Haleigh Elkins
May 05, 2022
Research Poster
Category Archives: Health and Medicine
How Religion has Impacted Medicine Through the Ages
By: Jasmin Singh
The Negative Effects of Exercise Culture
Haleigh Elkins
April 19, 2022
Exercise and the culture surrounding exercise has become much more apparent in recent years, especially regarding teenagers and young adults. Exercise and physical activity have been around for an extremely long time and is typically considered a part of a good and healthy lifestyle. However, in the past few years it has been found that exercise can have a negative impact on the body and brain, typically when body image and overexercising is involved. Extreme endurance exercises and overworking the body has been seen to increase the risk and lead to heart issues due to extreme stress – heart attack and stroke for example (Romero). Body image is how one see’s themselves when they look into the mirror or the thoughts and feeling associated with their body, whether they may be positive or negative. Body image can be affected many ways, a few include social media, peers, and society. Body image has also been strongly linked to eating disorders, depression, and lowered self-esteem (Rogers). Teenagers and older adolescences tend to be more at risk for developing negative body image as well as the disorders commonly associated with body image issues. It seems the sigma surrounding exercise culture has begun to influence teenagers and older adolescents negatively regarding body image and the overall health of the individual.
Exercise is good in moderation. It has shown to improve heart health, ward off depression, and much more. Being physically active and exercising regularly can improve the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes (Godman). A study was done in 2018 by the JAMA Network looking into the association that cardiorespiratory fitness has on adults’ long-term mortality and health. This study found, “Extremely high aerobic fitness was associated with the greatest survival and was associated with benefits in older patients… health care professionals should encourage patients to achieve and maintain high levels of fitness” (Mandsager). These findings support the notion that exercise is beneficial to one’s health and it has even been seen to help extend an individual’s lifespan. While exercise has been proven to improve health, overexercising can put heavy exercisers at a higher risk of developing heart conditions than an average person.
It is recommended to either have five hours a week of moderate exercise or two and a half hours of intense activity per week, but when an individual begins exercising over that recommended amount it can become dangerous. Overexercising increases the risks of developing heart issues and stroke, just like an unactive individual is at risk as well. Overexercising is also known as compulsive exercise. It has been seen that too much exercise too often can have the opposite effects on your health. Teenagers tend to overexercise to improve sports performance or personal goals (Compulsive Exercise (For Teens)). Eating disorders have been seen to correlate with compulsive exercise. Too much exercise can sometimes lead to the female athlete triad – the combination of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis; unhealthy weight loss, social isolation, anxiety, and depression (Compulsive Exercise (For Teens)).
Negative exercise culture has been studied and has been found to contribute to compulsive exercise and an increased risk of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem (Goodwin). Many teenagers today are influenced by societal ideals and social media. Society has implemented that to be accepted or to be considered attractive one has to be slim and fit and the only way to achieve this is to exercise every day and have restricting diets. According to Huw Goodwin’s longitude study of teenage boys and girls, it was found that obsessive-compulsive and self-perfectionism helped predict compulsive exercise. This study lasted for two years and as the years went on there was an increase in compulsive exercise (Goodwin). As teenager’s continuing to feel the pressure surrounding exercise culture and societal ideals, they tend to indulge in compulsive exercising behaviors more and more as time goes on. Compulsive exercise is often caused from a teenager’s negative body image or accompanying mental illnesses.
Goodwin’s study further supports the claim that negative body image can lead to compulsive exercise in addition to other mental health disorders. It is often thought that only women are affected by body image dissatisfaction, but the idea that people are not happy with their bodies as a result of society beauty norms, normative discontent, has been found to affect both men and women (Sandoiu). Although, studies show women tend to be more susceptible to feeling negatively about their bodies, which can be dangerous because it can have harmful implications on their psychological and physical health including depression and eating disorders. Individuals who have a negative body image may have high social physique anxiety, “experience of anxiety in the presence of real or imagined negative physical evaluation” (Brudzynski). Individuals who perceive themselves to be overweight and have high levels of social physique anxiety are less likely to put themselves in the position where their bodies could be negatively evaluated. Therefore, those who experience negative body image and have a high level of social physique anxiety are less likely to exercise (Brudzynski).
