The Other Side

Serotonin Reuptake

As an individual that has had the opportunity to shovel a variety of antidepressants into my system throughout my twenty-two years of life, I have become quite accustomed to the positive and negative effects that each drug has had on my psychological functioning. My most recent relationship was with fluoxetine, which is commonly marketed under the brand name, Prozac. While it provided the most favorable results out of the different drugs that I have tried, it still had several effects that were undesirable. Possibly the most irritating of these effects was the depletion of creativity and attainment of robotic thought that was experienced. Traveling from point A to point B is nice, but I like to take the scenic route in life on occasion.

The most commonly prescribed antidepressants, SSRIs, function by inhibiting the reuptake of the neurotransmitter, serotonin, in synaptic gaps of the brain. This particular neurotransmitter is associated with the regulation of anger, mood and sleep; and depressive symptoms are the result of serotonin deficiencies in the brain's synapses. The amino acid that synthesizes serotonin is called tryptophan. I'm hoping that at least a few of you made it through the brief science lesson, because there was a point to all of it. High amounts of tryptophan are found in a variety of foods such as turkey, chicken, beef and cheese; thus, I'm led to believe that structuring one's diet around these foods and others containing this amino acid could essentially serve as a natural countermeasure to depression. Granted, serotonin production has a positive correlation with another neurotransmitter, melatonin, which plays a large role in sleep cycles. In other words, a high consumption of these foods might lead to drowsiness.

Since my breakup with Prozac several months ago, my diet has consisted of many foods that are high in tryptophan along with a variety of other healthy foods. Not surprisingly, I have felt quite amazing during these past months; but, it would be a bit foolish of me to contribute that entirely to my diet. Regardless of the reasoning, my contentment is all that matters to me.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

One of my favorite bands recently released their newest album, In Rainbows, via their website at http://www.radiohead.com. The unique aspect of this album's release is that the band is allowing its fans to determine the price that they pay for the album. If you're an avid fan of the band and have some extra change to spare, you can pay a bit more to show your support for the band. If you are an avid fan but a poor college student living on a diet of pasta and prepackaged hoagie sandwiches from the local supermarket, you have the option of downloading the album free of cost.

If you are unfamiliar with the band, I recommend that you utilize this opportunity to freely and legally download the album and give them a listen. After you make your judgment, it's up to you whether or not to throw a bit of money their way.

Exploration

One of the largest ethical debates in our world today is the usage of embryonic stem cells in medical research. While I strongly believe that life does begin at conception, this is solely because it is the point at which the zygote forms and development of a separate organism begins. What I do not believe is that that undeveloped, soulless organism’s existence should take precedence over the life of a fully-developed member of the global community. An organism’s life begins at conception; but its importance to the world, in my opinion, does not begin until birth. There are roughly six billion living individuals on this planet, and I feel that it is more important to worry about their well-being before worrying about something that still resides in its mother’s uterus.

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI appealed to the moral judgment of his audience in order to offer his plea to the South Koreans to halt their research of embryonic stem cells and human cloning.

"The destruction of human embryos, whether to acquire stem cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health officials to promote human welfare," the pope argued.

While there are obviously many that disagree with me on this issue, I personally feel that this is the only life that we live and that measures must be taken to ensure not only our own welfare but the welfare of those that will inhabit the planet once we are gone. Part of this effort entails the investment of time and money into research that will improve the health and lifespan of our species. As long as this research is inhibited, fewer and fewer people will benefit from the resulting discoveries.

Creating Passionate Users posted an interesting article that is, essentially, a more detailed version of the message I was attempting to convey with An Erroneous Education.  The article addresses several issues with the methods of teaching used here in the United States and offers suggestions for the types of skills that we should be building within our students.

The article can be found here.