jackson, 2014). Morbidity and mortality of not directly related to socioeconomic status however, may impede the accessibility of seeking treatments and in turn lower the chance of positive outcome. Plan to address this group Change needs to happen in regard to treatment strategies for our female veterans who suffer with PTSD. The American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will need to be evaluated and improved. This needs to start in the primary care setting and can easily be done by recognizing and screening all veteran females, (Sarah & Christopher, 2017).
Social support has been shown to drastically impact female veterans who return from deployment. Symptoms are more controlled when women are able to talk about their feelings of PTSD with people close to them. Reports have shown that they adjust better when accepted by group and are able to have that release, (National Center for a Conclusion In conclusion, the VA system needs to convey accessibility, trustworthiness, and discretion for woman with PTSD.
Recognizing PTSD symptoms by utilizing better screening tools and the clinical practice guidelines will lead to earlier treatment and education of female veterans with PTSD. Social stigmas associated with mental health need to be recognized and demolished so that female veterans can feel as if the care they need is achievable. The VA will start to enroll female veterans with PTSD to patient specific programs because the evidence supports this new process and provides them with the adequate care that is required for healing. Encouragement to join support groups, social clubs, and any positive group settings to help reintroduce these female veterans back into the community and help create a support system. PTSD, 2018). Positive motivation should be given to join groups like the VFW to get involved with functions to give those needed outlets veterans in order to help create social connections, (National Center for PTSD, 2018).
References
- Bongar, B., Sullivan, G., & James, L. (2017). Handbook of military and veteran suicide: Assessment, treatment, and prevention Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1945129743?accountid=28179
- Conard, P. L. and Sauls, D. J. (2014), Deployment and PTSD in the female combat veteran: A systemic review. Nurs Forum, 49: 1-10. doi:10.1111/nuf.12049
- Fox, A. B., Meyer, E. C., & Vogt, D. S. (2015). Attitudes about the VA health-care setting, mental illness, and mental health treatment and their relationship with VA mental health service use among female and male OEF/OIF veterans.Psychological Services, 12(1), 49-58. doi: 10.1037/a0038269
- Jackson, L. (2014). The relationship between PTSD symptoms, social and mental health I. factors, and quality of life outcomes in sample of african-american women combat veterans a dissertation] Available from PILOTS: Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress. (1800697602; 94119). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1800697602?accountid=28179
- Kehle-Forbes, S. M., Harwood, E. M., Spoont, M. R., Sayer, N. A., Gerould, H., & Murdoch, M. (2017). Experiences with VHA care: qualitative study of U.S. women veterans with self-reported
- Koven, S. G. (2017). PTSD and Suicides Among Veterans”Recent Findings. Public 19(5), 500-512. doi:10.1080/10999922.2016.1248881
- Integrity, trauma histories. BMC Women's Health, 171-8. doi:10.1186/s12905-017-0395-x
- Lehavot, K., Der-Martirosian, C., Simpson, T., Sadler, A., & Washington, D., (2013). Barriers to care for women veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms.
- Psychological 10(2): 203-212. doi: 10.1037%2Fa0031596 Services Journal. PTSD: National Center for PTSD. (2018, August 01). Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-overview/women/traumatic-stress-female-vets.asp
- Sarah K., D., & Christopher W., L. (2017). Errors in the 2017 APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01425/full A doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-16-00440 of PTSD: What the Data Actually Says.
- Frontiers In Psychology, Vol 8 (2017), Shivakumar, G., Anderson, E. H., Sures, A. M., & North, C. S. (2017). Exercise for PTSD in women veterans: 182(11), e1809-e1814. proof-of-concept study. Military Medicine.
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Marginalized Women: Veterans With PTSD. (2019, Apr 15).
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Current Treatment Practices of Veterans Affairs
This paper critically examines specific and current treatment practices by America's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It shows the VA relies too heavily on addictive narcotics for pain relief, and on antidepressant medications that are often associated with serious adverse side effects. The VA's penchant for such treatments overlooks the rising efficacy of harm reduction practices in the battle against drug addiction. The paper maintains the VA would enhance harm reduction by allowing the therapeutic use of medical marijuana for veterans. Medical marijuana poses a safer and more effective alternative to the dangerous drugs prescribed by the VA. As such, Federal Law should be amended to allow the VA to prescribe medical marijuana for veterans suffering from specific physical and/or mental health conditions.
To appreciate the potential roles of medical marijuana in harm reduction, it is necessary to understand some basic facts about the drug and its current applications. Marijuana is a derivative of the Cannabis sativa plant (Turna, Patterson, & Van Ameringen, 2017). Despite long-standing prohibitions, it is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S., not to mention the world (Turna et al., 2017, pp. 1006-1007). Although cannabis is frequently used primarily for its relaxing and euphoric effects, humans have been harnessing its therapeutic properties for centuries and it is currently used to alleviate many physiological and psychiatric conditions (Turna et al., 2017). Hill (2015) explains that the active chemicals in medical marijuana are cannabinoids, which enhance or mimic the effects chemicals produced by the human body to optimize appetite, movement, pain relief, and other functions. Although there are dozens of cannabinoids, the two most important in health research and practice today are: (1) cannabidiol, which appears to have significant antianxiety and possibly antipsychotic effects; and (2) tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for marijuana's euphoric effects (but might have psychotic effects in some users). Medical marijuana consists of cannabidiol, THC, and other cannabinoids. Due to cannabidiol's tendency to moderate THC's psychoactive properties, marijuana's therapeutic effects depend on the ratio of cannabidiol to THC. Therefore, THC-cannabidiol ratios in different strains of marijuana have been engineered to obtain various desired therapeutic effects.
