Eating Disorder Case Study

Eating Disorder Case Study ‘When normal eating becomes abnormal’ Eating is a crucial activity for humans, as the food we consume acts to provide us with the fuel we need to keep our bodies running, and to live our daily lives. Normal levels of eating can be characterised as consuming just enough calories (of energy) to allow us to function as we require, and not to have so much left over that is not used and subsequently stored as fat cells. Exactly what level is characterised will vary on an individual-to-individual basis, as ‘normal’ will be subject to individual differences such as activity levels, age and metabolic rate, which can all affect the rate at which energy is used or stored by the body. Abnormal eating can thus be seen to occur when we either consume too much or too little energy (food) for what we need, and forms the basis of negative eating behaviour, classed as eating disorders. There are two main eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. Anorexia is perhaps the most well-known of the disorders, and attracts a great deal of media coverage and celebrity profiles associated with the condition such as Victoria Beckham, Calistra Flockheart and the Olsen twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley). Characterised by deliberate and extreme weight loss through the withholding of hold often to the point of emaciation, anorexics will constantly worry about food, with such cognitions visible through behaviours such as obsessive weighing and calorie counting and abnormal levels of control in regards to food. Self-image is chronically out of touch with reality, with individuals at the later stages of the condition still seeing their body as fat, despite being seriously underweight. Through this self-inflicted starvation, the anorexic will start to experience physical symptoms and problems such as stomach pains, growth stunting, osteoporosis and reproduction problems such as the stopping of periods in women, or infertility in men. In the long term, lack of food can be serious to health, with the possibility of leading to kidney, liver and even heart damage, and thus the condition can be fatal. Bulimia is a more common disorder than anorexia and in contrast to the strict self-control of eating regulated by anorexics, bulimia can occur as a result of a lack of control over eating. Bulimics do not starve themselves, instead will binge massive amounts of food (often secretly), and with some cases reported as ingesting as much as 15,000 calories in 1 – 2 hours. After eating until they feel ill, bulimics will then use methods such as vomiting or laxatives to purge themselves of the calories that they have ingested. Physical effects of bulimia can be harder to detect as there is usually no dramatic weight loss, and in many cases is simply the maintenance of weight despite the food binges they have. Associated physical problems include sore and inflamed throat as a result of induced vomiting, which may eventually lead to a difficulty in swallowing. Stomach acid brought up along with food will also cause problems such as burning of the oesophagus and the damaging of tooth en amel. Intestine function can break down when forced repeatedly to expel food; dehydration can occur due to loss of fluids, and when to a serious enough degree can upset the balance of chemicals within the blood with minor consequences including dizziness, and the most serious being heart failure. Bulimia is a condition that is intricately linked with emotions and psychological well-being. Anxiety and unhappiness can binges which then cause guilt and further unhappiness until alleviated by purging. The sufferer is thus trapped in a vicious circle. One of the most high profile cases of bulimia is likely to be that of Princess Diana. Quoted as saying the bulimia was â€Å"a symptom of what was going on in my marriage. I was crying out for help, but giving the wrong signals,† (Panorma, BBC TV, 1995) such a comment is a prime example of the psychological nature of the condition. The difficulty in treatment of bulimia is that emotionally the action of purging is reinforcing by alleviating the guilt and unhappiness felt after a binging session, and thus makes the cycle far harder to break. Most cases of these eating disorders will start during adolescence or early adulthood, and are strongly linked in the literature and media as associated to psychological issues. Personal aspects such as perfectionism, identity and sexuality and self-esteem are strongly correlated factors, with control issues – whether in regards to excessive restraint, or in loss of control over eating, also have a predominant role. Along side these personality traits, the concept of body image, and how it is portrayed is felt to play a major contributing factor to the continued existence and rise of eating disorders. Weight is often seen as a measure of self-worth, attractiveness and sexuality, and subsequently this is modelled by the rich and famous that many adolescents look up to. Whether modelled in movies such as Demi Moore in Charlie’s Angels, or in fashion and celebrity magazines such as Vogue or Heat, young people are surrounded by visual media with images of the perfect body a nd what it means to be attractive and (subsequently associated) successful, and will unsurprisingly want to achieve this. When younger people do not feel that they match up to this notion of beauty, this can act as the psychological trigger to any of the conditions mentioned. The spread of eating disorders across the world alongside Westernisation to continents once free of such conditions, has further demonstrated the role that culture exerts over these diseases. Communication technologies such as the internet have also made the transfer of information such as tricks and tips between sufferers easier by connecting a once hidden and isolated population, the so called ‘Pro-ana (Anorexia) and Pro-mia (Bulimia)’ websites and chat rooms, which may also reinforce sufferer through the social support system such ‘societies and groups’ entail. Role of the media in the message it send out about eating disorders is thus mixed – articles in the written press ap pear to be condoning the behaviour, and yet reading behind the lines often eludes to something else A profile article on Calistra Flockhart in Hello! Magazine describes her anorexia, and yet in the same sentence tells how her ‘look’ is what landed her the role in the TV series Ally McBeal. Men’s magazines such as FHM and Loaded run annual ratings of the most attractive women, and subsequently reinforce the male attitude of thinness as attractive, and women see this as further example of how they believe they are expected to look. However there is evidence for optimism that that there is a shift in the ideology of beauty previously characterised in the 1990’s as the ‘waif supermodel look’ of Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd. Stars such as Beyonce and Jenifer Lopez are beginning to change the boundaries of attractiveness, reinventing the look of the womanly figure and curves. REFERENCES Abraham, S Llewellyn-Jones, D (1992) Eating Disorders: The Facts Oxford University Press Bryan, J (1999) Talking Points: Eating Disorders Wayland Publishers Ltd Carlson, N () Physiology of behaviour (4th Ed) Allyn Bacon Donnellan, C (2001) Confronting eating disorders Volume 24 Independence Internet References www.hellomagazine.com www.eatingdisorderresources.com