There have been studies supporting the idea that poor body image is not a negative thing, in fact, it was shown to positively impact individuals and be the perfect motivator to participate in physical activity. According to Laura Brudzynski’s research, it shows that those who perceive themselves as overweight, regardless of whether or not they are, are more likely to exercise to lose weight than an individual who does not perceive themselves to be overweight. This shows that body image perception has the potential to influence exercise participation in a positive way, therefore perceived body image increases exercise participation acting as a motivator for some. Laura Brudzynski’s study also finds that 28% of the teenagers polled increased their exercise when feeling overweight and felt their negative body image motivated them to increase physical activity. This study supports the counter argument that negative body image can act to motivate individuals to exercise within a healthy limit and not compulsively exercise due to negative body image.
Exercise is good within a certain limit and there are many health benefits that come with exercise. Those benefits can range from simply losing weight and improving body image to lowering the risk of heart issues and extending one’s lifespan, but when an individual begins compulsively exercising those benefits start to go away. According to the findings supporting that negative body image leads to compulsive exercise and mental health issues, it is clear there is research and facts to prove to claim. However, the claim of the counterargument of negative body image providing individuals with a much-needed motivator to participate in exercise is also supported by the research and studies found. Both arguments have sufficient support but are not yet proven. Some teenagers tend to be more susceptible to developing mental health issues, which has been shown to increase the risk of developing negative body image. As Laura Brudzynski explains in her study, “while body image may act as a motivator to exercise in some, it has also been reported as a barrier to exercise in others”. Brudzynski is supporting the idea that not all teenagers, whether boy or girl, deal with negative body image the same. Deciding whether exercise culture is creating a negative body image that causes teenagers to either refrain from exercise or begin compulsively exercising is ultimately up to the teenager themselves to decide how to deal with the pressures put on them by society.
Works Cited
- Brudzynski, Laura. “Body Image as a Motivator and Barrier to Exercise.” https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&content=ijes.
- “Compulsive Exercise (For Teens).” Edited by Mary L. Gavin, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, July 2018, kidshealth.org/en/teens/compulsive-exercise.html.
- Godman, Heidi. “Regular Exercise Changes the Brain to Improve Memory, Thinking Skills.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health, 10 Apr. 2014, http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
- Goodwin, Huw. “Psychological Risk Factors for Compulsive Exercise: A Longitudinal Investigation of Adolescent Boys and Girls.” Shibboleth Authentication Request, https://www-sciencedirect-com.liblink.uncw.edu/science/article/pii/S0191886914002347.
- Rogers, Melainie. “What Influences Body Image?” BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center, BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center, 19 Apr. 2020, https://balancedtx.com/blog/what-influences-body-image.
- Mandsager, Kyle, et al. “Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing.” JAMA Network Open, JAMA Network, 19 Oct. 2018, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2707428.
- Romero, María Soledad González. “What Overexercising Does to Your Body and Brain.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 28 June 2021, http://www.businessinsider.com/what-over-exercise-does-body-brain-health-2018-4.
- Sandoiu, Ana. “How Can Exercise Improve Body Image?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317958.
Health And Medicine-GMOs
Kyle Budd
April 19, 2022
Are GMOs Beneficial?
A healthy lifestyle is desired by many but achieved by few. Many people look towards what they eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle. People who eat healthy look to see how their food is grown, where it comes from and what is in it. Genetically modified organisms or GMOs are often questioned by people. Many ask whether or not they are healthy. This question usually arises because GMOs are not natural. If one is to break down the term, genetically modified organisms, they would learn that genetically roots back to the word gene. Modified means to change or alter something, and lastly the word organism describes a living thing (Dr. Meilan). From breaking down the phrase we can understand that GMOs mean changing of an organism’s genes. It is important to note that genetically modifying organisms is not the same as selective breeding. Selective breeding is combining two organisms to hopefully get a desired trait from each organism. GMOs are organisms that had a gene inserted into its genetic makeup to ensure its DNA would be changed, and the desired trait would appear. Knowing what GMOs are can help one start to ask the question whether or not GMOs are beneficial. By discovering if GMOs are safe, economic and healthy we can then come to a conclusion on whether or not they are beneficial.
