Foot Binding...or “Mommy can you mummify my feet, please??”

What makes a woman beautiful varies from culture to culture; from tooth blackening in ancient Japan to the wearing of corsets and girdles in the West. There are many speculations about how some of these beauty practices came about and whose opinion and personal preference was the deciding factor. The ancient Chinese ritual of foot binding is such a practice, seemingly macabre to modern day beautification rights but well preserved in its time. Foot binding has been reported to have started in (960-1279 A.D.) by Prince Li Yu who so loved the feet of his concubine that he insisted she bind them to keep them in the shape of a “golden lily” and toe dance for him. Another more feasible story is the legend of the Shang Dynasty Empress who was born with a club foot. In order to not appear different and to stay “fabulous” she ordered that all young girls have their feet bound so that she would not be the only one in her kingdom hobbling around in pain. Whatever version you believe there is one irrefutable fact...the ritual of foot binding was practiced well over a millennium.

The binding of a young girl’s feet (before she got too old and her bones became too hard) was a task performed by her mother. The girl’s feet would be soaked in an herbal tonic and rubbed with an ointment to remove all dead and calloused skin. Kinda sounds like an ancient pedicure...but wait, after the soaking and rubbing, the four smallest toes of the girl would be broken and wrapped in cloths soaked with water, herbs and animal blood wound tightly up to the heel. The cloth would be changed and the feet rewound tighter every two days until the foot begins to grow in on itself (the four broken toes are now located under the ball of the foot and the arch of the foot begins to truncate and grow inward) eventually the foot would measure approximately 3-4 inches. To keep this size, this practice would be done for about a decade. The pain was unbelievable, the stench of the bloody bandages mind blowing and in some circumstances, if the foot was unbound, toes would drop off due to little or no circulation of blood in the area. Death was not an uncommon result.

Foot binding was outlawed in (1644-1911 A.D.) but a practice once only performed by the rich ladies of society who didn’t have to toil had passed over to the “common man.” It didn’t die that easily. Though the poor were binding their feet (How else was a girl to get a husband when the size of your feet was attributed to the size of you vagina...’nough said), they still had to work, though the work they were able to perform was limited being they could barely walk. Mothers, knowing they were breaking the law, would bind their daughters’ feet (still) and then make them wear big shoes to hide the fact. You can still find elder woman in China today with bound feet, some with broken hips and the inability to stand from a sitting position without aid. Pain for fashion.

bellaonline.com/articles/art29600.asp

Images:

Shoes: http://newyorktoimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/japanese-fashion-high-heels-chase-foot.html

x-ray of feet: http://www.thefullwiki.org/Bound_feet

foot: http://www.lovelovechina.com/fashion/plastic-surgery-in-china/

“Is Drug Research on the ‘Up and Up’?”

Medical ethics of various pharmaceutical companies have come into question regarding their practices of providing financial incentives to scientists doing research involving their products.. We have heard of the “blue wall of silence” when referring to the police department’s turning a blind eye to departmental infractions but it was surprising to see a similar indifference to standard codes of ethics in the scientific industry. When watching televised advertisements of various drugs new to the market, the tremendous side effects that are possible with each dose come as no surprise. It makes one wonder if these side effects are a byproduct of researchers, scientists and the pharmaceutical companies pushing a drug through to market without the necessary testing required. More testing would cause a delay to the consumer market but in the long run, would eliminate some of the detrimental risks involved with each dose. Mechanisms put into place to sanction any unethical practices and dealings between scientists and pharmaceutical companies are either delving into the same pool of impropriety that they are supposed to monitor, are oblivious to the ill dealings, or are rendered powerless to act because the practices fall beyond the scope of their responsibilities.  I was both disappointed and astonished to read that the IRB’s main responsibility is to handle cases of missing paperwork. The exchanging of monies is not in the scope of their jurisdiction; incredible! What recourse could one take to rectify unethical practice between scientists and ‘Big Pharma” should it come to their attention? What can one do when realizing that financial compensation to a research scientist by one of these companies could pose a potential threat to consumers? These are complex questions being that those in place to monitor and sanction such actions are themselves a part of the problem, i.e. Robert Lindsay. Another instance of mishandling involving research scientists and pharmaceutical companies is “ghost writing” of scientific journal articles. Research scientists are putting their names and reputations to journal articles written and designed by writing firms hired by pharmaceutical companies. This appears to be a slippery slope because guidelines for such practices are so convoluted that it is almost impossible to govern the authorship criteria. There are cases where paid writers who authored first drafts of journal articles with prominent scientist’s names in the bylines were deemed acceptable because the paid writers were thanked in the acknowledgements for their “editorial assistance.” (www.healthnewsreview.org/2013/01/ghostwriting-part-3-psych-drug-paxil-and -conclusion/). One case is when Wyeth-Ayerst created “fen-phen” diet drug, Redux. Wyeth-Ayerst farmed out nine journal article requests to an outside firm called Excerpta Medica. Excerpta in turn hired doctors to review and sign their names to the articles on Redux (no research or experiments for the product were done by these doctors). The doctors then submitted the articles to journals with no mention of Wyeth being their benefactor although Excerpta claims to have told the doctors about Wyeth’s involvement. The doctors claim they signed and submitted the papers thinking Excerpta was an independent researcher. (www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-327012.html)