A First Look at Unity, Duality, and Complexity :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Science, as we understand it in Western culture, arose during the Golden Age of Greece. Greek mystics in the sixth century B.C. did not distinguish science from philosophy and religion, but combined them in an endeavor to discover the "essential nature" of things, which they called Physis. (Capra, 1975) Heraclitus of Ephesus proposes in Concerning Nature (ca. 500 B.C.) that all things are in a continual process of "Becoming"; (Capra, 1975) He depicts a world composed of paired opposites (hot/cold, wet/dry, etc.) which struggle eternally to dominate one another. Each pair of warring opposites simultaneously exists as a unity, which contains and transcends them. (Capra, 1975) Heraclitus uses Logos, the Greek word for reason, to describe the principle of order and intelligibility which governs the interplay of opposing forces. He compares his universal principle to fire, and uses fire to symbolize "the continuous flow and change of all things." (Capra, 1975) The dynamism which Heraclitus propounds was opposed by Parmenides of Elea, who believed "Being" to be something unique and invariable. (Capra, 1975) Whereas Heraclitus taught that whatever appears to be static is deceiving, Parmenides considered change to be impossible, and apparent changes to be illusions of the senses. (Capra, 1975) Philosophers in the Periclean Age sought to reconcile the Heraclitian and Parmenidian views. They concluded that Parmenides' "Being" implies certain indestructible and invariable substances, which would soon be termed "atoms." These indivisible units moved, but they were not responsible for their own motion; their mixture and separation was the result of forces first described as Heraclitus' "Becoming." This distinction between an object and its mover gave rise to the division between "matter", the "building blocks" of which are atoms, and "spirit", a force fundamentally different from matter. From this distinction arose the duality of mind and matter, body and soul. (Capra, 1975) Twenty-five hundred years later, we have yet to restore their unity. Aristotle's organization and codification of Greek science and culture became the basis of the Western view of the universe, and underscored the line between body and spirit indelibly. Aristotle advanced the preeminence of spiritual concerns, subjugating the bodily and material. This attitude has been propagated and exploited by the Christian church since its inception. The most extreme philosophical formulation of the mind/matter duality was developed by Descartes, in the seventeenth century. Descartes based his view of nature "on the fundamental division into two separate realms: that of the mind (res cogitans) and that of matter (res extensa).

