A network of nerve cells is needed for living.
A tender, sweet touch or a ticklish toe teasing,
The sight of a seagull on silver wings soaring,
The pitch of a pachyderm piper loud-pealing,
Delectable lollipops, lips long are licking,
Or odor of odious ointment out oozing
Is changed into charges through channel-nerves flowing
To brain braids and bridges for branching and brooding.
They flow to make flaccid flesh flex as if fleeing.
Our green-envy grimaces, grins, growls, and grieving
Are made in our minds and then mailed to our moving
While volleyball victors and victims are vying.
Our nervous and endocrine systems are our body’s control centers, and work very
closely together with each other. Our sense organs receive stimuli and convert
those to electrical impulses. Those electrical messages travel via the nervous
system to a person’s brain, where the messages are processed and other appropriate
electrical messages are sent out. Some of those might be sent to certain
muscles to tell them to contract, while others might be sent to specific
endocrine glands telling them to secrete some of their particular hormone.
|
In the middle of a volleyball game, little Jenny came running to her mother
and exclaimed, “Mommy! Mommy! Come see the mushrooms we found. They look just
like the mushrooms on the Smurfs!”
“Hmmm. . . mushrooms? Maybe I better go see what these kids are into,” thought
Claudia, as she grabbed a mushroom field guide.
What her daughter showed her were mushrooms with red tops sprinkled with white
flecks, and they looked just like all the mushrooms pictured in Jenny’s fairy-tale
books. Looking them up in the field guide, Claudia discovered they’re called
Amanita muscari or Fly Agaric. The field guide had some other, interesting
things to say about some of the chemicals in these mushrooms.
|
Certain chemicals in Amanita mushrooms along with alcohol, LSD, nicotine,
sugar, nutmeg, novocaine, asprin, and a number of other chemicals have the
ability to alter the functioning of the nervous system. Sometimes, such as
when a person takes asprin to relieve a pain or when a dentist uses novocaine
to numb a person’s mouth before drilling a tooth, that’s a “good” thing.
Other times, such as when a person consumes too much alcohol or takes hallucinogenic
drugs, that’s a “bad” thing. For example, it is well known that alcohol slows
a person’s visual reaction time (the time it takes to see something happening,
and for the brain to process that information and send “instructions”
to the appropriate muscles.
|
|
Our endocrine glands make and secrete hormones which are chemical messengers
used within a person’s body. Each type of hormone is secreted by a specific
gland in reaction to a specific stimulus. Each hormone has a specific target
organ to which it is carried by the blood. Once there (if all is working
correctly), special receptor sites on the cells of the target organ receive
the chemical messages and relay those messages to other organelles within those
cells, causing a particular chemical reaction to occur. For example, in
response to an elevated blood sugar level, special cells within the pancreas
secrete insulin into the bloodstream. That insulin travels to the liver, and
if the receptor sites on the liver cells are working correctly, the liver gets
the message to take sugar out of the blood stream and put it into storage
within the liver.
|
Occasionally, an endocrine gland may secrete too much or not enough of its
hormone, or perhaps the receptor sites on the target organ may not be functioning
properly. In any of those cases, the result is an imbalance in the body. For
example, if the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin (frequently due to
lack of the proper genetic code that tells how to do that), there’s not enough
getting to the liver, the liver doesn’t take sugar out of the blood and store
it, and the blood sugar level remains too high, resulting in what we refer to
as “type I” diabetes. If the pancreas is working just fine and producing an
appropriate amount of insulin, but the receptor sites on the liver cells have
quit working and can’t get the message (like if someone is trying to call you
on your cell phone, but you can’t remember where you put it), the liver still
won’t know to take sugar out of the blood and store it, and the blood sugar
level will still remain too high, resulting in what we refer to as “type II”
diabetes. On the other hand, if the pancreas overreacts to the blood sugar
level and secretes too much insulin, the liver will get too strong of a
message, and thus will take too much sugar out of the blood and store it, with
the result that the blood sugar level will drop too low — what we refer to as
hypoglycemia.
|
|
Interestingly, by the way, while a person with diabetes is advised to eat
low-sugar meals because (s)he does not produce enough insulin to handle more,
a person with hypoglycemia should also be advised to eat a low-sugar diet.
The reason a hypoglycemic should eat a low-sugar diet is so that a big surge
of incoming sugar doesn’t trigger the pancreas to overproduce insulin (which
would, in turn, drive the blood sugar level too low). The term “hypoglycemia”
(which means “low blood sugar”) really is a misnomer, and the condition should
really, more-correctly, be called “hyperinsulinism” (which means “too much
insulin”). If a hypoglycemic consumes candy, soft drinks, etc. in an attempt
to raise his/her blood sugar level, that will cause an initial surge in the
blood sugar level that will last about 15 to 30 min, until the pancreas “gets
the message”, and then it will begin producing too much insulin and the person’s
blood sugar level will quickly drop too low.
|
If you have one of these conditions, you need to read, research, and
understand what’s happening in your body. Doctors are human, too, they
don’t know everything, and from what I’ve been told, most medical schools require
little or no coursework in nutrition. I know of a woman who had both type II
diabetes and high blood pressure and who was on diuretics to help with her
blood pressure. Since many diuretics cause too much potassium to be removed
from a person’s body, and since her doctor had heard that bananas contain
a lot of potassium, he advised her to eat six bananas a day. She knew enough
about the diabetic diet she needed to follow to realize that six bananas a
day would be way too much sugar(!) and that there were other, safer ways
of getting the potassium she needed.
|
Similarly, I’ve met a number of people
who have told me their doctors told them to eat candy bars to deal with their
hypoglycemia, and who, after trying that, realized it didn’t help, but didn’t
understand why not or what they could/should be doing, instead. I also knew
a woman who had type I (juvenile) diabetes, and because she very carefully
watched her diet was (at the time I knew her) in her mid- to late-30s and very healthy.
