Eye on Faith

Monday, April 14, 2014

Ghrelin gremlins: Calming the hunger beasts

Feeding America (Sterling Communications)

There are certain “hunger hormones” known as ghrelins in the human body. When these ghrelin gremlins get going, it means that you’ll soon be searching for a quick fix – be it junky or healthy.

Wisdom on the street says that only a calorie-laden choice will truly satisfy these gremlins. However, a recent study by research psychologist Alia Crum suggests otherwise.

Crum, who has a history of investigating the placebo effect, wondered whether food labels could influence the ghrelin hormonal response. She therefore took the exact same milkshake, poured it into two different containers, then labeled each container in very different ways.

Alix Spiegel of NPR reports that one label read “Sensishake… zero percent fat, zero added sugar and only 140 calories.” The other read “Indulgence” and indicated “enough sugar and fat to account for 640 calories.” Spiegel adds: In truth, the shakes had 300 calories each.

What ended up happening was that ghrelin levels dropped about three times more when people thought they were consuming the indulgent shake as when others thought they were consuming the sensible shake.

So perhaps the “proof” is no longer just in the pudding… Perhaps it’s on the pudding label as well.

Resources

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/14/299179468/mind-over-milkshake-how-your-thoughts-fool-your-stomach

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Four blood moons heading this way

1504 Blood Moon (Public Domain)

Wikipedia explains that during a lunar eclipse, “sunlight reaching the Moon must pass through a long and dense layer of the Earth’s atmosphere.”

The shorter wavelengths of this sunlight are especially scattered by the atmospheric molecules they encounter; therefore, the longer wavelengths begin to predominate. The resulting light appears to be red, thus accounting for the term “blood moon.”

Pastor John Hagee, a televangelist and best-selling author, emphasizes this passage from Acts 2:19-20: And I will show wonders in Heaven above and in the Earth beneath, the sun shall be turned into

darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

The fact that four blood moons are set to occur, each on a significant biblical holiday, has made Pastor Hagee sit up and take notice. These lunar eclipses will coincide with the following dates: April 15, 2014 (during Passover); October 8, 2014 (during the Feast of Tabernacles); April 4, 2015 (again during Passover); and September 28, 2015 (again during the Feast of Tabernacles).

Other tetrads (series of four lunar eclipses) have occurred “while the Jews were being expelled from Spain… soon after the state of Israel was founded… [and] during the Six-Day War between Arabs and Israelis.”

Could this upcoming tetrad be a sign of the end times? Hagee certainly thinks so…

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/televangelist-claims-blood-moons-sign-world-shaking-event-article-1.1754601

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sakura: Life's beautiful mysteries

(Public Domain)

The mysterious ephemerality of life has long been symbolized by the sakura (Japanese cherry blossom).

In the Iyo district of Japan, there is an age-old story called Jiu-roku-zakura (“the Cherry Tree of the Sixteenth Day”). This story tells the tale of an elderly Samurai warrior who had cherished a particular cherry tree for most of his long life.

As the tree began to die, the warrior thought of a way to save it. He decided to give up his own life so that the tree may flourish. The Samurai did this by committing ritual suicide beneath the sakura.

Within one hour of the warrior’s sacrificial death, this tree began to

blossom anew. A Japanese Buddhist belief states that it continues to live today.

Recent news headlines are somewhat reminiscent of this story. The Tokyo AFP reports that there currently exists “a cosmic mystery” that is uniting Japanese scientists and monks.

A sakura seed that orbited our planet for eight months in the International Space Station was afterwards planted in the soil of Mother Earth. It then “bloomed years [‘possibly a full six’] earlier than expected – and with very surprising flowers…”

These flowers now continue to remind us of life’s beautiful mysteries.

Resources

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cherry-blossom-meaning.html

http://news.yahoo.com/cherry-tree-space-mystery-baffles-japan-085044593.html

Friday, April 11, 2014

Heart-to-heart promises

Riding a Camel (Public Domain)

The saying “two hearts become one” is often solemnly stated at

weddings. To make that actually happen can require a lifetime of

work on the part of both spouses.