One question many people ask is are GMOs safe. The food and drug administration has deemed GM crops safe to consume. The FDA says, “GMO foods are as healthful and safe to eat as their non-GMO counterparts” (FDA). The FDA reviews all genetically modified foods before they hit the market to ensure that they are safe for consumption. Some concerns about GM crops include, allergic reactions, unexpected genetic changes, and less nutritious foods. Today after almost forty years of GM knowledge, no GM crops have resulted in any of the scenarios (Bridges). Along with Bridges remarks Dr. Goldsbrough says, “The National Academy for Science, the United States’ number one source for independent, objective advice to the nation on matters of science and technology, concluded that GMOs are safe for human health” (Dr. Goldsbrough). Countless credible sources have stated that GMOs are safe for human consumption, and in some cases even the preferred alternative. GMOs go beyond just crops. For instance GMOs are also used to produce medicines that combat diseases. These medicines and vaccines are much more consistent than previous ways of treatment (Goldsbrough). GMOs have been deemed safe by health experts and have few negatives. Due to this information it is safe to say that GMOs are safe to use.
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Another question that arises is whether or not GMOs are economically sufficient. GMOs are preferred by farmers because the dominant genetic makeup of a GMO allows the farmer to experience better crop yield. GMOs can improve crop yield by being made to deter insects, and do better in harsher environments. Currently there are only three main crops that are GM. The FDA says, “In 2018, GMO soybeans made up 94% of all soybeans planted, GMO cotton made up 94% of all cotton planted, and 92% of corn planted was GMO corn.” (FDA). Corn and soybean are the main crops that are GM because they are used as food for livestock. Farmers would not continue to grow these GM crops if they were not economical. Since farmers are able to harvest more crops the law of supply and demand infers that the price of the crops will drop for consumers. Biotechnology innovation organization says, “Farmers who use improved seeds and grow biotech crops have seen substantial net economic benefits at the farm level amounting to $14 billion in 2010 and $78.4. billion for the 15 year (1996-2010)period” (BIO). Substantial economic growth has been seen by the increased use of GM crops over the past decades. Due to GMOs success it is hard to argue that the crops will disappear from the market.
One of the more important questions that is asked is are GMOs healthy. When one thinks of a healthy food they think of an organically grown natural crop. In reality there are other options that are just as healthy as organic crops. Dr. Goldsbrough says, “As GMOs stand today, there are no health benefits to eating them over non-GMO foods. However, this may change in the future as technology develops and becomes more sophisticated” (Dr. Goldsbrough). Dr. Goldsbrough explains that GMOs are not deemed more healthy. However, Harvard University, the graduate school of arts and sciences, says, “To this end, many different types of modifications in various crops have been tested, and the studies have found no evidence that GMOs cause organ toxicity or other adverse health effects” (SITNBoston). The information provided by Dr. Goldsbrough and Harvard University one can imply that even though GMOs are not considered more healthy they are also not considered less healthy. Therefore the differences between the organic crop and the GM crop are slim. Along with human health GMOs can also help the health of our planet. A report by the biotechnology innovation organization says, “Crop biotechnology had contributed to greatly reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices. This results from less fuel use and additional soil carbon storage from reduced tillage biotech crops. In 2010, the reduction in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere was equivalent to taking 8.6 million cars off the road for one year” (BIO). GM crops have a trickle down effect that can lead to a cleaner future for our environment. Through this evidence GM crops have proven to be an acceptable alternative to organic crops.