Hill (2015) further explains that depending on rapidly evolving state and local laws, Americans may now purchase medical marijuana in a variety of forms via authorized dispensaries, though not from traditional pharmacies because it remains illegal at the federal level. Patients also, legally or illicitly, grow cannabis for the treatment of many health conditions. Two U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cannabinoids are also currently available in pill form: dronabinol and nabilone. Both are FDA-approved for appetite stimulation in wasting disorders and for treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy.
Strong evidence currently supports the use of medical marijuana, especially in the treatment of chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and nausea (Turna et al, 2017). In the states permitting its use, medical marijuana is most commonly approved for treatment of conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, nausea, and severe and/or chronic pain (Hill, 2015; Turna et al, 2017). It should be noted that research on marijuana has long been funded and undertaken by groups supporting anti-pot agendas; therefore, it is unsurprising that literature on cannabis' efficacy as a medical treatment is somewhat inconsistent (Hill, 2015; Turna et al, 2017). Indeed, some inconsistencies are perhaps to be expected. For example, if a large number of people with anxiety use marijuana illicitly when conventional prescribed treatments fail, one would expect to see higher levels of anxiety among marijuana users due to the potential legal consequences. Seizing on this opportunity, anti-pot groups have been quick to cite these levels as evidence that marijuana causes anxiety (Hill, 2015; Turna et al, 2017). Despite the political and moral battle, facts show anxiety is a top-five medical symptom driving North American's cannabis usage (Turna et al, 2017)”even though as of 2015 no state had approved medical marijuana specifically for the treatment of anxiety (see Hill, 2015, pp. 2475-2477).
Turning back to the VA, one condition for which medical marijuana should be a major harm reduction force is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is as a trauma and stressor-related disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition, DSM-5) stipulates its diagnosis is based on exposure to a precipitating traumatic event (criterion A) and then meeting criteria B (intrusive symptoms), C (avoidance), D (negative changes in cognition and/or mood), and E (adverse changes in arousal and reactivity) (Shishko et al., 2018). Shishko et al. (2018) report that, while the incidence of PTSD is alarmingly high within the general U.S. population, with a 12-month prevalence of 3.5 percent”the estimated incidence among veterans is almost seven times as high at 24 percent (pp. 86-87). Beyond the disabling impacts of PTSD itself, 80 percent of individuals also have comorbid psychiatric disorders with emotional, physical, and dissociative symptoms that further undermine essential functioning, employment, personal relationships, and even basic self-care.
In their analysis of published evidence pertaining to the use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives by veterans with PTSD, Betthauser, Pilz, and Vollmer (2015) explain that, when inhaled, delivered orally or via the skin, cannabinoid receptors activate to modulate the release of neurotransmitters. This release produces many central nervous system effects such as pleasure enhancement and changes to our memory processes. These positive physiological effects support the rationale for using cannabinoids to treat three core PTSD symptoms: re-experiencing, emotional numbing and avoidance, and hyper-arousal.
Betthauser et al. (2015) describe studies which reveal direct correlations between severe PTSD symptoms and increased motivation to use cannabis in coping”particularly among patients with poor stress tolerance and/or troubling emotional ranges. High-quality research is limited, but analysts found four studies whose data link veterans' cannabinoid use to the reduction of specific PTSD symptoms such as nightmares and insomnia. However, more well-designed controlled trials are clearly needed to further explore cannabinoids as a complementary or alternative option to today's conventional treatment for PTSD in veterans. Betthauser et al. conclude the existing evidence shows that significant numbers of veterans with PTSD currently rely on cannabis and/or cannabis derivatives to control their PTSD symptoms. Also, many of these users report benefits such as reduced anxiety, reduced insomnia, and enhanced coping abilities.
Medical marijuana could also help the VA reduce the harm associated with antidepressants. Turna et al. (2017) explain that anxiety-related disorders are the most common mental health conditions observed in veterans and the general U.S. population. In the U.S. the primary pharmacological treatment for anxiety disorders and many of their comorbidities are antidepressants. However, despite massive investments in these drugs, treatment response rates to standard antidepressants remain so poor that between 40 and 60 percent of patients receiving them continue to have residual/impairing symptoms. Worse, the antidepressants are linked to major, often disabling side effects which lead to high levels of noncompliance, discontinuation, and seeking alternative treatments.
Furthermore, Burgess et al. (2016) describe troubling complications related to the VA's reliance on opioids in pain treatment. On one hand, there are concerns, despite evidence that African-American veterans and other patients often experience more severe and disabling chronic pain than whites, African-American patients are less likely to be prescribed opioids. These findings have understandably raised concerns about under-treatment of pain in African-Americans. At the same time; however, America's current and devastating public health crisis of opioid addiction raises alarm bells about the possible effects of efforts to correct racial disparities in pain treatment. If doctors were to continue to choose opioids to address pain under-treatment in blacks, even greater harm may result as more Americans are subjected to addictive and often lethal treatments.
