E Learning And Its Influence

E Learning And Its Influence ABSTRACT The current focus with all the educationists is to ensure that technology is used effectively to address various issues with problems related to student motivation, participation, absenteeism, drop-outs and gender bias, performance to name a few. Using technology in Science education is no exception to this. In fact nurturing an inquiring mind and a scientific temper in students has always been the aim of education across the world. This paper is to review the different e-learning techniques and their impact on professional education Keywords: Technology and e-learning 1 Introduction: Online data has revolutionized many of the ways we receive and use information these days. The availability of online resources has changed everything from finding a new house to reading the newspaper to purchasing plane tickets, and as a result has disrupted established structures. Internet technologies have also present challenge to established telecommunications companies. Lots of blogs, social networking sites, and interactive online games have created new modes for interaction between students and teachers. Digital technology makes informative content easier to find, to access, to manipulate and remix. Virtual web based environments for teachers now enable them to seek help from other teachers, locally, nationally, or globally in solving their day to day educational issues classroom problems, sharing lesson plans and materials, interacting with experts in particular fields, planning collaborative curriculum development projects. 2 E-learning an introduction To infuse technology into learning, in the early years of the program, the institutions have focused on getting teachers ready for an environment where every student has at least one technology device at their fingertips. Between cell phones, laptops and slates, students are coming to school already equipped to learn differently. The digital tools are engaging and motivating to students and teachers are excited about the changes they are seeing. The one-to-one computing environment actually personalizes the educational experience for students. Teachers are able to customize learning, designing targeted activities focused on a childs strengths and weaknesses. The virtual environment lends itself to a blended approach to teaching and the ability to collaborate with other teachers to create assignments that connect curriculums so that learning is more meaningful and relevant. 2.1 The Significance of E-learning : In todays times there is an important view that organizations form on the investments in human capital and enterprise IT systems with enterprise success metrics such as revenue, profitability, knowledge measurement, retention, and talent attraction. Therefore, there is no doubt that e-learning provides a foundation for performance monitoring that makes those correlations between people and learning technologies possible. The benefits of e-learning are as follows One focused on the needs and interests of individuals who are linked to competency and accomplishment. The other more closely aligned with the needs of the enterprise, tied to true business results. Learning is a deeply personal act that is facilitated when learning experiences are relevant, reliable, and engaging. During those early days of e-learning, we learned the hard way that simply building a learning system that could be accessed over the Internet did not guarantee that people would have much need for, or interest in, the courses and programs, regardless of the provider. We learned that shoveling courseware online did not provide anyone faculty, students, or administrators with an online experience that was much more than tedious electronic page-turning. Sometimes we learned the hard way that doing learning unto others could quickly de-motivate and disengage the very people we had hoped to serve. Therefore, technology engages learners by structuring and organizing information, by displaying and demonstrating procedures and operations. It can help make a learning experience more memorable and can help relate new information to that which is already known. 2.2 Education for everyone: When technology and learning will be together, it will solve many of the problems faced by India by creating a complete education system for every student, young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural. Because of the following reasons †¢ Technology and Learning can enable education that is not anymore limited to a particular region or age group. †¢ It will be learning anything, anytime, and anywhere from multiple authorities from the comfort of your home, village, town, city from any web-enabled device. †¢ It will lend a helping hand in the process of identification of brilliant global students living in villages of India, based on their ability to interact within an intelligent e-learning environment. 