The controversy of GMOs is an ongoing phenomenon. We can only hope to bring light to the situation by finding evidence on whether or not GMOs are beneficial. GMOs have proven to be beneficial through their safety, economical value, and value in health. GMOs have been around for almost four decades and have had no significant health problems during that time period. This fact allows us to confidently believe that GMOs are safe. GMOs also result in higher crop yield due to their dominant genes. This fact allows us to believe that GMOs are economically beneficial. Finally GMOs have been proven to be just as healthy as natural crops. This statement allows us to believe that all things being equal there is no reason to choose a natural crop over a GM crop. Countless professors, doctors and people who have devoted their lives to science agree that GMOs are beneficial to society. Through these sound statements it is easy to infer that GMOs are indeed beneficial to us.
Works cited
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Agricultural Biotechnology.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA.
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “GMO Crops, Animal Food, and Beyond.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA.
“Genetically Engineered Foods: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
“Global Economic and Environmental Benefits of GE Crops Continues to Rise.”
Goldsbrough, Dr. Peter, and Dr. Rick Meilan. “The Science of GMOs.” Do Gmos Harm Health?, Purdue.
SITNBoston.“Will Gmos Hurt My Body? the Public’s Concerns and How Scientists Have Addressed Them.” Science in the News.
Links
http://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond.
medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm#:~:text=Increased%20supply%20of%20food%20with,as%20vaccines%20or%20other%20medicines.
archive.bio.org/articles/global-economic-and-environmental-benefits-ge-crops-continues-rise#:~:text=Farmers%20who%20use%20improved%20seeds,billion%20in%202010%20and%20%2478.4.
Purdue, ag.purdue.edu/GMOs/Pages/GMOsandHealth.aspx.
sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/#:~:text=To%20this%20end%2C%20many%20different,to%20contain%20the%20bar%20gene.:~:text=To%20this%20end%2C%20many%20different,to%20contain%20the%20b
Is vegan better?
Sydney Benoliel
April 20th, 2022
Many health benefits arise from vegan diets. According to Cleveland Clinic, around 10% of adults in the United States are on a plant-based diet (Cleveland Clinic). While many adults follow this diet, is it safe for children to follow it as well? A new growing idea among parents is whether or not they should raise their children vegan. Chakraborty states, “a vegan diet is becoming quite popular. However, experts believe that well-balanced nutrition is essential for children during the early years of their life. Some even recommend the inclusion of meat to ensure proper development and growth” (Chakraborty). While vegan diets can have physical and mental benefits for some people, parents should not raise their children vegan due to the following reasons: children have varying nutritional needs, parents’ preferred eating habits should never be forced on their children, and vegan diets come with many health risks, such as nutritional deficiencies.
One reason parents should not raise their children vegan is that each child has different nutritional needs for their body. While a vegan diet may be suitable for some children, it will not be suitable for every child. Additionally, many parents will be unaware of the damage that the vegan diet is having on their child until the child is older. Some preferences and allergies do not present until later in the child’s life when they are older and more mature. To make sure that their children are getting enough food in their early life, parents need to withhold from restricting them to vegan foods. Pretzel, a long-time vegetarian, explains in her article why the type of food that children eat is vital since they are limited in the amount of food that they can physically consume. “‘Toddlers need, per kilogram of body weight, more micronutrients compared to adults,’ said Liisa Korkalo, lecturer in the Department of Food and Nutrition at the University of Helsinki, whose research has looked at the diets of children. “‘They need a nutrient-dense diet.’ With small stomachs and limited intake capacity, the food small children eat really needs to count” (Pretzel). In addition, many children are picky eaters or have trouble eating food. Characteristics such as these raise red flags for the medical stability of the child. These children are already limited to eating their personal safe foods, so veganism does not need to be added. Garone, a certified nutritionist, states that “kids who are extremely picky eaters or have feeding difficulties may be at higher risk of nutritional inadequacy” (Garone). That said, adding a vegan diet on top of the difficulty eating already present could send the child on a road to disaster.