Critical analysis of the Lottery Essay

Overall Shirley Jackson discusses the movement of the setting, the unusual foreshadowing, and the outermost symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† to give an overall point of view of the story. Even though a small village made seem peaceful, and a good place to raise a family, it is not always what it seems to be. The reader is about to enter a world with ritualistic ceremony and religious orthodoxy in â€Å"The Lottery.† The Lottery takes place on a clear and sunny summer morning around June 27 in a small village with about three hundred villagers gathering together in the central square for the annual lottery. As a child Shirley Jackson was interested in writing; she won a poetry prize at age twelve, and in high school she keeps a diary to record her writing progress. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. Despite her busy life as a wife and a mother of four children, she wrote every day on a disciplined schedule. â€Å"The Lottery† is one of Jackson’s best-known works. In â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson will discusses the movement of the setting, unusual foreshadowing and outermost symbolism to give us an overall point of view from the story. When one thinks of a lottery, one imagines winning a large sum of money. Shirley Jackson uses the setting in â€Å"The Lottery† to foreshadow an ironic ending. The peaceful and tranquil town described in this story has an annual lottery every June 27 early part of 1800’s in a small village with 300 people (456). Setting is to describe time and place of the story. The story occurs â€Å"around ten o’clock† (456). This is an unusual time because in most towns all the adults would be working during mid-morning. In the lottery an ironic ending is also foretold by the town’s setting being described as one of normalcy. The town square is described as being â€Å"between the post office and the bank† (456). Every normal town has these buildings, which are essential for day-to-day functioning. Throughout the story little parts of setting are being told, to give a clearer picture for a better understanding of the story. Jackson foreshadows a surprise ending. Foreshadowing is to hint of something  that would follow with the story. As the story continues the reader is told that school has let out for the summer, and yet the â€Å"feeling of liberty sits uneasily with the children† (456), which is strange, for no normal kid would be anything less than ecstatic over summer break. Finally, the children are said to be building â€Å"a pile of stones in one corner of the square† (456), which is a very strange game for children to play. All of these hints indicate that something strange and unexpected is going to happen, and they all will make sense once we discuss the story’s final outcome. Symbolism is also a strong element of the story. The introduction of the black box carried by Mr. Summer (456) is a key turning point showing symbolism, which is anything in a story that represents something else, giving the awful ominous answers to all those foreshadowing hints. When the black box is brought in, it’s said to be a tradition that no one liked to upset. The villagers kept their distance from the box, as though they feared it (461). More and more the town’s peculiarity begins to become apparent. For an example, the names of certain residents hit at the irony and unfavorable events to come. From the author’s extravagant detailing of the town, one would expect this â€Å"lottery† to be a chance for one lucky family to win some money. Instead, the winner’s â€Å"prize† is death-by stoning In the story Tessie won the prize when Bill, her husband, forced the paper out of her hand (461). The portrayal of the residents at the end of the story is disturbing–they go about killing the â€Å"winner† ritualistically, trying to â€Å"finish quickly.† (461). They show no empathy at all–they’re simply following an ancient ritual. Overall Shirley Jackson discusses the movement of the setting, the unusual foreshadowing, and the outermost symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery.† The lesson in this story hits pretty hard. The Lottery’s relationship to real life is that sometimes we are presented with traditions that have been adhered to for as long as anyone can remember, and we forget the reason these customs were created in the first place. The problem is that circumstances can change and make these traditions outdated, useless, and even harmful. Overall the main point of the story is that ignorant and indulgent believers can bring death to an innocent person, so therefore we must re-evaluate our traditions; otherwise we’re just letting ourselves be stoned.

Liquid Nitrogen Temperature

Liquid nitrogen is very cold! At normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen is a liquid between 63 K and 77.2 K (-346 °F and -320.44 °F). Over this temperature range, liquid nitrogen looks much like boiling water. Below 63 K, it freezes into solid nitrogen. Because liquid nitrogen in a usual setting is boiling, its usual temperature is 77 K. Liquid nitrogen boils into nitrogen vapor at room temperature and pressure. The cloud of vapor that you see isnt steam or smoke. Steam is invisible water vapor, while smoke is a product of combustion. The cloud is water that has condensed out of the air from exposure to the cold temperature around the nitrogen. Cold air cannot hold as much humidity as warmer air, so a cloud forms. Being Safe With Liquid Nitrogen Liquid nitrogen is not toxic, but it does present some hazards. First, as the liquid changes phase into a gas, the concentration of nitrogen in the immediate area increases. The concentration of other gases decreases, particularly near the floor, since cold gases are heavier than warmer gases and sink. An example of where this can present a problem is when liquid nitrogen is used to create a fog effect for a pool party. If only a small amount of liquid nitrogen is used, the temperature of the pool is unaffected and the excess nitrogen is blown away by a breeze. If a large amount of liquid nitrogen is used, the concentration of oxygen at the surface of the pool might be reduced to the point where it can cause breathing problems or hypoxia. Another hazard of liquid nitrogen is that the liquid expands to  174.6 times its original volume when it becomes a gas. Then, the gas expands another 3.7 times as it warms to room temperature. The total increase in volume is 645.3 times, which means vaporizing nitrogen exerts immense pressure on its surroundings. Liquid nitrogen should never be stored in a sealed container because it could burst. Finally, because liquid nitrogen is so very cold, it presents an immediate danger to living tissue. The liquid vaporizes so quickly a small amount will bounce off the skin on a cushion of nitrogen gas, but a large volume can cause frostbite. Cool Liquid Nitrogen Uses The quick vaporization of nitrogen means all of the element boils off when you make liquid nitrogen ice cream. The liquid nitrogen makes the ice cream cold enough to turn into a solid, but it doesnt actually remain as an ingredient. Another cool effect of the vaporization is that liquid nitrogen (and other cryogenic liquids) appear to levitate. This is due to the Leidenfrost effect, which is when a liquid boils so rapidly, its surrounded by a cushion of gas. Liquid nitrogen splashed onto the floor appears to skitter away just over the surface. There are videos where people throw liquid nitrogen out onto a crowd. No one is harmed because the Leidenfrost effect prevents any of the super-cold liquid from touching them.