2.3 Internet usage and web-based education: Web-based courseware is not merely an electronic duplicate of the original course material. It represents a new type of educational materials which takes full advantage of the emerging Web and multimedia technologies in order to achieve an effective yet enjoyable learning process. These, complex concepts are introduced in innovative ways. Full linking to vast resources available worldwide introduces new levels of value to the courseware. A Web-based course is envisioned as a dynamically-evolving resource that will prove beneficial to both students and instructors alike. That is, a Web-based course is developed through the efforts of a team of professionals with a complementary range of skills, as opposed to classical course design, which is typically developed by faculty alone. 2.4 learning in a group : An online lecture or presentation of teaching material published on the Net becomes accessible to many learners. The most common technology for this communications was the electronic bulletin board (BBS) and electronic mail discussion lists where course notes were given with read-only access for students. Since the extensive implementation of interactive WWW technologies in the distribution of educational information, various forms of courses on the WWW have become common. WWW technologies have made it possible for materials on the Net to be published with ease. Other learners can thus become the source of information for the learner. 2.3 Creating a new educational platform: One of the first areas that requires change is education perception of technology as it relates to its mission. For the past decade, most attempts to use technology in higher education have been very haphazard: systems have been designed only to automate existing processes, computers have been thought of as strictly computational devices, and desktop workstations have not accomplished much more than replacing the typewriter and the adding machine. Today, however, technology is creating a new educational platform and is reconfiguring the way a student learns. It can be Interaction between the students and professors in the educational process Interaction between the students and professors while searching for information on the Net Joint activities of professors and administration. Students joint research projects. 3 Types of E-learning: E-learning is emerging as a solution for delivering online, hybrid, and synchronous learning regardless of physical location, time of day, or choice of digital reception/distribution device. E-learning programs are implemented in the following ways: 3.1 Virtual classroom: This model of e-learning continues to be the most familiar analogue for building e-learning programs. The intention of virtual classrooms is to extend the structure and services that accompany formal education programs from the campus or learning center to learners, wherever they are located. The virtual classroom is for learners who may be pursuing a distance education degree made up entirely of online lessons, and it may include campus-based courses, where students join in from a variety of on- and off-campus locations-in a real-time class session via the Internet. 3.2 Online learning: This model of e-learning revolves around its dependence on courseware, delivered over the Internet to learners at a variety of locations where the primary interaction between the learner and the experiences of their learning occur via Networked Computer Technology. 3.3 Rapid e-learning: This is a direct response to e-learning products that made it hard for nontechnical subject matter experts and learners to contribute and make use of multimedia learning content to the knowledge base. 3.4 Mobile learning: This type of learning builds on the availability of ubiquitous networks and portable digital devices, including laptop computers, PDAs, game consoles, MP3 players, and mobile phones, and it takes advantage of place-independent flexibility that comes from working away from the desktop. Mobile learning provides the opportunity to connect informal learning experiences that occur naturally throughout the day with formal learning experiences. Common tools for producing mobile learning content include Flash Professional, Flash Media Server, and Flash Lite. 3.5 Interactive group learning: The key premise for science education has been to involve young minds in activities that arouse curiosity, generate interest in research, invention and innovation. Learning based on understanding is essential to innovation and creativity. Finding answers to the question WHY leads to WHAT and HOW, which takes one on a path of discovery and understanding. Interactive Group Learning provides immense possibilities for achieving this. Observing, Discussing, Exploring, Problem Solving, Doing and Creating with your peers, not only makes the process fun but also nurtures teamwork and collaboration. Building hypothesis and validating them as a team ensures that children can handle all types of real-life situations as well. 4 Fundamental Ingredients 4.1 For Building Virtual Learning Solutions: In the Adobe world, common tools used for constructing virtual classrooms include such applications as Adobe Acrobat ® 8, Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional (formerly known as Macromedia ® Breeze ® Meeting), Adobe Presenter 6 (formerly Breeze Presenter), and Adobe Captivate 2. 