A second reason is that parents should never force their personal preferred eating habits on their children. Children deserve to grow up and experience different food for themselves. They should be able to establish their own likes, dislikes, and values. Blumberg, who graduated with a Bachelor’s in psychology, stated that “Gorin says she feels it’s beneficial for kids to explore and decide for themselves what foods they like or dislike” (Blumberg). Childhood years play a very important role in a person’s development. Growing up with strict rules and beliefs around them could negatively influence their thinking and behaviors. Blumberg emphasizes the importance of this when she states that “it’s beneficial for kids to explore and decide for themselves what foods they like or dislike” (Blumberg). If a child wants to be vegan, they should decide for themselves when they are at an appropriate age to do so. Hunt, a philosophy Ph.D. candidate, says that “the more interesting question is how people who think that there are pro tanto moral reasons for raising a child on a vegan diet, most obviously ethical vegans who are parents, should take into account… because ethical vegans may be committed to different moral frameworks that seem to provide moral reasons for being vegan that are of differing weights and which perhaps come into effect under differing conditions” (Hunt). Many parents do not take into consideration the detrimental mental effects that veganism can have. A child should not be forced to endure this diet if they do not truly want to be vegan. It especially poses difficulties when the child is eating away from home at a place where vegan options are unavailable. This common scenario leads to unnecessary anxiety for the child.
A final reason is that vegan diets cause many health risks, such as nutritional deficiencies. Bender and Sutter, two medical professionals, said that “deficiencies in cobalamin, calcium, and vitamin D seem to be the biggest risks associated with a poorly planned vegan diet” (Bender and Sutter). A growing child needs proper nourishment and medical stability. Research has shown that vegan kids have many vitamin and nutritional deficiencies. Haridy, a scientific journalist, states that “research found vegan children were on average around an inch shorter than other children, more likely to be deficient in vitamin B-12, and had between four and six percent lower bone mineral content” (Haridy). These nutritional deficiencies can have serious detrimental health effects on a child’s growing body. They can lead to long-lasting and possibly even chronic conditions. As stated before, there is also a negative effect of veganism on the growth and height of vegan children. Mantzioris, a certified dietitian, says that “researchers found a link between shorter heights and lower bone mineral content among vegan children, compared to meat-eaters” (Mantzioris). This research further emphasizes the lasting negative effects of veganism on a growing child’s body. Chakraborty said that “there are certain risks involved when a kid is following a strict vegan diet… due to no milk or milk product consumption, there’s a lack of calcium- a nutrient that’s essential for healthy bones and teeth. The primary source of protein lies in meat and poultry products, and the vegan diet is entirely devoid of it. Children need abundant calories that can provide kids energy, and a diet without milk can be very disappointing” (Chakraborty). Parents putting their growing children on vegan diets are raising major health risks. Veganism is not worth sacrificing a child’s health.
In conclusion, parents should not raise their children vegan. Parents need to remember that children have varying nutritional needs that will likely not be met with a vegan diet. It is also important to consider the many health risks that go along with being vegan. Children should not have to endure the risks of veganism without consenting to it themselves. Pretzel says that“a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle can be difficult for children and teens to maintain” (Pretzel). Children should not be forced to keep up with this lifestyle and expose themselves to the health risks that go with it. A child should be able to grow up and experience new things for themselves before committing to something as serious as veganism. Although some parents argue that veganism is what is best for their children, this is false. Raising your child vegan will ultimately lead to more negative effects than positive.
Works Cited
- Blumberg, Perri Ormont. “Should You Raise Your Child as a Vegan or a Vegetarian?” New York Post, New York Post, 17 Jan. 2022, nypost.com/2022/01/17/should-you-raise-your-child-as-a-vegan-or-a-vegetarian/.
- Chakraborty, Neha. “The Benefits & Risks of Raising a Vegan Toddler.” BabyGaga, 30 Apr. 2020, http://www.babygaga.com/benefits-risks-raising-vegan-toddler/.
- Garone, Sarah. “Raising a Vegan Baby or Toddler: Is It Safe?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 30 Nov. 2020, http://www.healthline.com/health/baby/vegan-baby.
- Haridy, Rich. “Pros and Cons to Vegan Diets for Children, Detailed New Study Finds.” New Atlas, 7 June 2021, newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/vegan-vegetarian-diet-children-health-study/.
