RESEARCH PAPERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celiac Disease

Imagine not being able to eat some of your favorite foods such as pasta, or baked goods, or bread. Imagine having to go the rest of your life without being able to eat or drink anything that contains gluten, a substance found in wheat, rye, malt, and barley. For the at least three million people who suffer from celiac disease, there is no choice(“Celiac Disease Facts”). They cannot eat or drink it or they risk getting several types of cancer and any one of a number of other medical problems.

The Celiac Disease Foundation defines Celiac Disease as such:

Celiac disease (CD) is a lifelong digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-medicated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present (“About”).

While it is a fairly common disease, CD is a disease that is very difficult to diagnose. Of the over three million people it affects, 97% of them are undiagnosed. Testing for CD can be difficult, yet simple at the same time. People with CD carry a higher than normal levels of certain antibodies. These are special proteins that are part of one’s immune system and work to get rid of foreign substances in one’s body. For people with CD, their body may be recognizing gluten as a foreign substance, thus causing their body to produce elevated levels of antibodies to get rid of it. A blood test can detect these high levels of antibodies, and is used to initially detect people who are likely to have the disease. However just a blood test is not enough to completely diagnose CD. A doctor should need to microscopically examine a small portion of your intestinal tissue to check for damage to the villi (nutrient absorbers). This is usually done by inserting a flexible tube (endoscope) though one’s mouth, esophagus, and stomach and into the small intestine. A sample is then taken and examined (“Celiac Disease Tests”).

My girlfriend, Kelsey Aho, has CD. It was just diagnosed in her only almost a year ago. It was a long process to diagnose it however. It started her senior year of high school when she was trying out for the school volleyball team. She was running and feeling a lot tired than she normally would for that amount of running. Her coach noticed it too and told her to go get checked out at the doctor. The doctor didn’t think there was anything wrong, but took a blood test anyway. When the results of that test came back, they showed that Kelsey’s iron count was really low. So thinking she was just anemic (having low blood iron), the doctor just prescribed some iron pills and told her to check back in with her in a few weeks. When Kelsey went back to the doctor, the pills had done nothing to her iron count, so the doctor prescribed double the dosage and told her to try that then stop back in. Even after those pills, Kelsey’s iron count was way below average. At this point, the doctor sent her to a specialist, a pediatric Hematologist. This doctor performed several more tests but could not accurately diagnose the problem and referred Kelsey to a pediatric gastroenterologist. This doctor looked at her charts and told her that the blood tests were a good indicator of celiac disease but that the only way to know for sure was a biopsy. So Kelsey had the biopsy and it came back positive for celiac.(Aho)

Here are some other facts about CD:

· One study on celiac disease found that 60% of children and 41% of adults who were diagnosed with CD were asymptomatic, or without symptoms

· In healthy people, 1 in 133 have CD

· In people who with first degree relatives who are celiac, 1 in 22 people also have CD

· Estimated prevalence for African-, Hispanic-, and Asian-Americans: 1 in 236

· Only 35% of newly diagnosed patients had chronic diarrhea, disproving the myth that diarrhea must be present to diagnose CD

· The average time for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with CD in the US is four years(“Celiac Disease Facts”)

Even though CD is very hard to diagnose there are several symptoms. These symptoms however can vary widely. In some people they may be very mild and go virtually unnoticed, and in others they can be severe and impact daily life. The symptoms of CD, as given by WebMD are such:

· Gas, abdominal swelling, and bloating. These symptoms result from a failure of the small intestine to absorb nutrients from food. You may have mild stomach pain, but it is usually not severe

· Abnormal stools. Diarrhea or bulky, loose (or watery), pale, frothy, and foul-smelling stools often occur. The stools may contain a large amount of fat and may stick to the sides of the toilet bowl, making them hard to flush.

· Weight loss. Adults and children may have unexplained weight loss despite having a normal appetite.

· Fatigue and weakness. Celiac disease can result in a general lack of energy and strength.