http://media.mercola.com/imageserver/public/2009/November/11.28swineflu.jpg

Though it may be true that the doctors were not aware of direct pharmaceutical ties to the articles they signed and submitted, one cannot deny the breach in ethics involved with signing and submitting a research article when you have no actual research involvement in its making. Why would you trust the findings of an “independent researcher” who you had not heard of before reviewing their paper? Also there lies the fact that ignorance is a poor excuse for laying your reputation and name on the line for a product that later turns out to be faulty. We live in an electronic age, did no doctor think to Google the name Excerpta to find out just who they were dealing with? Many drugs; Redux, Paxil (www.healthnewsreview.org/2013/01/ghostwriting-part-3-psych-drug-paxil-and -conclusion/), NuvaRing (www.lawsuit-nuvaring.com/), etc., that were marketed to the consumer have later been found to have detrimental side effects that rival if not exceed the illness it was intended to treat.

It has been documented that Redux and Paxil are products whose journal articles were ghost written in the fashion stated previously. With the time, effort and the multitude of certifications and protocols in place to ensure the ethical treatment of both humans and animals as test subjects and as patients, why does such a basic convention as having extensive knowledge about the research performed on a product you are endorsing fall by the wayside? Could it be the lure of money, the prestige of having your name on a large amount of papers or just the indifference of the repercussions that could follow sloppy research practices? Whatever the answer may be, it leaves the consumer in the dark and in danger.

"Got Milk??"..."Why Yes I Do!!"

From the London restaurant selling “Baby Gaga” (much to Lady Gaga’s chagrin); two scoops of human breast milk ice cream served in a martini glass at $22.00 a pop, to the NYC establishment whose lead chef created various cheese dishes supplied by the breast milk of his lactating wife and ending with the British gentleman, diagnosed with prostate cancer who feels having his daughter’s breast milk with his cornflakes each morning is a step to recovery; adult human breast milk consumption for a trend or for medicinal purposes is a hot yet controversial topic.

There have been no studies to date that show human breast milk consumption by adults have any health benefits however the FDA has reported that the breast milk of humans contain a protein that causes cancerous cells to “self destruct.” This protein reduces the risk of early childhood cancer but is not shown to have the same effect in adults. Researchers are studying this particular protein in order to use its effects in adults with cancer in the future.

The subject of “we are the only mammals to drink another mammal’s milk” is not only poignant but provocative. The milk of all mammals are made of the same things; fat, proteins, lactose, vitamins, minerals, and water. The difference lies in the fact that the proportions of these components vary depending on the species of the young. Cow’s milk is high in protein where as human breast milk is low due to the fact that calves need to double their body weight within 50 days because they will need to find their own food sooner and are weaned earlier. Mother’s milk comes with an enzyme called lipase that helps break down the fat content of the milk (fat is a valuable source of energy for babies and is vital to brain development) so it can be better digested in immature tummies and absorbed into the bloodstream. This enzyme is not the same in cow milk.

Curds and whey are more than the stuff of nursery rhymes. Anyone who has ever left cow’s milk unrefrigerated has seen them. The curd, casein proteins (high in cow’s milk) are the chunky white clots and the whey (higher in human milk) is the liquid portion. Whey is easier to digest ergo…

On a side note, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has petitioned Ben and Jerry’s to replace cow milk with human milk. The response was nothing less than “a chilled, rocky road” and thought to be “sprinkled with nuts.”

Image: Picasso "Breast Feeding"

http://abcnews.go.com

http://www.edmontonjournal.com

http://www.askdrears.com

Zombie…Rum, O.J., pineapple and lime juice and ground human bones. sprinkled not stirred!?!

What is all this zombie business? That would depend where you live. If you live in the United States, it may mean no more to you than a cheesy "B movie" or your favorite comic but in other parts of the world, namely Haiti, zombies are believed to be a reality.

The word zombie comes from the Kongo word Nzambi which means "spirit of a dead person." Haitians believe bokors or witch doctors poison their victims using a special compound which strips that person of all memory and free will. The result of the poisoning is a person who in no uncertain terms is "out of it," ready to be swept away to work as a slave. This belief was dismissed as a myth until the well documented case of Clairvius Narcisse was reported.