Worse still, there are serious reasons to doubt that increased prescriptions of opioids for African-Americans would actually reduce pain under-treatment. In a study involving veterans, Burgess et al. (2016) analyzed whether pain-related outcomes vary by race among veterans with a diagnosis of chronic non-cancer pain and whether opioid use could improve any observed racial disparities. The study showed, regardless of race, receipt of an opioid prescription was not associated with perceived treatment effectiveness for most patients but was associated with greater pain interference. In other words, the opioids failed to improve treatment outcomes and contributed to higher incidences of pain that interferes with or limits one's regular physical, mental, and social activities. Burgess and colleagues conclude that their findings "raise questions about the benefits of opioids for musculoskeletal pain and point to the need for alternative treatments for addressing chronic noncancer pain" (p. 13). By 2015, at least 19 states specifically approved medical marijuana for the treatment of serious pain (Hill, 2015).
There are multiple potential applications for medical marijuana in the application of much-needed harm reduction practices at the VA. An important element of such harm reduction would be to minimize the adverse effects of treatment stoppage. Although the research is rather inconsistent, it seems likely that, as with all drugs, long-term use of marijuana even for therapeutic purposes would result in harmful effects at least for some individuals (Irons et al., 2014). Care must be taken to ensure safe and healthy discontinuation once the therapy is no longer needed. Fortunately, evidence indicates that discontinuation of medical marijuana would be decidedly less complicated than is the case with the highly addictive and harmful opiates and other treatments the VA currently prescribes. A study of 84 cannabis dependent veterans by Irons et al. (2104) suggests that even individuals with marijuana use problems could achieve successful cessation through timely quit efforts that include fairly intense exercise. The subjects were veterans who volunteered to participate in self-guided cessation. The results indicate that participants who engaged in moderate to high levels of physical activity were significantly less likely than those reporting low activity levels to report a cannabis lapse during the week following a quit attempt. By contrast, participants with low levels of physical activity were likely to report greater average use of cannabis in the first four days of the cessation period. Therefore, veterans treated with medical marijuana should be able to stop using more easily than those using many of the VA's current, often highly addictive and dangerous treatments.
America's veterans have put their welfares and lives on the line to defend and promote our freedoms and nation's interests. The nation dishonors their valiant and selfless service by failing to address even their most basic needs. The VA currently relies heavily on treatments that are linked to harmful side-effects and are ineffective, addictive, and even life-threatening. America's veterans clearly deserve better. Fortunately, the steadily evolving research indicates that medical marijuana could be an important step in promoting harm reduction and a long overdue step by the VA. Medical marijuana could be used to safely enhance treatment for various conditions affecting veterans”with lower risks of side effects and cessation problems compared with many current VA treatments. Federal Law must be amended to grant the VA the latitude to prescribe medical marijuana, where appropriate, for veterans with diverse physical and mental health issues. At the very least, this shift in policy would reduce harms resulting from the VA's current treatment practices.
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Veterans and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Mental health is a level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness. It is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment". Wikipedia When dealing with mental health there are a lot of topics and disorders like, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and suicide just to name a few. Mental health disorders or mental illness are A wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. Anybody can experience any of this mental illness even people that are within the military. Soldiers and veterans aren't given the proper resources to help them with their mental health. Post-traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD is one of many health conditions that occurs when a person has experienced or witnessed something horrific.
PTSD can be caused by anything that deals with trauma which can include sexual or physical assault, natural disasters, or even just military combat. PTSD has been talked about for years now, the first case goes back to the Greeks and then within the American Civil War, PTSD was more noticeable than ever before, the soldiers experienced lots of trauma and ended up having physical and emotional injuries. According to Reisman (2016), The symptoms and syndrome of PTSD became increasingly evident during the American Civil War (1861“1865), left those who survived with a myriad of physical and psychological injuries. Also the Civil War was the first atempt to start diagonostics and treatment. Reisman (2016) states The Civil War also marked the start of formal medical attempts to address the psychological effects of combat on military veterans.
If soliders back then were experincing these conditions and giving sorts of treatments where is the evidence in which these treaments are working and also how is it that the number of suicide rates are still increaseing in veterans. According to the National Center for PTSD, there are 4 symptoms of PTSD. The first one is reliving the moment, which is a flashback of the event that a veteran had experienced. This usually comes from a trigger that reminds a person of what they had gone through. The second type is avoiding things that remind you of the event. In the web document Understanding PTSD and PTSD Treatment, an example was provided for someone who was assaulted should avoid crowded places because being around so many people can feel dangerous. The third symptom is having more negative thoughts and feelings than before. In this case, people's emotions are low and they don't have the same feelings or interest in certain activities. The last symptom is feeling on edge, which is hyperarousal and that is keeping people jittery. If these symptoms are noticeable something should be put in place that can help people deal with this mental illness.