· Vomiting. Some people may get sick after eating gluten. Children are more likely to have this reaction than adults.(“Celiac Disease-Symptoms”)

If left undiagnosed and untreated, CD disease may also lead to other problems. These problems include, but are not limited to, osteoporosis, anemia, infertility, delayed onset of puberty, frequent respiratory infections, problems with memory and concentration, and irritability in children or depression in adults.

People with CD have to be very careful to watch what they eat. Even the slightest contamination of gluten can ruin months of progress of righting a persons’ body. However a person should not begin the gluten-free diet before the diagnosis is made because doing so will affect future testing for the disease(“Celiac Disease-Sprue”). While they cannot eat the foods that many other people can, there are more than 2,000 gluten free food items available in the United States. And in 2004, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act became a law. This allowed people with CD to be able to easily notice whether or not they could eat a certain food. This eliminated the time it took to read the labels of every food wishing to be purchased (“Celiac Disease Facts”).

A lot of time, they can eat the same food as a person without CD, it is just made special without gluten. For example, a person with CD cannot eat the same bread as someone without CD. However there is bread that is made from white or brown rice flours that is safe for a celiac to eat. There are specific gluten free cereals too. A person with CD can drink most drinks. Instant or processed drinks must be evaluated do to the possibility of malt. One drink that a person with CD cannot drink is beer. Beer is made with barley, one of the biggest concerns for a person with CD. They can drink most other alcoholic beverages, however they must still check for malt in the drink(“Gluten-Free”). Even though you may not notice the gluten-free labels on food in the grocery store, there are many out there.

To put the number of people with celiac disease into perspective, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center have given out some fun facts:

· 610,000 women in the US experience unexplained infertility; 6% (36,600) of these women might never learn that celiac disease is the cause

· The number of people with celiac disease in the US would fill 4,400 Boeing 747 airplanes

· It would take 936 cruise ships to hold every American with celiac disease

· The number of people with CD in the US is roughly equal to the number of people living in the state of Nevada

· Alaska, Delaware, Washington DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont all have populations less than the number of people living with CD in the US(“Celiac Disease Facts”)

For those living with CD there are many options for support and help if wanted. One of the largest help groups is the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF). On their website you can find almost every fact about CD, information on the diet and lifestyle of a person suffering from CD, you can help others become aware of CD, follow up on news and events concerning CD, and many other options (“About”). They even have a Team Gluten Free, which “is a fundraising arm of the Celiac Disease Foundations, a non-profit, public benefit corporations dedicated to building awareness and a supportive community for patients, families and health care professionals dealing with Celiac Disease.” Team Gluten Free runs races (5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon) and helps to raise support for CD across the country.

While CD is difficult to diagnose and there is no cure for it, once the affected person goes on their diet, they feel much better. My girlfriend had this to say about how she felt once she started her diet:

“I feel like a whole new person since I began my diet. When I was a kid, I thought that constantly feeling sick and having an upset stomach was normal. Once I was diagnosed, I knew that if I didn’t partake in the diet I risked higher chance of cancer and other medical problems. I’ve been gluten-free for almost a year now. I have more energy than I have had in my life. It has been really really hard because I miss eating pasta, and baked goods, especially bread. The main thing that I have realized since being diagnosed is that you can’t be afraid of the change. And it is a major change. I used to never think twice about having bread in the house and to be able to eat it and now I will never know its taste again. It sucks but it’s all for the better in the long run.”(Aho)

CD is more prominent in today’s world than ever before. The process to diagnose it is a usually a very long one, and sometimes isn’t accurately done. At this stage in science there is no cure for CD other than to eat gluten-free and avoid ruining your small intestine. Though for most this isn’t a bad thing. There are over 2,000 gluten-free foods on the market now. And for those who are struggling with the change, there are many support groups such as The Celiac Disease Foundation, Team Gluten Free, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and many others. While celiac disease is often a sudden change for most, it does not have to be completely life altering. As long as the person with CD takes care of their body and follows the gluten-free diet, they should have a perfectly normal life.