In 1962, Narcisse (funny this is his name being he was reported to be a selfish and opportunistic person by his neighbors before his misfortune) checked into a hospital suffering from fever, blue/cyanotic lips, tingling sensations throughout his body, digestive problems, pulmonary edema, hypothermia, hypotension, body aches, malaise and coughing up blood. His condition worsened and he was eventually pronounced dead. His body was identified by his sister Marie Claire and he was buried the next day.

Eighteen years later, Marie Claire was shopping in the marketplace as a man approached her claiming to be Clairvius Narcisse. He actually called himself by the childhood name his family gave him. This name was not known to anyone outside the immediate family. Narcisse proclaimed that shortly after being pronounced dead he felt as if his skin was on fire. He was unable to move or speak but was aware of everything going on in his immediate surroundings; his sister crying, being placed in his coffin (lucky for him embalming wasn't practiced back then) and he even showed Marie Claire the scar on his cheek where one of the coffin nails penetrated his face. Later a bokor and some of his men dug up the coffin, removed Narcisse, beat him into submission and took him to the bokor's farm where he worked in a dream-like state, malnourished and ill treated for the next two years. He only managed to escape when another "zombie" found the will to kill the bokor, allowing for escape.

In 1982 this case came to the attention of two researchers who were determined to find out what the zombie poison consisted of. Off to Haiti the researchers went, where they met with several bokors and bought samples of their powders. When analyzed it was found that each compound varied: centipedes, lizards, toads, tree frogs, etc. were found in some but not all mixtures. There were just three components that were consistent in each sample: ground human bones, plants with prickly spines (in some cases, actual tarantula legs) and puffer fish. It is not certain why the bones were used being they are chemically inert but the prickly plant or tarantula legs served as a way to irritate the skin through scratching, causing an abrasion to enable the puffer fish poison, tetrodotoxin, to enter the bloodstream. This would be the reason why each bokor insisted to the researchers that the zombie poison must not be ingested but put in a potential victim's shoe or dropped down their back.

Tetrodotoxin is five hundred times more powerful than cyanide and the cause of all the symptoms Narcisse displayed in the hospital. Puffer fish (fugu) is eaten in Japan. Expert chefs carefully remove the reproductive organs of the fish, where most of the poison is found. Even with the careful considerations of the chefs, some tetrodotoxin mishaps have been reported.

There has been no evidence of "brain eating" or the ability to master Micheal Jackson's choreography by victims of the powder to date.

www.biology-online.org

Top of the Morning to Ya’…Don’t shoot me!!

It was just last night that my roommate and I had decided to relax in front of the television after a long work day. My favorite program was on and I was hyped because I had been looking forward to watching it all day. The time was 9:30 pm; I had just finished dinner, was enjoying a glass of wine and was ready to be entertained. I blinked or so I thought. When my "blink" was over I looked at the clock and it was midnight. What happened?? Where was my show?? Did I fall asleep??? I looked over at my roommate who was wide awake and laughing at the expression on my face. In a few hours when it's morning and time to get up for work, the same scenario will replay but the roles will be reversed. I am a classic morning person and she is a "night owl." What causes these differences? Well it has been shown that the reasons for the "can't get or can't stay up" phenomena all starts in your head.

The truth is that every living thing; plants and animals, have rhythm. Doesn't matter if you dance like someone just threw an ice cube down your back, you still have rhythm; circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm comes from a special group of aggregated cells in the hypothalamus of the brain. In the hypothalamus, different rhythm's signals govern different body functions such as: blood pressure, body temperature and metabolic processes. These aggregated cells are referred to as the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus). Circadian rhythms are cued by the SCN of the hypothalamus. This complex neurological communication is one aspect in what is commonly known as the body's "biological clock."

In short, morning people have a circadian rhythm that causes their body temperature to climb (molecular activity increasing) at awakening, resulting in that person leaping from their bed, alert and ready to start the day. At night, that same person's body temperature has dropped, molecular activity has decreased and it's "lights out." Reverse the process and you have your "night owls" like my roommate.

So, whether you are ready to party as the clock strikes midnight or drooling on your pillow, neither makes you a "head case," but it is a case in your head.

Silverthorn, D.U., "Human Physiology, An Integrated Approach" 4th Ed. 2007

The Male and Female Brain...We do think differently.

While visiting a popular museum exhibit last summer, I noticed a poster stating that there have been scientific studies that attest to the fact that physiological differences in the male and female brain can account for some attributes which are viewed as being "more enhanced" in one gender than in the other. Here are their findings:
Women have more neuron cell bodies in their brains, allowing for more blood flow and greater efficiency at languages, memorizing details and counteracting the effects of old age (senility).

Men have longer neurons in their gray matter which allows for better communication, focusing on specific tasks, spacial orientation and a better performance in math/physics.

What's your opinion??? Any valid points or merely generalizations???

Brain Image: www.harrydschneidermd.com/html/neuroscience/html