Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on the Mind

Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on the Mind Jodi Hawkins Nicotine and caffeine are substances that most people do not consider a drug, but most do acknowledge that they are addictive substances. The effects on the mind and body are something else that most do not consider significant, however, both are highly addictive and affect numerous aspects of the mind and body. This paper will cover some of the misconceptions and myths and provide clarification of the actual effects of nicotine and caffeine on the mind and body. Caffeine is probably one of the most misconstrued drug of the two and most do not consider it much of a danger or consider that it has effects on the body other than simply producing a bit of energy. Die hard caffeine drinkers will often complain of a headache if they do not have their normal dose of caffeine, while it appears to have no effect on others no matter how much or how often they consume it. What must be understood about caffeine is that it is a drug, it is considered a psychoactive drug, and has effects on the body that must be taken into consideration. Julien, Advokat, and Comaty (2011) discuss the known effects such as the effects on the central nervous system (CNS), the cardiac and respiratory systems, the diuretic effects, therapeutic effects including treatment of asthma and migraines, and describe caffeinism. Caffeinism is a clinical syndrome that occurs when there has been an overuse of caffeine and symptoms include anxiety, agitation, and insomnia as well as tachycardia, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia’s and gastrointestinal disturbances. This goes to show that caffeine is like many drugs in that it can be a good thing if used in moderation, but can have adverse side effects when used improperly or overused. Perhaps one of the most common therapeutic uses of caffeine is the use for migraine headache and headache in general. It can be found in combination with aspirin in several products due to the constriction of blood vessels it causes. When the vessels constrict it decreases the blood flow to the brain by up to thirty percent which can reduce pressure to the brain relieving the headache (Julien, Advokat, Comaty, 2011). Consumption of caffeine that is prolonged can cause several adverse effects such as headache, fatigue, osteoporosis, adrenal stimulation, and apathy, and also has the ability to cross the placental and blood-brain barrier and has the potential to cause fetal malformation if the fetus has not developed the enzymes needed for demethylation of caffeine (Gummadi, Bhavya, Ashok, 2012). So in essence, some of the desirable and therapeutic effects that are garnered such as headache relief and energy increase can reverse in overuse or prolonged use. And even though it is a drug, it is not a regulated drug but is a much researched drug due to the therapeutic effects and the seemingly endless applications. Athletics is an application where caffeine is highly promoted in energy drinks, energy bars, and diet aids. Although caffeine is considered a stimulant and performance enhancing it is widely accepted and not regulated or banned from use in athletic competitions. McDaniel, McIntire, Streitz, Jackson, and Gaudet (2010) discuss some of the research done in regard to athletic performance and caffeine use and the increase in speed and power and ability to train longer when caffeine is used. Nicotine is another drug that is not necessarily considered a drug by the general public, although there is a general consensus that it is found in tobacco products and not necessarily good for the body. Unfortunately this assumption is mainly based on the fact that it is in tobacco and the tobacco is usually the focus of most mainstream media along with the effects of tobacco on the user and second-hand effects on people in the vicinity of the user. While tobacco is unhealthy, it is the nicotine contained in the tobacco products that causes the addiction to the tobacco and should have more focus placed on it when discussing or reporting the negative effects of tobacco. Nicotine like caffeine is a psychoactive drug and is one of the three most widely used (the other two being caffeine and ethyl alcohol), and while it has no therapeutic applications in medicine it is nevertheless widely used and has a well-defined toxicity (Julien et al., 2011). Nicotine use used to be limited to more traditional cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff, but more recently it has been expanded to include other smokeless products as smoking has been more and more regulated. Some of the products that are currently flooding the market are strips, sticks, pellets, snus pouches, e-cigarettes (smokeless nicotine vapor electronic cigarettes). Traditional cigarettes contain between 0.5 and 2.0 milligrams of nicotine, but some of the smokeless applications such as the strips can contain just under a milligram to as much as four milligrams of nicotine in one use (Julien et al., 2011). Nicotine is absorbed through every site on or in the