- Hunt, Marcus W. “Veganism and Children: Physical and Social Well-being.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol. 32, no. 2, 2019, pp. 269-291. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/veganism-children-physical-social-well-being/docview/2215418005/se-2?accountid=14606, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10806-019-09773-4.
- “Is a Vegan Diet Safe for Growing Children?” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 21 Aug. 2020, health.clevelandclinic.org/is-a-vegan-diet-safe-for-growing-children/.
- Mantzioris, Evangeline. “Do Vegan Diets Make Kids Shorter and Weaker?” The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2022, theconversation.com/do-vegan-diets-make-kids-shorter-and-weaker-162420.
- Pretzel, Jillian. “Is It Safe to Raise My Child Vegan or Vegetarian?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 11 Feb. 2022, http://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/02/12/kid-vegan-vegetarian/.
- Sutter, Daniel Olivier, and Nicole Bender. “Nutrient Status and Growth in Vegan Children.” Nutrition Research, vol. 91, 2021, pp. 13–25., doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2021.04.005.
Losing Sight of Objective Science? How Religion has Impacted Medicine Through the Ages
Jasmin Singh
April 19, 2022
Attitudes towards health and medicine have varied greatly between historical periods. Medicine has been most severely impacted by religion during the Medieval period. Every era after the Middle Ages moves away from the idea that religion should impact the sciences and favor objectivity. Humankind’s inability to be entirely objective may have hurt or helped the sciences. Perhaps if it were not for emotions, great scientific advances would not have been discovered due to a lack of motivation. On the other hand, emotions prevent one from reaching true objectivity with one’s constant inclination towards biases. Medicine is one of the fields of science that is affected by emotion since the way other people are treated depends on a combination of individual perception and mass morality. Additionally, the human fear of death may prompt humankind to find cures for various diseases, for example. When human life is involved, there tends to be controversy surrounding historic events in medicine. The most current example being COVID-19 vaccines. Some people claim herd immunity is the most effective way at beating the pandemic while others say majority of people being vaccinated is the ideal way. Humans tend to have strong feelings when it comes to their health. These are the same reasons modern doctors give patients multiple treatment options. They make sure the patient fully understands the potential consequences of each plan before the patient reaches a decision. This is an efficiently objective aspect of healthcare, but it was not always this way. In fact, it may not have taken as long to reach this point if the understanding of medical knowledge had not stagnated earlier in history. Hence, the prominence of religion during the Middle Ages has hindered the advancement of modern medicine due to sexism, putting faith before fact, and extreme disparities between social classes. In these ways, modern medicine may not be as secular as once thought.
During the medieval period, depending on what stage of life a woman was in, she could either be respected or mistreated. Women were seen as being seductive and vindictive or pure and innocent, the latter being particularly for young women. According to the historical scholar DeVun, people during the Middle Ages saw a woman as both putrid and set the beauty of birth and salvation. There were multiple representational images of women as the virgin, the mother, the crone, and the corpse, all conflicting one another (DeVun, p. 213). DeVun highlights the contradicting attitudes towards women as they had a complicated place in society. Even today, these patterns can be seen in patriarchy in which men are the head of the household when women have to sacrifice so much to start a family they can hardly call their own. Sadly, some biblical stories like Adam and Eve led to a deep-seated mistrust in women. These kinds of biases meant that men, who were typically the only ones who had the potential to be educated, did not always wish to help women medically. Similarly, women today are paid less than men in many fields due to the assumption that they will go on maternity leave in the future. Women also have a hard time gaining high positions in various medical practices. They are at the mercy of the men in charge. Grace Jantzen, a professor at Manchester University, was a proponent of feminism in modern society. Jantzen found that western patriarchal ideals are driven by a fear of death (Carrette 36). In Christianity, it is believed that either people go to heaven or hell in the afterlife. It is also believed that God has a plan for everyone and if one is meant to die at a specific time, then so be it. Thus, medicine may have been seen as interfering in God’s plan for people since it may increase one’s life span by preventing one’s death. In modern times, people are afraid of losing their own lives and their loved ones to disease. This is a strong incentive for medical professionals to seek cures for disease faster than ever before. For instance, the COVID-19 vaccine was produced in a record amount of time. This made some people happy and hopeful while it only added to the skepticism in authority for others. The Middle Ages dealt with similar setbacks where some people left their health to fate while others wanted to do everything in their power to cure disease.
