America's Number One Cookie (Addiction)

I know I've enjoyed a sleeve at a time, as I'm sure others have as well. Oreos are a delicious snack that mostly everyone seems to enjoy. Its also the most served cookie at Christmas time for Santa other than the typical chocolate chip cookie. But why when you eat an Oreo do you feel that you need more/ want more? Researchers recently conducted a test comparing the effects of drug usage on the brain and paralleling them to food addiction, in this case an Oreo loaded with sugars and high amounts of fat. Trials for the test were set up by a student and their professor. They compared the use of cocaine and heroin use to the consumption of Oreos. The study concluded that when using drugs, the addiction center of the brain lights up. When observing the results for the Oreos, those same areas were lit up as well and they seemed to be a little more intense. I can see how these foods produce such a strong reaction; I myself suffer from an eating disorder. Food doesn't judge, it is always there, and it tastes so good! If you would like to read more about this work, please click here for the article!

Lyme Disease Problem!!!

Waking up in the morning with a half-paralyzed face is never a good time. The cold water you drink drips down your neck onto your dry shirt, making for an embarrassing display. Why do you know what it's like to wake up this way, you may ask. My answer is, blame it on the Lyme Disease. A few years ago, during probably one of the most dreadfully hot summers I have experienced in a long time, a tiny menacing tick managed to slip into my bed and take advantage of my blood, leaving behind his disease; Lyme disease. This disease is no joke. Once you have it, if gone undiagnosed and untreated, it stays with you for your lifetime causing issues with daily life duties. This Lyme Disease epidemic is growing to be a prevalent issue with over 30,000 US residents confirmed to have this disease. According to a Scientific American article, researchers are blaming the decline in the red fox population for the increase of white footed mice population, which seems to be the root to why Lyme disease cases are growing quickly. So what do we do? The ethical issues surrounding its resolution make it difficult for someone to take action. Do we have the fox population rapidly reproduce in captivity and then re-populate areas where these foxes have disappeared? Or, do we just go out and exterminate the populations by hand? Maybe even control the deer population, which has been the species under fire for their contribution to the problem. I personally believe that re-introducing foxes to areas where they have disappeared seems to be the most effective and least ethical. The ecosystem will be able to re-balance itself and the population of mice will drop considerably. If you would like to read more about the article, attached is a link to it.

Lyme Disease Article (SA)http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=researchers-seek-scapegoat-for-lyme-diseases-startling-prevalence