4.2 For Building Online Learning Solutions: Adobe tools, which have long been the de facto standard for creating interactive digital learning content, include such familiar products as Flash ®, Dreamweaver ®, Photoshop ®, Illustrator ®, Adobe Premiere ®, Adobe Contributeâ„ ¢ and Adobe Captivate, to name a few. The rising trend of integrating dynamic, modular learning content-learning objects-in face-to-face and e-learning programs alike is expected to drive greater demand for solutions built on Adobe Flex ® and Adobe LiveCycle ® platforms. Greater interoperability with industry leading LMS platforms extends integration of Acrobat Connect Professional. 4.2 For Building Rapid Learning Solutions: Rapid e-learning uses tools such as Adobe Captivate 2 and Adobe Presenter 6 to reduce the time it takes to produce rich, engaging Flash learning content, while allowing more non-technical contributors, including subject matter experts (SMEs) and students, to share their SCORM and AICC conformant Adobe Captivate learning objects as a stand-alone Flash movie or as an element of a multimedia portfolio that can be securely shared within an Adobe PDF document. 4.3 For Building Mobile Learning Solutions: From specialized content creation tools such as FrameMaker ® to Adobe Acrobat and all of the Adobe Creative Suite ® and Adobe Studio tools, to server products such as ColdFusion ® and those for creating rich Internet applications with Flex and LiveCycle, Adobe tools are a fundamental ingredient for building e-learning solutions that respond to any and all e-learning deployment models. It is important to understand that all solutions for e-learning are all based upon creating and extending rich, retentive, engaging learning experiences that connect learners with instructors, other learners, and rich learning content assets regardless of physical location. Therefore, e-learning and technology mediation, play a significant role and we need to stand up and realize the value that rich, engaging content creation, distribution, and management tools contribute to the experience of rich, effective e-learning programs enables new levels of engagement and participation among all learning stakeholders 5 E-learning Contents 5.1 Content which enables active and constructive learning: Content that enables active and constructive learning focuses on exploration. The user interacts with the content, explores objects in the defined environment, observes effects of the exploration and concludes from the experience. For example, explaining phenomena like Eclipses. What is the basic concept behind eclipses, how do they occur, are some of the questions that fascinate every student. Imagine, getting an interactive learning aid, where you can form shadows and explain the formation of eclipses. Simulations like these will not only explain but prove to be a powerful teaching aid. Relate this to the real life coverage in television and the understanding is complete. 5.2 Content which redefines interactivity : Interactivity is not about clicking the mouse and exploring data on the computer screen, but is about making a meaningful learning experience for the user and class. Content can be explored with the help of a mouse, but it also has to bring context to learning. It has to provide for observation, correlation and conclusion. Presentation and design of the content should ensure that by viewing and exploring it, the class gets interactive. 5.3 Concept based content versus syllabus-mapped content: Computer based instruction is a reality all over the world and India is no exception. Governments across are keen to create and develop content mapped to their syllabus. There are two important considerations here: a) whether the content covers all the concepts and b) whether the content is culture specific. 5.4 Designing computer-based teaching learning aids: A variety of teaching-learning strategies can be used while designing content. Listed below are a few key ones: Active Learning These strategies focus on exploration. Users can explore content and construct interpretations. Constructive Learning Strategies that bring context to learning as students begin from a point of already existing personal experience, knowledge or interests. Cooperative Learning Strategies that take advantage of and build upon   shared individual knowledge. The possibilities of using technology and computer-based teaching learning materials in the science classroom are immense. The need is for professional educators to be actively involved with instructional designers and multimedia experts in the creation of this content. The need is for teachers to participate in the process and act as facilitators. This will ensure that we expand the resources for teaching and learning in the science classroom beyond imagination.  