Unemployment benefits

So recently Obama decided to sign a bill extending/expanding unemployment benefits. Honestly I do not really care whether or not he signed it. At this stage in my life it does not affect me and I have not been following it at all. I do not think that people who just don't look for jobs and live off of benefits should be helped more but again, not having followed the bill at all, I do not know what it really entails. So I am COMPLETELY indifferent to this bill.

argumentative paper

Nick Holmes

Gloria Shirey

Eng 132.60

29 June 2010

Replay In Baseball

The games are already too long. Having replay would take all of the humanness out of the game. These are just a couple of the complaints made by those who do not want instant replay expanded in baseball. It has been seen however that the game can only benefit from the use of expanded replay. In the last couple of years alone the outcomes of several games could have been made right if replay had been allowed and used. Adding a couple minutes of game time and having a little less human factor are small prices to pay for getting game changing calls correct.

Baseball right now already uses replay on questionable homerun calls. The umpires can go and look and see if the ball hit the wall in play and came back or hit out of play and came back, whether the ball was fair or foul, or whether there was fan interference or not. This use of replay has been in place since general managers voted 25-5 for it in November 2007(“Baseball”). It was however not used for the first time until September 3, 2008. There have been times before and after this date that would have benefitted from replay.

Don Denkinger and Jim Joyce are the two names that first come up in the talk of expanded replay in baseball. Denkinger’s blown call ruined a pennant run for a team and Joyce’s blown call ruined a perfect game. Denkinger’s call took place in the 1985 World Series Game 6 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. St. Louis was leading the best of 7 series 3-2. The Cardinals had taken a 1-0 lead in the 8th inning of Game 6 and were prepared to win the pennant in the 9th. Cardinals closer, Todd Worrell, came in and faced Jorge Orta as his first batter. Orta hit a slow roller to the first baseman and Worrell covered the bag. Denkinger, who was umping first, called Orta safe, giving Kansas City a base runner. The Royals went on to win the game 2-1 and eventually the pennant(Denkinger). However, television replays show that Orta was clearly out by a step. During the game Worrell and then Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog made multiple protests but Denkinger refused to change his call. Replay was not used in any way at this point in baseball history but if it had been this call could have been made right.

Jim Joyce is the cause of the second and most recent example of the need for replay. His blown call happened earlier this month. On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers was pitching a perfect game against the Cleveland Indians. Galarraga made it through 26 batters without giving up a hit, walk, or error. Then the 27th, and what should have been final, batter of the game, Jason Donald, came to the plate. He hit a slow ground ball to the first baseman Miguel Cabrera who fielded it cleanly and tossed the ball to Galarraga who was covering the bag. Galarraga caught the ball as his foot touched the bag ahead of Donald. Galarraga turned to watch Joyce give the out sign, but stopped in awe as Joyce called Donald safe. No one could believe it. Not even Donald who put his hands on his head and had a look of amazement on his face. Television replays showed that Galarraga had touched the bag with the ball in his hand a step and a half before Donald reached the bag. Neither Joyce nor Commissioner Bud Selig would reverse the call(Joyce). In this situation, if baseball had instant replay the league could have gotten the call right and Galarraga would have the perfect game rather than a one-hitter. Those who do not want replay expanded however, will not allow one or two instances to sway their opinion. They have other reasons for not expanding. Game time is their biggest argument.

Nine innings has been the standard of baseball from the beginning. The time it takes to play these nine innings however has changed dramatically since the beginning of baseball. At the turn of the twentieth century, games were usually played in an hour and a half. In the 1920s, the games took just less than two hours. By 1960 however, game time grew to 2:38, and by 1997 the average American League(AL) game took 2:57. In 2004, the MLB concluded that its goal was an average game time of merely 2:45(Baseball). To this point the extended game time has been caused by a number of factors. These factors include extended television time in between innings, increased offense, more pitching changes, and a slower pace of play with pitchers taking more time between pitches and batters stepping out of the batter’s box more frequently. Those who say that replay should not be used in the game of baseball say that it will extend the game time of games that already last, on average, well over two hours. However if the league set up the replay operation correctly they would not add more than a minute or two on to the game times. Along with the game time there are other questions that come with the use of expanded replay.