body and the elimination half-life in a chronic smoker is approximately two hours which necessitates a frequent administration to avoid withdrawal symptoms, and has effects on the peripheral nervous system, hear, and other body structures (Julien et al., 2011). In researching the addictive properties of nicotine, there is far less research found on the actual effects than there is on cessation from the addiction. Some articles say that nicotine is addictive as heroin while others say that one could not possibly ingest enough nicotine to equal the addictiveness of other drugs, and both types of articles have multiple peer reviewed sources to back up the claims. This author has first- hand experience with nicotine and tobacco use/addiction, and while tobacco can be an enjoyable experience, it is this author’s personal view that believes the research that claims that nicotine is highly addictive causing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Withdrawal symptoms can include nervousness, agitation, mood swings, lack of concentration, and increased appetite as observed by the author. The increased appetite at times appears to be a nervous response to needing something to do with the hands and mouth rather than an actual increase in appetite, but regardless it can and does often lead to weight gain upon cessation of smoking. Julien et al. (2011) further reinforce this belief as abstinence symptoms listed include the previously mentioned along with restlessness, insomnia, and severe cravings, as well as pointing out that many times when smokers seek treatment for drug or alcohol addictions it is often more difficult to quit smoking than to quit other drugs. No matter how adverse the effects of nicotine is on the body or mind, the primary problem is that the products that nicotine are in cause far worse health problems than the nicotine does. Various forms of cancer, increased risk of stroke, and heart attack are just a few physical problems directly related to tobacco use, and although e-cigarettes are touted as being relatively safe because they do not contain tobacco product the fact remains that they still contain a substance that is considered addictive. Any drug that is considered as addictive, can and will have adverse effects on one’s body and should not be treated lightly, and as in the case of nicotine a drug that directly affects the brain is nothing to sneeze at. Nicotine induces physiological and psychological dependence in the majority of smokers and very few smokers seem capable of sudden termination of smoking without experiencing abstinence symptoms (Julien et al., 2011). What also must be taken into consideration is the effects of second-hand smoke that is experienced by others in the close vicinity of a tobacco smoker, and it is the carcinogens in the smoke and not the nicotine that causes the health problems that can be experienced when subjected to second-hand smoke. One thing that should be taken into consideration is that both nicotine and caffeine are considered drugs, addictive drugs that are also psychoactive and thus mood altering. According to the Bible our bodies are God’s temple, â€Å"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?† (I Corinthians 6:19, KJV) which would bring one to the conclusion that any substance that alters one’s being and is not therapeutic (medically prescribed and necessary) should not be used. This does not mean that most people consider either nicotine or caffeine as a sin, but if the Bible is taken literally then both substances would be considered forbidden. While there are some religions that do consider caffeine along with any other mood altering substance as forbidden, it is generally accepted as can be witnessed in almost any church kitchen for most contain coffee and coffee making appliances. Smoking is more frowned upon by most Christians, but as other vices in this day and age is not considered as â€Å"bad† as it once was Biblically speaking, just physically detrimental. In conclusion, the evidence is overwhelming that both nicotine and caffeine are physically and psychologically addictive, but caffeine is the only one of the two that has therapeutic uses but still must be used in moderation to avoid adverse effects. References Gummadi S N Bhavya B Ashok N 2012 Physiology, biochemistry and possible applications of microbial caffeine degradation.Gummadi, S. N., Bhavya, B., Ashok, N. (2012). Physiology, biochemistry and possible applications of microbial caffeine degradation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 93(2), 545-554. 201401121455511055491090 Julien R M Advokat C D Comaty J E 2011 primer of drug actionJulien, R. M., Advokat, C. D., Comaty, J. E. (2011). A primer of drug action (12th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. 2014011214131192421770 McDaniel L W McIntire K Streitz C Jackson A Gaudet L 2010 effects of caffeine on athletic performance.McDaniel, L. W., McIntire, K., Streitz, C., Jackson, A., Gaudet, L. (2010). The effects of caffeine on athletic performance. College Teaching Methods Styles Journal, 6(1), 33-37. 20140112152043315758228