A common theme throughout the Middle Ages is the tendency to prioritize religion before secular subjects. This meant that good health was considered correlated to frequent prayer rather than people being curious enough to explore this field of science. As a result of rising levels of maternal mortality and the threat of infectious disease, women would rely on talismans for good luck during childbirth (Grover). This shows the tendency during the Middle Ages to rely on fate rather than fact. Relying on divine talismans proves that people during the Medieval Ages did little to try to change their situation. Even when mortality rates were high, it was justified to God, therefore, it was justified to Christians. Alternatively, Amundsen’s “work should help to restore the ‘soul’ to bioethics, which Meilaender suggests was lost when bioethics abandoned religion, metaphysics, and its engagement with the ‘deeper’ question of our humanity on which substantive ethics ultimately rests” (Pellegrino 520). Accepting the presence of religion in bioethics as reality means calling current morals into question to better understand ethics in science. Denying this aspect of ethics only serves to weaken the truth of the subject. Despite the presence of religion in ethics, staying objective is important as globalization continues to change the world. As different areas of the world become increasingly diverse, having a strong religious context in ethics would cause more tension and conflict. It is possible to stay true to morality without connecting it to any specific religion. As humans learn how to live, work, and learn alongside people with different backgrounds, staying as objective as possible is essential.
The large gap between social classes also means that medicine was less available to people outside the higher classes. The common person was known as a peasant. Peasants had extraordinarily little access to any of the knowledge and services that royalty had, for example. “Initially, the way in which bodies were dealt with, including embalming, was a religious matter reserved for medieval kings” (Colleter, et al.). During the Middle Ages, kings were venerated which is why they received the highest level of care available. If a common peasant died, it did not matter in the grand scheme of things. If a king died, the entire kingdom could fall into chaos. For these reasons, the limited amount of scientific knowledge known was only applied to royalty. Only important people had a chance at being spared death; everyone else was virtually on their own. Since common people did not have access to the same scientific facts as royalty, there were less opportunities for attempts to expand universal knowledge of that time period through experimentation. Unfortunately, today is not so different; higher socioeconomic classes have more access to healthcare than the lower classes. Additionally, medical professionals are less enthusiastic about helping people who cannot afford treatment since they will get less pay.
Overall, the strict religious ideals of the Medieval period have hurt modern medicine. Even today, society continues to battle with patriarchal ideals which are engrained in western philosophy. Christianity has always struggled to treat women with respect which is the reason childbirth was so dangerous for mothers and children alike. Putting faith before fact led to acceptance rather than curiosity. Finally, large gaps between the common person and royalty meant that the limited scope of medical knowledge was reserved for the rich and privileged. Religion has played an incredibly significant role in the way humans have treated and viewed medicine, whether it has been realized or not. Medicine may never be entirely objective because it involves the fate of humanity. Hopefully, humankind can continue to make great advancements in medicine and move past the days of western philosophy and religion impeding innovation in science. This would effectively improve individual health, the amount of knowledge available to the public, and lead to less discrimination within the medical field.
Works Cited
- Colleter, Rozenn, et al. “Procedures and Frequencies of Embalming and Heart Extractions in Modern Period in Brittany. Contribution to the Evolution of Ritual Funerary in Europe.” PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 12, 28 Dec. 2016, p. e0167988. Gale Health and Wellness, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A475288634/HWRC?u=wilm99594&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=a67b8fb3. Accessed 4 Mar. 2022.
2. DeVun, Leah. “Medieval Monstrosity and the Female Body.” Journal of the History of Sexuality, vol. 22, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 542+. Gale Health and Wellness, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A344208019/HWRC?u=wilm99594&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=3d394f8e. Accessed 4 Mar. 2022.