One question if baseball instituted replay would be how far down replay should extend. Right now, the MLB is the only baseball league that uses replay. Many say that the minors and even college should also use it. If baseball did expand replay, it should be kept to just the majors like it is now. This is for the good of those learning the game and those paying to see the game. For replay to work, a stadium must have cameras set up in strategic locations so that they can catch everything that might be reviewed on tape. Most venues outside of those in the MLB most likely would not be able to afford the cost of that amount of equipment. And as you get further down, say, to little leagues, those places, with the possible exception of Williamsport, certainly would not be able to afford that kind of equipment.

Another detractor from bringing replay down to levels below the MLB is the learning factor. Kids play baseball all around the country for fun and because they like to do it. We do not need to be teaching them that when they step onto the field they can just argue every call and ask for a replay to be looked at. This is because while baseball is changing, it is first and foremost a game of humans and their judgment. Kids learning the game need to learn this first and then if/when they get higher up in the game they can learn all about replay. Replay should not extend down below the majors for this reason.

Other dissidents of replay say that once the league allows replay on more complicated calls than homeruns that there will be no way to draw the line and decide where replay should stop. They say that allowing replay will open the door to too many other options or problems associated with replay. Some of these problems include people crying for more expansion than what is done, who decides what gets replayed, who does the review of the replay, and who gets the final call. One sports writer agrees with baseball commissioner Bud Selig and says, “On this one I'm in agreement with what Selig has maintained: To expand the use of instant replay beyond the determining of fair or foul home runs or fan interference would be to invite potential chaos and create situations that would make a mockery of the game”(Bill Madden par. 3) But as with any problem, there are solutions.

There are solutions to the problem. The most obvious would be to use replay whenever any player, manager, or umpire saw fit. This is not logical though if you want to solve the game time problem. For the best solution to the problem, baseball should look to what football does. In football each coach has one red flag that they can throw for almost any non-penalty call. Once this flag is thrown, the referees must go and look at the replay. This is what baseball would be best to do if they did expand replay. Each manager would get one red flag and be able to throw it for any call on the base path that they disagreed with and wanted reviewed. Once the flag is thrown, a replay official in the booth would look at the replay and talk with the umpires on the field. The replay official would then decide whether the umpire made the right call or not and then decide whether the call needs to be changed or not. Once he makes his decision, he informs the umpires on the field and they either change the call or let it stand depending on what they are told from above.

A couple of restrictions would have to be set on this though. First, the manager could only throw the flag for calls on the base paths. Balls and strikes would have to be left out of replay because there is currently no defined strike zone, and there is no way to set a defined strike zone. Second, the use of replay on homeruns would be left up to the umpire’s discretion of when to use it. This part of replay in baseball has worked just fine since it has been in use and there is no need to change it. By giving each manager one red flag a game to throw, you keep the human element of the umpire’s making ninety nine percent of the calls, and you also would not extend game time all that much, if at all. Most games only have one or two calls a game that could be questioned, like the 1985 World Series or Armando Galarraga’s not-so-perfect game. In either of those cases replay could have been used to set calls right and change the results of the game to what they should have been.

It has been shown that baseball could benefit from replay. Don Denkinger and Jim Joyce are examples of this benefit. Replay should be expanded in baseball but only so much. If it is limited to homeruns and the base paths, and only one or two replays a game, then the game time would not increase dramatically, if at all, and there would be no problem getting one or two more calls correct. The replay would however have to be limited to just the MLB and no lower so as to prevent the use of replay from getting abused. Baseball would benefit from the expansion of replay and the league should expand its current uses of replay in the future before more calls like Joyce’s or Denkinger’s happen.

research ideas

So for my research paper I was thinking about researching various sports from around the world. But they wouldn't be just any sport. I'm going to research extreme/weird/crazy sports. I'm not sure what other parts of the world have to offer but I think I will find plenty of topics. I'm going to try and find out what these sports consist of. I'll research training, participating, what it takes to win or not, and anything else I can find and report on. So yup, that's what I think I'm going to write my paper on.

informative paper

The Causes, Signs, and Treatment of Personality Disorders

Personality disorders have been around since the beginning of time. There are many different types of personality disorders and it has only been in more recent times in history that we have begun to understand what personality disorders really are and why they happen. There are many different types of disorders and what causes them is still up for debate. The diagnosis of these disorders is very difficult and treating them is almost equally as tough.