PTSD can affect anybody but I want to talk about how it affects people within the military and also veterans. It is estimated 500,000 of this generation of wounded veterans live with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Another 320,000 suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). That is a lot of wounded veterans dealing with both PTSD and TBI. I got hooked on watching this show called Grey's Anantomy and on the show we were introudced to a U.S. Army trauma suregeon named Owen Hunt. On the show Dr. Hunt has a secret: he suffers from PTSD. In the episode: Elevator Love Letter, Owen is asleep and he is having nightmares about the war which is triggered by the blades of the ceiling fan going around and around, in that moment he doesn't know that he is choking his girlfreind: Christina Yang which she concludes to Owen that he is suffering from PTSD. Owen then seeks conusling. From watching this show and now writing a paper on PTSD I wonder if veterans take in to conderation that what they have can cause serious problems like the one Dr. Hunt went through.
I believe that some veterans are scared to seek help or just don't want it or the treatments that they have been provided don't really work. Suicide is an issue that people in this soceity dont really talk about. Fox states from NBC news that Veterans are twice as likely as civilians to die by suicide, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday in its latest report on suicide. Veterans make up more than 14 percent of all suicides, although they account for only 8 percent of the total population. Wow this is surprsigly I never knew that the largest portion of people who take their lifes by suicide is the veteran population until reasearching on this topic. With dealing with PTSD in veterans they have different treatments and organizations that can help with this illness, one organization that provides treatment for PTSD is the Wounded Warrior Project which is a charity organization that was designed to help wounded veterans.
On their website, they have stated that veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after September 11, 2001. You are our focus. You are our mission. Here, you're not a member “ you're an alumnus, a valued part of a community that's been where you've been, and understands what you need. Everything we offer is free because there's no dollar value to finding recovery and no limit to what you can achieve. (We Serve Injured Post 9/11 American Veterans & Service Members | WWP. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission). I love that this organization values and supports the veterans to come in and seek help from others that have been through the same thing. The wonded warrior project has an outside workshop that is called Project Oddsey. Within the two different proejcts you have All-Male or Female Project Odyssey and Couples Project Odyssey both go through a 90 day program in which to help these veterans challenge theirselves, over come their feers, with partipicating in outside activities while bonding with the project oddsey staff, other veterans and also trained counselors. Once the program is finished the staff follows up for 3 months and still gives support. Does every veteran know about this one program, does your superior tell you about different kinds of treatment and organazation you can check yourself into.
While researching I came upon a treatment that might be suprisignt to eveerybody. Studies have been shown that they are now trying to use Ecstasy as a treatment for people with PTSD. Phillips (2018) stated Research published Tuesday in the British journal The Lancet Psychiatry found that after two sessions of psychotherapy with the party drug, officially known as MDMA, a majority of 26 combat veterans and first responders with chronic PTSD who had not been helped by traditional methods saw dramatic decreases in symptoms. If this is possible how would this generation of veterans and past and future ones be affected by this? Would this turn into a drug addiction for them?
There are many questions that can come from this and if this treatments is brought into the society who would be resposinble if this gets out of hand. If approved by the F.D.A., MDMA would only be administered by a licensed therapist. First, a patient goes through three sessions of psychotherapy. In the fourth session, the patient takes a pill. Phillips (2018). If the treatments go wrong what happens? Would these veterans have to sign a consent form or anything? Overall soldiers and veterans are most likely given the proper resources to help them with their mental health but it still doesnt matter if the suicide population is increasing. I believe that every veteran should be check if they have a mental illness regardless if they want the help or not. The armed forces mission is to protect and serve right? So is that mission still implied after they have left the forces?
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The Health of Female Veterans
In the United States, social programs and interventions continue to work toward gender equality and women's empowerment. Closing these gaps and unlocking the unique potential of women across the U.S. would benefit the country in various ways. While gender equality works towards men and women being treated equally, it remains true that gender differences exist and must be studied in the context of health. As stated by the United Nations' Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2000); The desegregation of health and socio-economic data according to sex is essential for identifying and remedying inequalities in health. (p. 8) One interesting and important group for which this need for research exists is the United States Military.
The Women's Army Corps was de-established in 1978, at which time women were integrated into the military with their male counterparts. In 2013, following a growing demand for gender equality and a decrease in the overall number of individuals enlisting, the ban preventing women from serving in combat was lifted. Steps continue to be taken in the various military sectors, working towards equal opportunities of service for both men and women. However female veterans continue to report problems, typical to marginalized groups, such as lack of access to care, low quality care, and poor patient-doctor communication. (Villagran, Ledford, & Canzona, 2015)
Throughout the past two decades in particular, the United States Armed Forces have been deployed in unparalleled frequencies and durations. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, service members have faced an increasingly high rate of combat. The context of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have often included multiple deployments and ambiguous missions, in which the violence endured and witnessed is unpredictable. This is notable in predicting future health outcomes for our armed service members, as studies show combat has a significant impact on the physical, social, and psychological health of veterans. (Williston, Taft, & VanHaasteren, 2015)
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs' Veteran Population Projection report (2016), the U.S. veteran population will decrease from 20 million to 13.6 million from 2017 to 2037. In this time, they estimate the percentage of male veterans will decrease 2.3% annually, while the percentage of female veterans will continue to increase .7% annually. In the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq women represented approximately 10% of all deployed personnel. (Crum-Cianflone & Jacobson, 2014)
The motivation behind women joining the United States Military appears to be similar to that of men; whether it be an ambition for higher education, a need for a reliable and safe social structure, or a patriotic desire to protect one's country. (Mankowski et al., 2016) However, the health implications of this service, once U.S. armed services members leave the line of duty, differ by gender and must be studied. One specific example of a health concern found to occur among over 33% of women in the military, compared to 23% of non-veteran women is intimate partner violence (IPV). (Bartlett, Iverson, & Mitchell, 2018) By studying this specific health concern, one can see how action towards basic health rights such as housing and food stability can positively affect various health outcomes.