She also happened to be dating a doctor. She told me the story that, on one
occasion while they were on a date, she hadn’t eaten in a while or hadn’t eaten
enough for the amount of insulin she had taken, and she could tell her blood
sugar level was dropping and that she needed sugar, fast. She told him she
needed a soft drink, and he proceeded to tell her that was bad for her, etc., etc.
She kept insisting, and he finally pulled out his “black bag” and tested her
blood sugar level, at which point, he discovered she knew what she was talking
about, and went to get her a soft drink.
|
You are asked to research one of the topics listed below,
then write a poem or short story that includes and accurately reflects the
information you have gathered.
The grading criteria for this assignment are given below, and you should also refer to those as you work on the assignment.
A total of 10 points is possible.
- Pick one of the following topics to research
- Pick one of the many hormones in our bodies other than insulin, which
has already been discussed. For that hormone,
- what is its name,
- where in the body is it made,
- what kind of a chemical is it (protein, lipid, etc.),
- what is its target organ(s),
- what effect does it have on that target organ – what does it cause that target organ to do,
- what body condition or substance triggers secretion of that hormone,
- what kinds of disorders are caused by secretion of too much or not enough of that hormone,
- what causes under- and over-secretion (genetic problem, some other chemical interfering, etc.),
- what are the effects on the target organ and the body in general of over- and under-secretion of that hormone,
- what kind of disorder is caused by disfunctioning receptors for that hormone – what effect does faulty reception have on the target organ and the body in general, and
- how are all of those disorders treated or managed?
— OR —
- Most freshman college-level biology textbooks discuss the roles the
various hormones play in a young woman’s menstrual cycle, and many
textbooks mention at least some of the hormonal changes that occur
during pregnancy and the effects of those changes. However, almost
none of the textbooks discuss what happens to all of those hormones
during menopause. Research what happens to the levels of
- melatonin,
- follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),
- leutinizing hormone (LH),
- gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH),
- estrogen, and
- progesterone
during menopause. Do they continue to cycle? Do levels increase
or decrease over time, and how do changes in each affect the levels
of the others? How do those changes in levels affect the woman’s
body; how do the changes in hormone levels relate to the frequency
of her menses, symptoms such as “hot flashes,” and other problems
such as loss of calcium?
— OR —
- Pick a plant or fungus which makes/contains chemicals that are known
to have an effect on the human nervous system. The Fly Agaric
(Amanita muscari)
mushrooms mentioned above would be one example. Some other
possibilities include, but are not limited to,
- Cacao, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)
- Camomile (Matricaria chamomilla, Anthemis nobilis)
- Coca (Erythroxylon coca)
- Coffee (Coffea arabica)
- Ephedra, Ma Huang (Ephedra spp.
- Ergot (Claviceps purpurea)
- Hops (Humulus lupulus)
- Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium)
- Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
- Mace, Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
- Marijuana (Cannabis sativa)
- Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
- Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
- St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Tobacco (Nicotinia sp.)
- White Willow (Salix alba)
- Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisia)
For that plant or fungus, find out the following information:
- What is its scientific name and what is/are its common name(s)?
- What does it look like and/or to what other plants is it related?
- Where in the world does it naturally grow wild?
- Is it grown in cultivation? If so, where?
- In what cultures/civilizations was/is it used and how?
- What are the active chemicals, and what are the effects of those chemicals – how does it affect the nervous system and the rest of the body?
- If it is toxic, are there any known antidotes? If so, what?
- Are any of its chemicals “officially” used medicinally? If so, how? Where in the world?
- What other interesting folklore, information, etc., are known about that plant?
- Create a poem or short story based on the information you’ve learned. Make
your poem or story “fun” to read, but also make sure to include and accurately
represent the information you’ve gathered.
At this point, if you are a registered student, you should
submit your work.
|
| 1. Overall: |
| 2 | — | The required information was thoroughly researched and accurately and clearly presented |
| 1 | — | The required information was adequately researched and presented |
| 0 | — | The required information was sketchy and/or mostly incorrect |
|
 |
|---|
| 2 | — | The poem or story was entertaining and fun to read |
| 1 | — | The poem or story was OK |
| 0 | — | The poem or story was monotonous and lacked interest |
|
|
|---|
| 2 | — | The grammar, English usage, punctuation, and spelling were very good |
| 1 | — | The grammar, etc. were OK |
| 0 | — | The grammar, etc. were poor |
|
|
|---|
| 2 | — | The student, obviously, went beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment |
| 1 | — | The student adequately completed the assignment |
| 0 | — | The student completed considerably less of the assignment than what was required |
|
|
|---|
| 2 | — | It is evident that the student used much insight, thoughtfulness, and critical thinking when completing this assignment |
| 1 | — | The student adequately thought about the assignment – there was, perhaps, a bit of “fuzzy thinking” in a couple places |
| 0 | — | The assignment gives the appearance of being “slapped together” just to get it done, with little evidence of thoughtfulness |
|
he sting of the volleyball smacking against your wrist as you serve it,
the pain of a “jammed” finger that got bent backwards, the warmth of the evening
bonfire, the taste of the brats and cake, the sound of people cheering, the
smell of roses in the garden and sweaty people, the sight of birds in the
woods and the volleyball whizzing over the net, the joy of victory or disappointment
of defeat after a game well-played, the feeling of attraction when that special
someone walks past and smiles. . .