The DSM-IV gives these generic criteria for personality disorders:

· A lasting pattern of behavior and inner experience that markedly deviates from norms of the patient’s culture.

· This pattern is fixed and affects many personal and social situations

· The pattern causes clinically important distress or impairs work, social, or personal functioning

· This stable pattern has lasted a long time, with roots in adolescence or young adulthood

· The pattern isn’t better explained by another mental disorder

· It isn’t directly caused by a general medical condition or by the use of substances, including medications (Morrison 461)

Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters A, B, and C. Cluster A contains disorders such as paranoid, schizoid (a lack of interest in social relationships), and schizotypal (a need for social isolation). Cluster B contains antisocial, borderline (a prolonged disturbance of personality function), histrionic (excessive emotionality and attention-seeking), and narcissistic (egotism). Cluster C contains avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive. People with Cluster A personality disorders can be described as withdrawn, cold, suspicious, or irrational. People with the Cluster B disorders tend to be dramatic, emotional, and attention-seeking with their moods being labile and often shallow. People with the Cluster C disorders tend to be anxious and tense, and are often over controlled (Morrison 458-459). Many people have some form of one or many of these and continue to live normal lives. Why some need treatment while others don’t is still a mystery.

What causes personality disorders is still a debatable subject although most people accept that they are the combination of three factors. These factors are biological, psychological and cognitive-behavioral (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern 626). The biological factors begin with the fetus. Evidence has shown that some mental disorders arise from prenatal problems such as malnutrition, exposure to toxins, and maternal illness (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern 626). The psychological aspect focuses on two main areas. The first, the family-systems model, proposes that an individual’s behavior has to be looked at in a social context, particularly within the family. The second area of focus is the sociocultural model which takes in to account the individuals interaction between other individuals and their culture (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern 626-627). Finally the cognitive-behavioral factor proposes that mental disorders are a result of classical and operant conditioning. The idea behind this theory is that thoughts can become distorted and produce maladaptive behaviors and emotions (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern 628). There are however, other factors in what cause personality disorders.

Sex also plays a role in personality disorders. Some disorders are more common for males and others for females. For example, dependence on alcohol and/or drugs, antisocial personality disorders, and childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders are twice as likely to happen to males than females (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern628). Likewise, anorexia is 10 times more likely to affect females and panic disorders are twice as likely. Some disorders such as schizophrenia (characterized by abnormalities in perception or expression of reality) and bipolar disorder are equal for both males and females (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern 628). Once one is diagnosed with a personality disorder, treatment, the most difficult part of therapy, begins.

When diagnosing personality disorders, a therapist must use the Axis I and Axis II system. For this, Axis I is reserved for clinical disorders, including major mental disorders, and learning disorders. Axis II is for personality disorders and mental retardation (Morrison 4-5). This presents a problem in the diagnosis of personality disorders. Axis II disorders are often overlooked but they are sometimes also over diagnosed. Borderline Personality Disorder is an example of an Axis II disorder that is almost always over diagnosed. Some, Antisocial Personality Disorder, carry a poor prognosis. To top all of that off most, if not all, personality disorders are hard to treat (Morrison 462).