Gaps in Research:
A literature review of existing research shows that service members, in comparison to civilians, are at a higher risk for various health issues including IPV. Of these service members, those that have faced deployment or combat exposure have been shown to be at an even greater risk. (Crum-Cianflone et al., 2014)
Looking specifically at women in the armed services, millions of dollars have been spent researching their physical and health capabilities, in efforts to argue if and how they should be integrated into the military. (Seelig et al., 2012) However, insufficient research has been done focusing on the health and well-being of women service members during and post deployment. It is important for our government to focus more of their resources and time on this matter.
The gender research that has been done on the armed service population shows that military women are at a higher risk of many health issues in comparison to male members of the armed services. However, the extent, determinants, and repercussions of these health differences still need to be examined. With their growing numbers and changing roles in the United States Military, research focused on women is vital to minimizing the negative effects American women face in their service to our country.
In the past two decades, IPV has been identified as a major social health concern for women in the United States. While the majority of studies looking at armed services members have been focused on men, this research shows early identification of individuals suffering from IPV can dramatically impact the resulting negative short and long term consequences. (Sparrow et al., 2017) However, a major barrier in treating and preventing IPV is that victims are reluctant to disclose their experiences for fear of the potentially damaging repercussions. The research that has been focused on females shows the overall rate of women in the military suffering from IPV may also be skewed by an unusually high percent of women who enter the armed forces having already suffered IPV. (Dichter, Wagner, & True, 2015)
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A Veterans Day
At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, guns in Europe and across the world fell silent. That day, which came to be commemorated as Armistice Day and later Veterans Day, has been described as the greatest day in history. That appellation is not far off the mark.
The First World War, which ended on November 11, 1918, was a turning point in history. When it began in August 1914, crowds cheered brightly uniformed troops marching off to battle. They were confident of being home "before the leaves fall," or at worst by Christmas. It was not to be. Millions of soldiers collided on battlefields from Brussels to Baghdad, from Africa to Asia, in the first truly global war. While the killing power of modern weapons had been previewed in the American Civil War, no one was prepared for the slaughter that would occur at the Somme and on the eastern front. And no one had the means to end a conflict that had rapidly spun out of the control of national governments.
One can say that the history of the 20th century was a playing out of the First World War. It led to the collapse of the Russian monarchy and the rise of communism. Germany, which believed that it had signed a cease-fire rather than a surrender, moved from imperial rule to a short-lived democracy to the horrors of National Socialism. The Second World War took destruction to a new level involving massive bombing and, ultimately, to the first use of atomic weapons.
Nor did problems stop there. On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill observed that "an iron curtain has descended across [Europe]." The world was in a new type of conflict, a "cold war" in which two ideologies, one focused on freedom and the other on state control, battled across the globe via diplomacy, economics, and on more than one occasion, military warfare.
Nuclear weapons added a new dimension. For the first time in history, humankind had created a weapon so powerful that it deterred large-scale conflict. The seemingly exponential rise in battlefield deaths halted overnight. Neither side could be assured of victory. Indeed, each side knew that any rash act would result in the destruction of all that it held dear. There was risk in this nuclear standoff, but there was also the opportunity for political and economic forces to play out over decades.
At the end of the Cold War, there was a naive thought that the cycle of conflict was at last broken. The world could live in peace, democracy and freedom would spread around the globe, and humanity would enter a new era. It was not to be. We now recognize that the world is a dangerous place and will likely remain so.
We have learned much in the past century. On this day, I ask that each of you take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. Thank a member of our armed forces for the role that he or she plays every day in our defense and our security. And remember that day, 100 years ago, when humanity, exhausted and shocked by four years of death and destruction, looked deep into its soul in hopes of finding a better way.
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Should Columbus be Adored or Hated?
For more than five centuries Americans have lifted Christopher Columbus to heights of greatness and god-like. We celebrate his life as though he was a man that had done us a great favor. In recent years Christopher Columbus has come under scrutiny, his life and works being questioned more than celebrated. There have been many great men and women that contributed to the building of our great nation but they do not receive anywhere as much recognition as Columbus. When a person begins to study the actual accounts of the "finding of the New World" they begin to wonder if Columbus should adored or hated for his actions.
As a child I was taught that Columbus was a great man that had accomplished great things for the sake of humanity, but in reality his agenda was not to better humanity but to better himself. He found the Americas by mere chance and he did not even know of what he found. We give him credit for "finding" the Americas but history tells of the people, that he called Indians, already inhabiting the foreign land.
