Eye on Faith

Sunday, June 7, 2015

CP Swagger: He ain't heavy

Wheelchair-Swing (by Ingolfson)

About ten miles from the finish line, Hunter Gandee wasn’t sure if he would make it.

Having already carried his seven-year-old brother Braden for approximately 30 miles, Hunter was feeling overwhelmed. Braden, who suffers from cerebral palsy (CP), cannot walk on his own.

NBC News reports that Hunter’s goal had been to raise awareness about cerebral palsy by completing a 40-mile walk with Braden “securely strapped to his back.”

Feeling so near and yet so far, Hunter had seriously considered giving up. Battling “heat, rain and fatigue” for miles had worn down his spirit, to say nothing of his body.

So what got them through? At mile 30, “Hunter reached out to a friend, who said a prayer for the brothers.” This, plus some rest and adjustments to Braden’s position, renewed their stamina.

When later crossing the finish line of this “Cerebral Palsy Swagger” walk, Hunter and Braden were met with “thunderous applause and cheers.”

Resources

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michigan-teen-finishes-40-mile-walk-brother-his-back-n125771

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Rabbi advises: 'Think before you snip'

Brit Milah (Photo by Vatsnews)

According to Rabbi Benjamin Shalva, the decision to circumcise is not always a rational one.

In an article for The Washingon Post, Shalva cites some “irrational” reasons for circumcising his own son. These reasons did not rest upon medical considerations, but instead upon feelings of being “called by God, history and tribe to make the cut.”

Shalva explains: …the heart does not operate according to the latest updates from the CDC.

Nevertheless, the rabbi warns that circumcision is not only “primal” and “bloody,” but also “painful.” Many modern-day Jews have therefore refrained from putting their sons through this “snippet of flesh and blood sacrifice.”

Shalva encourages parents to “think before you snip.” For some, circumcision might be the right spiritual choice. Others may find “less traumatic methods” for helping their sons to lead overall “healthy” lives.

Resources

http://wwrn.org/articles/44627/?&place=north-america

Friday, June 5, 2015

Surgical songfest: The brain on music

Surgical Instruments? (by Sara Guastevi)

Removing a brain tumor can be a delicate procedure, but not so delicate as to preclude musical accompaniment.

Astonishingly enough, that music has recently been provided by the patient himself. Deborah Hastings of New York Daily News reports that Anthony Kulkamp Dias strummed his guitar and sang everything from Beatles to country while undergoing brain surgery.

His right hand felt a “bit weaker, because that was the side they were operating on,” but Dias was otherwise satisfied with his performance. The surgeons obviously were, too, since they asked Dias for an encore at one point.

So what's the rationale behind this surgical concert? It turns out that “keeping brain surgery patients awake is a pioneering effort that allows physicians to speak to those they are operating on, and to chart their responses.” This helps surgeons to pinpoint target areas.

And the pain? The anesthetics must be given “at levels that make patients pain-free without rendering them unconscious.”

Resources

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/brazilian-man-sings-plays-guitar-brain-surgery-article-1.2246573

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Hair today, donated tomorrow

Chemotherapy Drip (PD)

An 8-year-old boy named Christian McPhilamy is living up to the very best of what his first name implies.

After viewing a commercial for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Christian learned that young cancer patients often lose their hair during treatments. He became determined to donate his own blonde locks for this worthy cause.

After putting up with teasing and taunting by peers for the next two years, Christian was finally ready for a haircut. Good Housekeeping reports that his dedication produced four long ponytails for the children at St. Jude’s.

Christian's mom, Deeana Thomas, stated: Christian has such a huge heart. I don’t even know if there are words to describe…

There are: faith, hope, charity.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/mind-and-soul/this-8-year-old-boy-grew-out-his-hair-for-the-best-reason/ar-BBkFkiO

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Robots and software and jobs, oh my

You rang, Sir? (Photo by Gnsin)

Although researchers are predicting that 47 percent of current U. S. jobs might be automated within the next two decades,

this doesn’t necessarily mean that the unemployment rate will skyrocket.

Nor does it necessarily indicate that meaningful work is a thing of the past. Jeff Ward-Bailey of Christian Science Monitor points out that “new jobs will arise as others are ceded to machines.”

For example, even food servers are subject to this change. Restaurant chains such as Applebee’s are already utilizing tablets for customers to place orders on and make payments with. Legal secretaries and telemarketers are also being phased out.

However, new industries such as “software development, big data analysis, and renewable energy” are providing jobs that never used to exist. Industries “that haven’t even been dreamed up yet” will also help to fill some employment gaps.

Ward-Bailey explains that America is no stranger to vocational transitions. Whereas approximately 40 percent of the U. S. labor force was agriculturally based a mere century ago, “today only about 2 percent” still is.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/if-robots-replace-half-of-us-workers-what-role-will-humans-play/ar-BBklEL6?li=AA54ur

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The killer in painkiller

(Photo by James Heilman, MD)

“No pain, no gain” might soon be revised to read: No pain, ill gain.

Rebekah Marcarelli of HNGN reports on a study which shows that “certain drugs bring out homicidal behavior” by weakening impulse control and interfering with emotional processing.

These drugs include commonly-prescribed painkillers, antidepressants and “tranquillizing benzodiazepines.” The elevated risk of homicide in some of these cases has been deemed significant.

This study from the University of Eastern Finland “looked at the prescription drug use of 959 individuals convicted of a homicide.” Results were uncomfortably startling.

After other factors were controlled, “antidepressants were linked to a 31 percent increased risk of homicide,” benzodiazepines to a 45 percent, opiate painkillers to a 92 percent, and anti-inflammatory painkillers to a 206 percent.

Pain, of course, is a part of life that we all must struggle with. Researching safe, and even beneficial, ways of processing such pain can be an important part of the spiritual journey.

Resources

http://www.hngn.com/articles/97616/20150602/painkillers-could-lead-to-murder-study-shows-certain-drugs-bring-out-homicidal-behaviour.htm

Monday, June 1, 2015

Eris: What's in a name?

Eris, circa 550 BC (Public Domain)

Eris, that hotly-debated “celestial body” within our solar system which is rightfully named after “the Greek goddess of strife and discord,” is an Eris by many other names.

It is also dubbed “Planet X” (by astronomer Percival Lowell), a “dwarf planet” (by the International Astronomical Union), “Lila” (by Mike Brown of Cal Tech, who referenced a namesake Hindu belief that the cosmos is “the outcome of a game played by Brahma”), and “Xena” (by the 2003 discovery team, that referenced both the “Warrior Princess” and the

previous “Planet X”).

If all this weren’t confusing enough, Eris’ “dwarf planet” categorization has also been a source of contention. Eris’ discovery forced the IAU in 2006 to hone their definition of just what a planet is.

This IAU definition of a planet now includes the following: “…an object that orbits the Sun, which is large enough to make itself roughly spherical… [and] has enough gravity to force any objects of similar size or that are not under its gravitational control out of its orbit.”

Two out of three ain’t bad, but are nevertheless not enough to call Eris a full-fledged planet by IAU standards. Since Eris doesn’t have the gravitational clout to qualify, it has been relegated to “dwarf planet” status.

And Pluto? Don't even ask what a shake-up that’s been…

Resources

http://io9.com/meet-eris-the-solar-systems-largest-dwarf-planet-1707948972