There are however several different methods of treating personality disorders. One method is day treatment. Day treatment, day hospital, day care, and all other forms of partial hospitalization, can be helpful because they do not require inpatient care but provide a person with more intensive treatment than is possible on an outpatient basis (Magnavita 357). There are differences within these treatments too. Day treatment is different from day hospital and day care in that it gives emphasis to the treatment and rehabilitation of patients. Treatment is usually concerned with optimal recovery and tries to alleviate (remove) symptoms from patients. Day hospital programs are concerned with the treatment of acute illness. Day hospitals are appropriate for those who would otherwise be treated as inpatients. Day care programs are concerned with maintaining patients with chronic mental disorders. Rehabilitation and adjustment expectations are modest and treatment usually only has a minor role in the programs (Magnavita 357).

Another method of treatment is long-term therapy. However, long-term therapy is very difficult to do because as Thomas R. Lynch, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Duke University and the Duke University Medical Center says, "[People with] personality disorders exhibit chronic, pervasive problems getting along with people in all kinds of different contexts, and this includes therapists." Because of this, people with disorders often don’t seek treatment, and those who do usually drop out (Dingfelder par. 4). One example of this is people with borderline personality disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most common personality disorders around. The DSM-IV has this to say about BPD:

“Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder sustain a pattern of instability throughout their adult lives. The often appear to be in a crisis of mood, behavior, or interpersonal relationships. Many feel empty and bored; they attach themselves strongly to others, and then become intensely angry or hostile when they believe that they are being ignored or mistreated by those they depend on. They may impulsively try to harm or mutilate themselves; these actions are expressions of anger, cries for help, or attempts to numb themselves to their emotional pain. Although borderline patients may experiences brief psychotic episodes, these episodes resolve so quickly that they are seldom confused with psychoses like Schizophrenia. Intense and rapid mood swings, impulsivity, and unstable interpersonal relationships make it difficult for borderline patients to achieve their full potential socially, at work, or in school.”(Morrison 478-479)

It goes on to state that BPD runs in families and that these people are truly miserable and in some cases (up to 10%) complete suicide (Morrison 479). BPD is the most commonly treated disorder; however people who seek help quit their therapy sessions about 70% of the time (Dingfelder par. 4). Another problem with treating those with BPD is while the individuals can be quick to open to therapists, they can also be even quicker and shutting down. These individuals also often want approval and even the smallest amount of provocation can trigger abusive and violent behavior towards those trying to help them (Dingfelder par. 7).

Personality disorders come in many different ways and forms happening to both men and women and in some cases are passed through generations in families. They appear in a person seemingly without any reason but yet they are one of the more difficult things for a therapist to diagnose and treat. Personality disorders do not have to be life-crippling if the individual does not want them to be. There are different treatment options for those suffering from them depending on how long or intense those individuals want treatment.

FREEEEEEEEEE WRITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I am too bored right now. We lost power in the hurricane that we had on Friday night and it just came back on. I thought I was bored when there was no power but even now that it's back on I'm still bored. I am also home alone for the week because the rest of my family is away for the week. I am looking for something to do right now and decided that I could get some homework done. My mom's car almost got crushed in the storm and our road was blocked for most of the morning. And the last two days I've had to sit in the house and bail out our sump pump so that our basement wouldn't flood. Oh well. I suppose this is long enough for a free write. Again I'm really bored. Have a good day I suppose. Stay classy.

social issue

I believe that censorship should not be allowed. I believe it is dumb and violates a person's or people's right to free speech. I do not think TV should be censored nor movies or magazines or news paper etc. If someone(s) doesn't like what is being shown/written then they can just not watch or read it. The most recent/large example of this in my mind is are the fairly recent episodes of Comedy Central's South Park. In the 2 episodes, the boys of SP must get Muhammad to SP for reasons I cannot at this time remember. However due to threats from a Muslim extremists, Comedy Central bleeped every spoken Muhammad, black-barred his image, and even bleeped out a full minute and a half of speech because it did not agree with the Muslim extremists. Now I know this is one example from one group but this kind of thing happens all of the time and it isn't right. A person/person's should be able to say whatever the f**k they want and not have to worry about their life being threatened because they may have said something too offend you. Get over it. Censorship is dumb and should not be allowed.