Columbus is given credit for being a great captain and navigator, but was he as great a navigator as he is believed to be? Columbus is honored to be the founder and father of the Americas even though he went to his own grave believing that he had found a new trade route to Asia. After thirty-three days out from the Azores he could not imagine he was anywhere but near Cathay, the southeast coast of China. His actual location was the Bahamas (William Howarth).
Columbus has a story that some would like to keep quiet, a story that "makes Hitler look like a juvenile delinquent" (quote from a Native American demonstrator [M. E. Marty]). As wagon wheels churned dustily west, Columbus was a heroic, progressive Discoverer. In today's sullen postcolonial world he is Euro-Plague, spreading the genocide and ecocide that ruined a pristine Eden (William Howarth). Columbus stands accused for much of the tragic and horrible event that plagued the native Americans in the years and even centuries that followed his coming. "[Based] on statistical analyses of Indian deaths, [the Spanish conquest was] the greatest demographic catastrophe in recorded history;" Peter Winn (M.E. Marty). By 1892 the Europeans had prevailed, destroying most of the natives through disease, warfare, and displacement (William Howarth). Serious studies put the eventual extermination of natives by the Europeans at about 90 percent of the population from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the present (P. J. Riga).
There is a balance to the madness that Columbus had created. The most traditional view hails him as the discoverer of America--one who inspired a wave of European explorers and adventurers to the "New World." In this light, Columbus stand tall as a heroic pioneer and rugged individualist; he symbolizes the essence of intellectual curiosity. Likewise, from this perspective, he correctly laid the basis for proselytizing Christianity to the "heathen" peoples across the Atlantic. From the opposite vantage point, Columbus began a process of genocide greater than any holocaust human history has witnessed. Through the introduction of smallpox, measles, and gonorrhea, Columbus would have as his legacy the elimination of complete indigenous populations and cultures from the face of the earth. And with this irreparable slaughter, some claim, he built the foundation for white racism against all peoples of color (D. N. Hopkins).
Mark Twain once said, "It was a miracle that Columbus found America, but it would have been more the miracle if he had not." It was truly a remarkable task that Columbus had made a route to the Americas. It can not be disputed that if not for Columbus we probably would not be as economically advanced as we are. But in-as-much, if not for Columbus our country and maybe even our world might not be as racially prejudice. And for fact the people in the Americas would have been able to learn the lessons that the true fore-fathers would have past down. And who knows, maybe we could have learned a lesson or two about love and how to keep peace.
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The most Famous Explorer in the World
Christopher Columbus was an very important man through the role he played in our history. Columbus was a smart young man whose accomplishments soon led to the the discovery of the Americas. Columbus isn't originally from the Americas. His life was full of adventures and exploration. Columbus is one of the most famous explorers in the history of the world.
Christopher Columbus was born in the city of Genoa, Italy, on October 31, in 1451. He was born the oldest of a Christian household with his many siblings: Bartolomeo, Bianchinetta, Giacomo, Giovanni, and Pellegrino. Columbus was the son of a wool merchant, Domenico Colombo and mother Susanna Fontanarossa. When Columbus became a teenager, he earned a job on a merchant ship where he went to sea for a while. The job lasted until 1470. Then Columbus traveled to Lisbon, where he studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography, and navigation.
In 1476, Columbus traveled to Portugal where he set up a mapmaking business with one of his younger brother. There three years later, Columbus married a woman named Felipa Perestrello Moniz. A year after they had a son named Diego. Diego's mother died a few years after she gave birth to him. As, the years passed Christopher came along with a second son named Fernando who was born in 1488, by Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.
Columbus came up with a plan through an interesting process. His plan was to reach Asia by traveling west. Portugal rejected Columbus's plan. Christopher then gathered all his belongings and left for Spain which was ruled jointly by the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. In April 1492, the couple approved Columbus's plan. Columbus then begun to plan his voyage.
In September 1492, Christopher set out on the Santa Maria which was followed by two more of his ships, the Nina and Pinta. The three ships carried ninety crew members on deck each. That year in the month of October, the ships landed on a small island called the San Salvador in the Caribbean Sea. Today October 12, is celebrated every year as Columbus Day. Through his voyages trying to find a easier route to Asia, Columbus found the Americas and that changed the Europeans forever.
In 1502, Columbus tried to find a easier way to Asia one more time on a voyage with his son Ferdinand. The two ships they traveled on were stranded on a beach in Jamaica, because of their leaks. The crew was stranded for about a year until they were rescued. They returned back to Spain in 1504. Two years later Columbus died in May on the twentieth.
After Christopher Columbus's teenage years he traveled and explored through his voyages most of his life. His voyages led to him finding The New World known as the Americas. Columbus changed the European exploration and the world forever. He is one of the most famous explorers of all time.
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Greek-Physician Scientists
Summary
Since early Greek-physician scientists lived in 322 BC up until 2018, researchers have been testing our products on animals. It is easy as the consumer to volunteer animals as the testing subjects, very rarely do humans want to be the guinea pig. But as science progresses, and more animals are being tested on against their will, an important question must be observed: Do animals have rights similar to those of humans? It seems this question would have a simple answer, that testing on lab rats, or monkeys is clearly unethical considering that some animals die in the process.