3. “Medieval women ‘put faith in birth girdles’ to protect them during childbirth; New findings cement idea that ritual and religion was invoked using talismans to soothe nerves.” Guardian [London, England], 10 Mar. 2021, p. NA. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A654477611/HWRC?u=wilm99594&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=ff7fa6b8. Accessed 4 Mar. 2022.
4. “Obituary: Grace Jantzen: A feminist voice expanding the philosophy of religion.” Guardian [London, England], 11 May 2006, p. 36. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A145630315/HWRC?u=wilm99594&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=c4392855. Accessed 4 Mar. 2022.
5. Pellegrino, Edmund D,M.D., M.A.C.P. “Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds: By Darrel W. Amundse N. Baltimore. the Johns Hopkins University Press.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 12, no. 8, 1997, pp. 520. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/medicine-society-faith-ancient-medieval-worlds/docview/876301714/se-2?accountid=14606, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.00094.x.
Source Summary: Medicine, Society, Faith in the ancient and medieval worlds
Darrel Amundsen analyzes how Christianity has affected health and medicine throughout different eras. He clarifies widely accepted misconceptions about the Medieval period’s impact on medicine. He explores how Christian values and morale could have negatively impacted secular subjects, particularly medicine.
“Amundsen unifies the broad range of topics around two major themes: (1) the boundaries between religion and medicine and the way they have changed each in era; and (2) the emergence in the Christian era of the principle of respect for human life and its sanctity as exemplified in Christian medical ethics.”
“His work should help to restore the ‘soul’ to bioethics, which Meilaender suggests was lost when bioethics abandoned religion, metaphysics, and its engagement with the ‘deeper’ question of our humanity on which substantive ethics ultimately rests.”
(Pellegrino, p. 520)
Scholarly Source Summary 3: Compulsive Exercise in Teens
A number of studies have been done researching the psychological ricks for compulsive exercise in teen boys and girls. The source is fairly easy to understand except for a few specialized terms throughout. The primary disorders studied are types of eating disorders anxiety, and depression. The source also includes tables and graphs containing the information found from the studies.
“For girls, psychological predictors did not predict compulsive exercise. Baseline compulsive exercise was a significant predictor, possibly demonstrating some temporal stability of compulsive exercise among girls of this age”
“The findings indicate that obsessive–compulsiveness and self-oriented perfectionism are risk factors for compulsive exercise among boys, while further research is needed to elucidate risk factors among girls”
Link: https://www-sciencedirect-com.liblink.uncw.edu/science/article/pii/S0191886914002347
Scholarly Source Summary
What does the evidence say about vegan diets in children?
This scholarly source talks about the research done on if children can stay healthy by following a vegan diet. Desmond’s team did a study in Poland on 187 5-10 year olds. 63 of the children were vegetarians, 52 were vegans, and 72 were meat eaters. The team followed the children for a year. The results of the study showed that the vegan children had a healthier heart and less body fat than the children that ate meat but the vegan diet stunted their growth and created a lot of nutrient deficiencies. The researchers concluded that the children on the vegan diet would need to supplement with vitamins for their deficiencies.
“Despite the gaps in the evidence, Desmond believes there are still some positive changes that can be made to improve education concerning nutrition and plant based diets, such as better food labeling” (Mahase).
“The team concluded that supplementary vitamin B12 and vitamin D may be necessary for children on vegan diets and that more needed to be done to raise awareness of these deficiencies, including among the general public” (Mahase).
Source Summary: Body Image Affect on Health
In the article, “How Can Exercise Improve Body Image?”, the author Ana Sandoiu focuses her research more on women rather than men. Body image dissatisfaction is dangerous and major increases the risk of developing an eating disorder or compulsive exercise. This is typically thought to only affect women, but studies have shown that man also care about societal beauty norms. Body image tends to improve once an individual begins working out regularly.
“Poor body image can have harmful implications for a woman’s psychological and physical health including increased risk for low self-esteem, depression, and for eating disorders.”
“The positive effect did not seem to depend on a change in mood; rather, it was due to the women seeing themselves as “stronger and thinner.”
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