Ã‚  Ã‚   6 Challenges and opportunities: Major changes have occurred in the world economy, in particular with regard to the information-bearing technologies. These demand the attention of governments for education and for human resource development. While the last two decades have seen considerable growth in education and training, the world still suffers from intolerable inequalities at the international level and sometimes within nations. Low quality and insufficient relevance are other concerns. At the root is often the problem of financing adequate provision, and of outdated structures for education and training. This is giving rise to contradictory situations where those who have the greatest need of them like rural communities, illiterate populations or even entire countries who do not have access to the tools which would enable them to become full-fledged members of the knowledge society. For the student/learner digital learning means increased access and flexibility as well as the combination of work and education. It may also mean a more learner-centered approach, enrichment, higher quality and new ways of interaction. For employers it offers high quality and usually cost effective professional development in the workplace. It allows upgrading of skills, increased productivity and development of a new learning culture. In addition, it means sharing of costs, of training time, and increased portability of training. 7 Impression on Student Learning: How does one evaluate the nature and depth of the learning that takes place in any environment? Students performances provide some clues. A complex chain of thinking skills fuels the process of presenting a science project. These skills include mastering fair-testing concepts, applying them in order to craft new hypotheses, and designing ways to test them. Students use prior knowledge and then interpret, implement, analyze, and evaluate it to create a new product. We can share the learning experiences by taking the following steps †¢ Video interviews with the early-adopter teachers regarding their experiences †¢ Video clips of student-teacher interactions †¢ Screenshots and multimedia submissions of student work, including e-portfolios †¢ Text documents delineating the rationale for using a technology-enhanced methodology †¢ Footage of teachers relating how they overcame initial resistance to technology-rich learning environments. 8 Future Trends of Learning object: An interesting future trend could be the use of Learning Objects in school education. Creating computer-based learning materials iscostly and time consuming. Syllabi are updated and upgraded every five years. Learning objects will not only prove to be cost effective, but will empower the teacher totally, giving them total independence to create multimedia content of their own choice. Learning Objects in this context are digital entities in the form of animations and graphics supported with voice-over and text. Traditional multimedia gave the teacher a pre-structured sequence of frames within the unit. In this solution the lesson is divided into different components of animations with voice-overs and text, graphics with voice-over and text and only text. 9 Conclusion: It has been shown that the use of the Internet in the sphere of organization and management of education leads to the increase of education accessibility on a global scale, and may lead to the growth of economic efficiency of an educational institutions activity. Taking the huge scale of the Internet into account, the creation of mechanisms designed for effective navigation of the Internet, and the collection, analysis, exchange and distribution of information for the specific use of education acquires great importance. Therefore it is suggested that we should Integrate Digital Learning Objects in the Classroom if we want to be the leaders in education industry because it is the need of the hour. We can recommend the following point for effective classroom learning Create an e-learning course. Use technology to revolutionizing your teaching. Give your institute a digital Identity. Implement new age education methodology.

Reflection on Taking Blood Pressure

A REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT OF A LEARNT SIMULATED SKILL BLOOD PRESSURE. The aim of this essay is to reflect and discuss my knowledge acquired in a simulated learning skill experience which forms part of my training as a student nurse in accordance with the Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC 2010). (Marieb and Hoehn, 2010, p 703) defined Blood Pressure (BP) as ‘the force per unit area exerted on a vessel wall by the contained blood, and is expressed in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg)’. BP is still one of the essential and widely used assessment tools in healthcare settings.Nurses generally record the arterial BP which is the forced exerted blood that flows through the arteries, to establish a baseline and to determine any risk factors. BP composes of two measurements, the systolic and diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is when the ventricle contracts and the blood is at the peak normally an average adult is around 120mmHg (Marieb & Hoehn 2010). The diastolic pressure is low er within the arteries and always present when the ventricles