However, there are still people who argue that experimenting on animals is extremely beneficial. When these animals are placed in the lab for experimentation, they are in captivity where they can get sick, separated from their family, be tortured, and sometimes even face death. With these negative responses happening in the lab, it should be clear that the cons far outweigh the pros. Some of the products tested are never used for anything useful and most importantly, animals and humans are never exactly the same, so the test results can be unreliable. And still, supporters argue animal research is a necessary process that should continue.
It is estimated that more than 100 million animals worldwide are used in experiments each year and by ignoring the consequences of animal experimentation, we are allowing abuse and trauma to these animals. There can be no changes made to help testing on animals be considered more humane or less tortuous; their involuntary participation should be enough to stop future testing. Regardless of claimed scientific breakthroughs, it it morally unethical for animals to be used as tools in laboratories in the name of medical advancements.
Animal experimentation along with the money that goes towards the research funnels money away from human-based research (computer modelling, tissue cultures, etc.) that could actually be helping people. (Toronto Star, 2018, p. A12). An example that Toronto Star uses, is headlines saying humans have found the cure to cancer in animals, only to find out that when the studies are applied to humans, the results are not the same. According to Toronto Star (2018), animals are not, nor ever will be, appropriate "models" for humans. (p. A12). Animal experimentation is proving itself to be unhelpful to humans not only due to genetic differences, but by thousands of dollars going to waste every test. Humans continue to conduct research on innocent animals, even after researchers admit that these test subjects do in fact feel pain.
Today, researchers almost universally agree that animals feel pain. (Global Issues in Context, 2018). This pain can also lead to stress in most animals which needs to be treated. Euthanasia (ending a life painlessly) is considered to researchers an ethical way of dealing with these animals in pain. If an animal test subject seems to suffer severe stress, they are put down. As humans we selfishly take these animals out of their own habitats, test on them while expecting these animals to not deal with stress and proceed to kill them when things go wrong in the lab.
Scientist everywhere are claiming that the potential benefits to human health justify the harm caused to animals, (Goodman, J. R.,Casey A.Borch, & Cherry, E., 2012), but there is nothing ethical about this testing process. Scientists should not be causing enough pain on mice or any other test subjects, that we have to kill these animals to put them out of their misery. Products that are tested on animals can include drugs and cosmetics, while some animals are exposed to pollution and radiation to observe effects.
Pharmaceutical and other industrial laboratories routinely use animals for tests before selling their products for human use. A common animal researchers like to test on is monkeys, pictured below is a pig-tailed macaque in a test capsule.
A pig-tailed macaque in a test capsule reaches for a lever that triggers a food dispenser in an experiment. For decades macaques have been widely used for biomedical research. (Credit: NASA). (Animal rights, 2011). Researchers take animals right from their homes in the wild and bring them to the lab to experiment on. Although scientists argue that monkeys are similar to humans because of their structure and behavior, animal studies are not always applicable to humans because animals and humans react to their environments in different ways. (Animal rights, 2011). Not to mention that the condition of the laboratories can influence test results when analyzing animals. Using animals to test on is not just something scientists do, you can even see the effects in our classrooms.
Some schools require students to dissect frogs, cats, etc. but with technology taking over, there is no need to use real animals when we have excellent computer programs that provide simulations for classroom use. The alternative of using computer models can often be argued not sufficient enough because we cannot produce a specific piece of information without using live animals. However, Wiebers (2006), highlights that we need to be open to the possibility that that piece of information may not be needed to solve the clinical problem we are addressing. The use of innocent animals shouldn't be needed when most of the time we are focusing on the end result as opposed to specific types of information.
Overall, around the world animal rights are being violated everyday. Though animals cannot communicate with us they still have basic rights and practices such as raising and killing animals simply for their fur, keeping animals in cruel living conditions on factory farms, or using animals for painful scientific research are clear violations of those rights. (Issues & Controversies, 2012). Differences between animals and humans should not stop us from realizing that animals suffer just like we do, as humans we are taking advantage of our power over innocent creatures instead of having empathy. As stated in the Issues & Controversies article, just as it would be morally inconceivable to argue that infants or people with developmental disabilities do not deserve basic rights, it is illogical, supporters maintain, to deny animals those same rights. (2012).
Cosmetics, medications, chemicals and many other products continue to be tested on innocent animals before reaching our stores for consumers. Scientists everyday are volunteering lab rats, monkeys and other animals as test subjects for human products which violates basic animal rights because these creatures face stress, illnesses and even death. Although experimentation on these creatures can be interesting, they prove to be useless to humans because of our genetic differences as well as increasing use of computer simulations. To truly test the safety of products for humans, it is best to experiment on a human ourselves to get the most accurate results in the future.
This will help decrease animal deaths, euthanasia in labs as well as increase leaving animals in their natural habitats without disrupting our ecosystems. Humans for years have destroyed environments where delatice species thrive, which has proven to have negative effects on the earth. Scientist and researchers now need to realize how unethical animal experimentation is, the destruction it causes and prepare to find new and improved ways to test products in the lab without taking innocent lives.
