Girls, Think Before You Drink!

In my last blog entry, I told you about the dangers of alcohol and drugs and the addictions that can come forth through its repetitive use and exposure. I thought I could only drive my point in further of how the dangers substance abuse can be detrimental, especially when dealing with the lives of our children.

teratogen (ˈtɛrətədʒən; tɪˈrætə-) n

1. (Medicine) any substance, organism, or process that causes malformations in a fetus.

            Millions of babies are affected by teratogens each year in the U.S., whether it be a biological occurrence or a defect directly influenced by the mother. Once a woman becomes pregnant; the first 2 months of development for her fetus are known as organogenesis. During this time period, the fetus is developing its organs (a.k.a this is an EXTREMELY crucial time period for the baby). This is also the time period when the little one is most vulnerable to any influence the mother stresses upon the child, such as drinking or doing drugs. You can see where this can get out of hand right? Being a college student and growing up an in an area where teen pregnancy is very prevalent; I’ve witnessed many situations in which these girls don’t even know they’re pregnant sometimes for at least a good month. Let’s say they went to Bianca’s birthday party downtown on Saturday night and had a few drinks, then to Sean’s bash on Friday night and had a few more drinks and they just continue to live this lifestyle while unknowingly pregnant; their child will be devastatingly affected. Babies can develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which is a syndrome that will cause children to develop physical and mental defects they carry with them for the rest of their lives. A little boy/girl will have social issues, organ dysfunction, or facial abnormalities as a result of the mother’s intake of alcohol during pregnancy.

            I though it was so important to shine a light on this issue because many people are uneducated on this topic and do not realize the dangers of impairing their fetus even early on in pregnancy. In the case below, this woman was actually given false information on the effects that alcohol would have on her fetus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHRZjTiFEHs

            I for one know there is nothing better than a visual to really solidify a subject in one’s mind. So this short clip details to you what life is like for someone with FAS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTGWdcWjuZ8

Be aware and spread the message!

Don't Get On If You Want to Get Off

       DRUG ABUSE. One of the most common reasons behind death in the U.S every year, it destroys lives, it destroys families, it destroys homes. So what is it about these substances that draw in victims like a fly to day old food? Drug abusers are drawn in by the pleasure that is gained from an increase in dopamine in the body. Along with the intake of drugs comes a sense of exhilaration and overflow of bliss; this feeling is synonymous with the term “high”. I remember being younger and wondering, well how can these people really be addicted? Why don’t they just stop, it’s not that hard to stop doing something if you really want to stop doing it.” However, these things are not as cookie cut as I assumed back then. Stimulant drugs such as cocaine specifically block the reuptake of dopamine, meaning dopamine levels are going to remain high and that pleasure sensation takes a longer while to fade. Drug abuse can have dangerous long-term effects on the human body even when their use has already been suspended.  The stimulant drugs alter blood flow and can lead to a stroke or behavioral problems. In other words, even when the user thinks they’ve kicked the habit...they haven’t even scratched the surface.

        Alcohol is also a “drug” in itself. Many people may not even realize this, because alcohol is not an illegal substance and as far as anyone is concerned, in the U.S. if you’re over 21 then bottoms up! The sad truth of this is that, anything in excess isn’t “good” right? This is definitely an accurate statement when we talk about alcohol. Too much alcohol can inhibit natural process from taking place in the neurons. As in drug abuse, alcohol abuse not only affects the individual partaking in these activities; but it also affects the people who surround them in their everyday lives~FAMILY. Research shows that when parents drink excessively, their children will adopt the same or similar behavior themselves.

     Falling into a life of drugs and alcohol is not a pit that anyone can easily climb out of.

     This video tells the story of a neuroscientist and his former addiction to drugs. He details the struggle he faced to get out. 

Kicking off the Drugs

Can I Come In?

            If you’ve ever been to a big concert with a well-known popular celebrity inside a stadium, you know that you can’t get in without a ticket. You can get all dressed up, drive on over, walk up to the doors, and the bouncer will ask for your ticket. If your reply is, “ I don’t have one”, you better believe you’re not getting in there at all. Our brain has a similar mechanism to this, known as the blood brain barrier. It will prevent things such as viral infections from passing from the blood into the vertebrae brain. The brain builds up this “slightly” impenetrable wall to viruses, because neurons (cells of the brain) cannot be replaced as other cells are in the body. I say slightly, because in the instances that viruses may enter the cells of the brain (neurons) it will start a war.  The brain will attempt to repair the issues without damaging the cell any further.

            Like I’ve been emphasizing, the brain is very picky in what it lets cross its barrier. I compare it to when I was younger and some girl in class would throw a birthday party and only if you were cool enough did you get an invitation. Well, the brain hands out very little invitations. As helpful as the blood brain barrier is, it keeps out many useful nutrients from entering. And if nutrients can’t enter, well neither can certain medications! This can be a real risk for people who have brain diseases. Individuals with brain cancer consistently run the risk of never bouncing back because of this barrier.

            With science and technology advancing more and more each day; we can only look forward to the day that a mechanism can be discovered to overcome the barrier and get the essentials in.  There are some novel strategies such as Nanobiotechnology, in which researches are looking to insert these nano particles into the blood in an attempt for passage across the barrier. In addition to that method, there are researchers that are working on converting RNA into a new form-siRNA, in order to sneak it past the blood brain barrier and allow for therapeutic effects to take place. In the following video an Irish biologist explains the method and its possible benefits.

Getting past that barrier!

The new and innovative techniques across the science world continue to amaze me all the time. If we can discover a way to get past that security guard of the brain, we can heal billions of people! I guess we better get to work!