are at rest and the aortic valve is close.This essay will discuss the measuring and recording of BP of a colleague in a skills laboratory. During the skills practice, a colleagues BP was measured in the skills laboratory. There are two methods for recording BP direct and indirect with this session it was the indirect technique. The manual auscultatory method measured in the arm on the brachial artery (Richards, and Edwards, 2008). I introduced myself as a student nurse and then explained the procedure involved systematically to relieve any anxieties. The patient needs to understand the process in order to consent (NMC 2010).Ensuring a relaxed and calm environment is essential, emotional and temperature variation and can affect the readings. Hand washing is essential to reduce and prevent the spread of infections especially cross-infection ((Dougherty and Lister 2011). I washed and dried my hands appropriately, after which the equipments were assessed. The equipments used were aneroid sphygmomanometer which had been calibrated and working, a range of cuffs to ensure the right size for the hand, a stethoscope, detergent wipes, a pillow for the hand, a pen and my ote book for documentation. A sphygmomanometer composes of a compression bag, an inflating bulb that is pumped to increase pressure, a manometer to read the pressure applied and is deflated by a control valve. This colleague was sitting, BP may be taken when patients are sitting or lying down not when moving or talking to ensure accurate readings (Jamieson, Whyte and McCall 2007). Primarily BP may be measured in both arms. There may be variations in results for some people especially the elderly it is recommended that the arm with the highest readings is utilized.Patient’s arms should be free of clothing, positioned at heart level and maintained to ensure accurate reading (British Heart Society 2006). Seated in a comfortable position, p alpated the radial and brachial pulse, and then applied the correct size of the sphygmomanometer on the arm. According to the (British Heart Society 2006) 40% of the width and 80% of the arm circumference may be the length of the cuff bladder. Large or small cuffs may result in inaccurate readings. Next palpated the radial pulse then wrapped the cuff round the arm, inflated till the pulse was obliterated.Placed the bladder on the artery and higher to the elbow, allowing the cuffs inferior edge 2 to 3cm over the brachial artery. This will enhance accurate reading allowing easy palpitation of the artery. The patient should be still and quiet through the procedure. Again the brachial artery was palpated, the stethoscope placed firmly on the bare skin on the palpable pulse of the brachial artery as the bulb was used to inflate the cuff immediately for an additional 20 to 30mmHg above the earlier reading (Bickley and Szilagyi 2009). This avoids too much distress as the cuff is inflated n ot more than20 to 30mmhg over the assumed systolic level.The cuff is deflated at a rate of 2 to 3 mmHg per second, on hearing the first pulse, the Korotkoff sound that is the systolic BP which should be recorded from the gauge. The Korotkoff sound is constantly monitored as the cuff continues to be deflated slowly until the pulse sounds have disappeared. Then the fifth Korotkoff sound was recorded as the diastolic BP after another 10 to 20 mmHg the cuff may be completely deflated to avoid limb compression. After the procedure is complete the patient should be informed and left comfortable; the results must be explained and documented.The colleagues BP recorded were 125/80mmHg which was normal. NHS Choices (2012) classifies an ideal BP ranges from 90/60mm/Hg and 140/90mmHg. Around 30% of people who live in England have high blood pressure. A BP reading higher than 140/90mmHg is called Hypertension and one lower than 90/60mmHg is called Hypotension. BP reading may vary depending on ag e, obesity, medications and exercise like running, jogging and jumping. White Coat Syndrome can also affect BP results (Williams, Poulter and Brown 2004). BP was performed on the brachial artery, with some patients it may be inappropriate, alternative sites may have to be considered.BP may be measured in the thigh, underneath the cuff with the stethoscope positioned above the posterior popliteal artery for patients prone with middle bladder (Dougherty and Lister 2011). Due to the environment there was one aspect not done properly, which was ensuring privacy, in future practice procedures must be explained and performed in a quiet environment in a hospital the curtains must closed (NMC 2010). This will provide more accurate results and also alleviate any anxiety the patients may have before or after the procedure.Some results may need further treatments and advice, which should be discussed privately. The second aspect of the simulated learning skill which needs further development i s accuracy in measuring and reading of BP results. During the simulated skills due to the noise within the room it was difficult to hear the first Korotkoff sound. Accurate reading determine prognosis for commencing, assessing and