Sometimes, however, the “karma” is so right that hearts just seem

to magically merge with one another. Such was the case with a 64-year-old recipient of a 21-year-old donor’s heart.

The Daily News reports that 21-year-old nursing student Kristina Chesterman “died in September after being hit by an alleged drunken driver.” Retired nurse Susan Vieira had been awaiting a heart transplant since last July.

It turns out that young Kristina had already made out a bucket list before her life was tragically cut short. This list had been published in a local newspaper. When Susan read it, she realized that Kristina

had listed many things that Susan had already done. These things included learning to fly an airplane and riding a camel.

Susan then vowed to carry out the rest of Kristina’s bucket list as best she could. In this way, Susan would

honor Kristina’s great gift of life.

Kristina's mother, Sandra Chesterman, poignantly concluded: I think Kristina’s heart was meant to go to Susan.

Resources

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/heart-recipient-promises-complete-donor-bucket-list-article-1.1753744

Born in laughter

Presidential Laughter (Public Domain)

After being cramped inside the womb for nine long months, the newborn baby may feel more like crying than laughing. After going through the pains of labor, the new mother may feel the same.

Nevertheless, there are exceptions to every rule, and Parenting describes a 40-something woman who was filled with joy over the prospect of welcoming her fourth child into the world.

Throughout her labor, the accompanying staff asked one another: Is she for real? Have you ever seen anyone so happy about having a baby?

As the woman was just about to give birth, the doctor cracked a joke and she began to giggle. This giggle turned into a full-fledged laugh as she gave one final push. Parenting reports that the very first sound this lucky baby heard was her mother’s hearty laugh.

Resources

https://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/unbelievable-way-one-woman-gave-birth-172600446.html

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Righteousness: An OCD symptom?

Moses & Ten Commandments (Rembrandt)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a diagnosis that approximately one percent of American adults have.

Nevertheless, many more experience OCD-type symptoms, which include extremely-intense intrusive thoughts. Often these thoughts are deemed to be “unwanted.”

Lecia Bushak of Yahoo! Health reports on the results of a recent study on OCD from Concordia University. Study author

Adam Radomsky stated that “it’s not the…thoughts that are the problem – it’s what you make of these thoughts.”

During the course of this study, 777 university students from 13 different countries were asked about their “intrusive” thoughts. Bushak reports that such type thoughts include “religious obsessions – also known as ‘scrupulosity’ – where the patient

is overly preoccupied with offending God or with doing the morally right thing.”

Hmmm... Seems like what folks are now calling “scrupulosity,” religionists have long called “righteousness.” Are thoughts of this type an unwanted disease, or perhaps a spiritual blessing?

As Radomsky said: It’s what you make of these thoughts… This will ultimately determine whether they’re a problem or a gift.

Resources

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/mental-health/ocd-symptoms-are-more-widespread-you-think

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Body parts, factory style

(Photo by LHOON)

If your nose runs and your feet smell, it might be because you've ordered the wrong body parts from the "factory."

Although this sounds like a joke, it might actually portend future choices. The London AP reports that UK scientists are already hard at work "growing noses, ears and blood

vessels in the laboratory in a bold attempt to make body parts using stem cells."

For those who are feeling somewhat uncomfortable with this notion, rest assured. According to lead scientist Alexander Seifalian: It's like making a cake. We just use a different kind of oven.

Okay (?), so how does one go about "baking" a human spare part? First off, the part must be matched to the rest of the (live) body it's intended for. If we're talking noses, then it must also somewhat resemble a God-grown proboscis.

This is accomplished by adding a dash of sugar and salt to a polymer nose-shaped mold. The "seasoning"

helps to provide a "sponge-like texture" to the mix. Stem cells that were grown from the recipient's own fat are then used to pad the outer layer. This up-and-coming nose is then implanted into the patient's arm so that skin can "grow to cover it."

There now – that was easy. And who "nose" what's next?

Resources

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-scientists-body-parts-lab-090423441.html