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Annotated Bibliography: Animal Testing
Annotated Bibliography: Animal Testing
Animal testing is one of the most frowned upon scientific experiments around, but the whole world needs this testing to save the human race. There are causes and effects just like any other scientific experiments. The testing of animals helps the human race better understand the way animals react to the cures, and to help find cures for the diseases. There is a lot of discussions if these testings are the right thing to do. More so, if we didn't have it, it could be catastrophic.
In detail, the human race needs to have the right information on how and why these studies are performed. So, it's more understandable on why these testings are necessary. The media has caused humanity to have negative mindsets. On these experiments conducted to the animals by showing gruesome examples of the animals in the labs. There continues to be strict laws and regulations on the trials that these animals are undertaking. Therefore, the human race will find a more positive outlook on these science experiments.
There have been many major cures found by testing on these animals. In this research there is proof this is positive for the world. There are high percentages of animal testing that are successful and for humanity, this is a huge milestone, and just another step closer to finding the right data that is needed to solve the puzzle of top diseases such as cancer and HIV. Animals testing not only helps society better understand diseases but also how we can withstand radiation. The products that we use such as cleaning supplies, and even the products we use in our showers to see how this can affect us.
In conclusion, there are cons on these experiments on how the animals can be mistreated some of the studies are not necessary. Animal testing can be very expensive. There can be quite a few setbacks, like testing on animals for cosmetics. This is not exactly necessary for humanity needs to survive. Scientists need to find a way to find what is necessary and what is not. There needs to be a line drawn.
Aziz, Tipu, and John Stein Animal testing: TV or not TV? Two views on whether scientists who believe that animal experimentation is necessary should become public advocates, or work quietly behind the scenes Nature.
In this article, it thoroughly discusses the cause and effect on how people view animal testing and how they try to overcome it. More so, on how the media greatly impacts scientist and how the scientist should try their very best to avoid any media attention. The article discusses how hostile it can be to be in the eye of the media as a scientist. Scientist sometimes are not the best at communicating their reasoning for these testing's and it comes out negative in the viewer's eye, but they also found ways for positive attention on the reasoning behind these experiments that is medically needed for humanity.
For these two scientist Tipu Aziz and John Stein in this article, they have many setbacks until they find one leading example that saved their animal research project. In light of being able to finally open the facility that is needed for their medical research. This peer-reviewed article also gives reasoning on what is wrong and what is right, and how dishonorable scientist can cause such a bad name. Furthermore, for the scientist that are actually trying to make a positive breakthrough, it becomes harder for them.
Research has been done different alternatives have been searched. The best answer to finding the right vaccines and cures is through animal testing. There is a different alternative such as Tissue culture, but this only shows how the tissues react not how the body reacts. In this article, it proves why the world needs animal testing, and examples experimentation on some of the cures and vaccines. That has been found through animal testing this testing give humans a higher percentage to live longer as said in this article. There are many laws and regulations in place to protect these animals and the USDA actively makes sure these laws are being followed.
In this research, they have found Mini Pigs can make a breakthrough in Drug and chemical safety. A domestic pig's anatomy is very similar as to a human. Such as our skin and digestive tract. In this research, they are wanting to reconsider the choice of animals as the mini pig the first choice. Scientist already has much knowledge about domestic pigs which make the mini perfect for experiments. Mini pigs also mature very quickly. Using the mini pig will better help understand animal models. In these new experiments with mini pig's, this will not only be positive for researchers on finding more drugs and chemical for humans this will also be helpful for animal producers.
In summary, it provides proof of leading examples of what can happen when we don't use animal analysis. There can be many deaths and deformities when drugs are not first tested on animals. This article explains why it is very necessary to have these testing in place. Not only testing on animals this can also help us better understand diseases and drugs, but it also helps understand the way the human body works. Also, how centuries ago we first tested surgical procedures on animals before testing on humans. This article gives facts on how long these animal experimentations have been around and why we need them.
In Space research, they need to study on animals to know how they react to radiation and gravity also how their bones and muscles react. In this research, the NASA program had to first study on animals before humans could go into space. With these experiments, we can better understand how the body reacts in space and if its safe to travel as humans. NASA still uses these experiments today so they can know how far they can travel safely. Without this research, it could be very dangerous for humans to know if it is possible to go into space, and what safety precaution that needs to be used. Animal testing helps the world know a lot of what we can and cannot do and helps the world figure out the answers.
Lorna Collier a journalist questions David Jentech a scientist who mainly focuses on the cells and circuits in the brain. In this questioning, it explains what scientist that test on animals go through every single day. A lot of animal protestors threaten scientist to where the scientist must hire a bodyguard because the protestors can be so brutal. In this article it explains why we test on rodents, rodents have similar brain as to humans. This experimentation on these rodents help us better understand the brain and how to cure brain issues. Through this research they have saved many of humans lives that is why David hasn't gave up on this research he explains. Scientist want the protestors to better understand what they are doing to save the human race. Instead the protestors can hurt the scientist in many ways. There needs to be more laws in every state on how far these protestors can go.
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