terminating patient’s treatments. According to (NMC 2010) as a student nurse I need to perform this skill efficiently, consistently, with an accurate recording.BP measurement is vital, considering consistency of all nurses and equipments to minimise errors that may contribute to discrepancies in results which can affect clinical treatment decisions. It is recommended that all equipments should be maintained and calibrated regularly in accordance with (NICE 2011) guidelines. The environment should be suitable for BP measurement; if the room temperature is cold it may result in vasoconstriction leading to a high BP and an inaccurate reading. Maintaining adequate space, the patient should be comfortable throughout the procedure to avoid any stress whic h can affect he results. The room should be quiet, so that the Korotkoff sounds can be heard at the appropriate time; all equipment and measurement area reflecting correct body posture and the aneroid sphygmomanometer not obstructed for accessible accurate readings. Ensuring accurate BP results will assist nurses when taking the next reading to recognize how the baseline was determined and assist with the patient’s treatment. Compassion is the key of nursing is empathizing, treating people how you would like to be treated and is expressed from within the act of caring (Chambers R. and Ryder E. 009). Approaching a patient with the right posture is essential; body language should reflect empathy and warmth. By greeting the person with a smile and sitting with the right posture and at the right level will make the patient feel welcome. Throughout the procedure I maintained the right distance ensuring my colleague was comfortable and not distracted by my posture. It is important to use the right tone of voice to explain the procedure to the patient, which may help to calm anxieties. Applying this approach may make the patient feel relaxed and willing to open up.Some patients may be worried about the results explaining it to them with the right posture and voice may make reduce their fears . maintained a reasonable eye contact Anxiety can increase BP; in order to ensure accurate results patients may be reassured and calmed . A breathing technique may help alleviate fears and worries of patients. Ensuring a relaxed and quiet environment is a vital tool for assessments. According to (McCabe and Timmins 2006) Nurses need to interact and relate to patients feelings positively so as not to cause them more pain. Establishing a relationship, to identify and share in their pain and stress.Understanding the patient, will enable them connect and relate more and freely with nurses to efficiently deal with their illness. In conclusion this essay has taught me the import ance of BP in assessing a patient. It has also enabled me to gain knowledge of how accuracy of the BP results is vital for clinical intervention. Also how privacy will help to assist the patient when delivering care. Applying Compassion and understanding may help me to explain the benefits of BP and the complications of not adhering to treatment to the patient. I need to develop my two aspects accurate reading and maintaining privacy for future practice.I have learnt to perform BP more confidently and also in future if any abnormalities are discovered it is important to inform my mentor. This reflective essay has helped me to explore and identify my short falls. Developing the According to the (NMC Code 2010) accurate reading and recording of skills must be adhered to at all times. This essay has taught me the important of Blood Pressure in caring for a patient. References: Bickley, L. S. , and Szilagyi, P. G. (2009) Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History taking, 10 th edn. London: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Blood Pressure Asso Available at: http://www. bpassoc. rg. uk/Supportingyou/NICE2011/Patients80 (Accessed :28 April 2012) Chambers, C. and Ryder E, (2009) Compassion and caring in nursing. U. K. Radcliffe Publishing Ltd. Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures 8th edn. U. K. Blackwell Publishing. Jameison,E. M. Whyte, L. A. and McCall, J. M. (2007) Clinical Nursing Practices 5th edn. Philadelphia :Elsevier Ltd. Marieb, E. M. and Hoehn, K. (2010) Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th edn. San Francisco U. S: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. NHS Choices Helping you prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease Available at: ttp://www. nhs. uk/Planners/NHSHealthCheck/Pages/Healthybloodpressure. aspx (Accessed: 28 April 2012) Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010) the Code. Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: NMC. Richards, A. and Edwards, S. (2008) A Nurses Survival Guide to the ward 2nd edn. Philadelphia :Elsevier Ltd. Smith, J. and Roberts R, (2011) Vital Signs for Nurses, U. K. Blackwell Publishing Ltd Williams, B. , Poulter, N. R. and Brown, J. R. (2004) â€Å"Guidelines for management of Hypertension† report of fourth working party of the British hypertension Society, 2004-BHSIV. Journal of Human Hypertension.

The Aztec And Greek Mythology Essay - 2381 Words

When people first hear of the term mythology, he or she normally will associate the word with the Greeks or the Romans because of the well-known myth and specifically the gods and goddesses. For instance, movies like Hercules, Clash of the Titans , 300, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympian are renowned films that people love and since people know these films, they tend to know general information about the background of the Romans and Greek mythology. Furthermore, the planets and days of the week are named after Roman and Greek gods and goddesses. The ancient people worshipped many of these and linked their divine deities with the planets and days and each is named after an individual god or goddesses, except for earth. Moreover, although these civilizations have fascinating myths, it is imperative to note that all cultures have their own unique mythologies. Similarly, the Mayans and Aztecs have their own exceptional take on how the world was created along with the first humans. The specific time frame of when the Mayan empire first started is unknown as well as when and why the Mayan empire started to decline. However, as new discoveries are being made, the dates of when the Mayan settlement took place is being pushed back further. The Mayans lived in what is now northern Central American which includes Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Yucatan Peninsula and Southern Mexico. Descendants of the Mayans still live there and speak the language today.Show MoreRelatedInevitably, Death is Only the Beginning in Egyptian and Aztec Culture687 Words   |  3 Pagesdestination every living thing will one day reach. The finish line of rot, ruin and decay. There are many dark deities in mythology. Male and Female deities in every different culture in the world. Two of the most interesting deities of death and darkness are Micteacaihatl the lady of death in Aztec culture, and the famous Anubis, guardian of the dead, and afterlife in Egyptian mythology. 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Various African creation myths, such as with the Yoruba, explain the creation of the Earth through at least a couple godsRead MoreSymbolic Interactionism and YOU Essay example1647 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"two-spirited† and were very capable of being in love with any gender openly. Homosexual and transgender individuals were also common among other pre-conquest civilizations in Latin Am erica, such as the Aztecs, Mayans, Quechuas, Zapotecs, and the Tupinambà ¡ of Brazil (Murray, 2004). Greek mythology very often features male same-sex love in many of the constituent myths, and have been described as being crucially influential on modern acceptability in European culture (Peguiney, 2002). The overall approval

Eating Disorders Are A Serious Health Problem - 1468 Words

Often, the desire to become thin becomes an obsession. People’s obsession over their appearance has led to a growing number of eating disorders. Eating disorders are a serious health problem. Personal Counseling Resources says that eating disorders â€Å"are characterized by a focus on body shape, weight, fat, food, and perfectionism and by feelings of powerlessness and low self-esteem.† Additionally, the media imparts a great deal of thinness on television, the Internet, and magazines that are viewed by millions of people every day leaving these individuals with a strong desire to look like models, actors and actresses. Abuse, whether it be physical, emotional, or sexual, can also contribute to the development of an eating disorder†¦show more content†¦Sometimes, compulsive exercising help shed the pounds but leave the individual unhealthy looking. There is a strong overwhelming fear of putting on weight and anorexics are preoccupied with the way their bodies look. Anorexia may involve the use of laxatives, diet pills, r self-induced vomiting to lose or to keep weight off (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm). Victims may deny their hunger, chew excessively and choose low calorie food (http://news.bbc.co.ukhi/english/health). Anorexics do all these things to become thin, when reality, it makes their body better at storing fat rather than burning it. Starved bodies ache all the time. The skin bruises, muscles cramp and deteriorate, and the bowels stop working on their own. The mouth dries and the eyes fog and some actually go blind from food deprivation (http://anorexicweb.com). For women, menstruation stops, body hair starts to grow especially on the face and arms, and the hair on the head falls out. Dehydration, osteoporosis, kidney stones and kidney failure are not uncommon among anorexics. An irregular heartbeat develops because of a change in heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure and even death (http://news .bbc.co.uk/hi/English/health). It can also cause osteoporosis. Along with anorexia one might have mental health problems and increased risk of suicide (http://www.meddoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm). Only one third of anorexic victims fully recover;