Jonathon Swift: A Modest Proposal Essay

Jonathon Swift: A Modest Proposal Jonathon Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a parody on the economic situation of the society in which he attempts to â€Å"find out a fair, cheap and easy method† (Swift) for the children in poverty to be put to good use for good of Ireland. This is seen right away in the full title of the pamphlet, â€Å"A Modern Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burden to their Parents, or the County, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick.† The reader begins to realize that Swift does not actually wish to implement these ideas of a baby being â€Å"a most delicious nourishing, and wholesome food† (Swift) once this extreme idea is proposed. Through this extreme proposal of cannibalism and breeding children to solve poverty and overpopulation, he makes the reader vulnerable while also eager to find out more. As entertaining as this text is, it is more than just a comic. Swift wishes to relay a much deeper meaning to the reader. In Robert Phiddian’s article, Have You Eaten Yet., Phiddian recognizes â€Å"the moral-political argument being carried out by means of parody.† (Phiddian) The moral issue, here, is poverty and the political issue is population, yet rarely do these issues remain as clear and separate as intended. Look more:  satire essay examples essay While Swift initially makes the reader chuckle several times throughout the text, he is venting about the societal ills that go unnoticed daily. He is aggravated by the hypocrisy of the wealthy trying to help the poor by coming up with such outlandish ideas that they think will supposedly solve poverty. Poverty is inevitable in a free market therefore with the money that the poor would receive â€Å"may be liable to distress and help pay their Landlord’s rent.† (Swift) Swift wants the reader to realize that no matter how great the ideas of the wealthy are, their motivation is to make a buck from these plans that they devise in their parlors over a cup of tea. â€Å"There is nothing higher than selfish greed within the terms of economic discourse† as Phiddian points out. Even in society today, there are always those people that wish to solve the issue of poverty, but can’t seem to realize that these implications are not easily resolved and are part of socie ty. Swift had compassion for the Irish people and felt for them in their severe  state, but he also shows disgust with the people of Ireland for not even trying on their own behalf. Prior to Swift writing A Modest Proposal he had written several sermons, which provide a background into the state of Ireland and how the people ended up in this predicament. â€Å"The members of this class are being called to their responsibilities and reminded of the guilt they share for the condition of their country.† (Phiddian) Swift leaves no stone unturned in the text and does not excuse any party from the awful state that Ireland is in at this point in time. Swift manages to target most of the groups in Ireland including the politicians, aristocracy, and even the poor. These and outside causes like that of England are included in the parody. Essentially, Swift trying to get the reader to understand that not one person can solve the problems of poverty and overpopulation. In fact, it is part of society and has been for centuries. The struggles are apparent before Swifts time and even now. He is able to address two sets of readers in a sense; one of his time and one of the future, our time. â€Å"While people continue to starve and to live in abject poverty, an analogy exists between Swift’s readers’ situation and our own.† (Phiddian) The reader is able to identify with the subject and the point that Swift is trying to make of the societal ills of the time through this â€Å"moral-political argument.† (Phiddian) in turn see that behind the gore and obscene ideas that he has come up with, there is a voice that needs to be heard. What would normally be a boring economic update or a political argument over what the country needs to do has been transformed by Swift into a masterpiece that peeks the interest of those other than the politicians. He is able to catch our attention as a reader by many surprises and then able to make us think critically about policies, values, and society as a whole in general. Reference Page Robert Phiddian Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 Vol. 36, No. 3, Restoration andEighteenth Century (Summer, 1996), pp. 603-621 Published by: Rice University

How Music Makes the World Happy

Analysis Memory Cost In the last 30 years, the need for hard drives to be capable to hold more memory has been on a very fast rise. This Is due to our operating systems that are larger and the fact that more people needing or wanting to use computers more. Technology has grown so much. 20 years ago only about half of us had computers in our homes. Today almost everybody has at least 1 desktop and 1 portable. We keep pictures of our children on computers, have more programs to use in everyday life, control our finances, do school work, our Job has a need for computers, and love to play games ND use the internet.Every day these things take up more and more memory storage. The last time researchers hit a limit for expanding memory was 2005. We take this fact, that there are limits, for granted. That every now and then there is a limit that cannot be topped. Researchers say that that limit again Is going to reached somewhere around 2013-2015. There Is a new technology for the HAD (hard d isk drive) called the HAM (heat-assisted magnetic recording). This will bring massive storage growth and raise the Industry way beyond 100 TUB. Currently there is a 100 TUB hard drive. When will it be commercially available?After researching several charts I would say in about 5-10 years. At this point the average person would not even need this much memory and the price would be extremely expensive. So I am going to say in about 5-10 years we will meet supply and demand on a 100 TUB hard drive. Ten years from I am predicting that I could buy a 8 TUB hard drive for around $100 dollars. I cannot get a very educated guess on this because the all the history charts on this vary. But I took what I could buy today and used Morel's law and came up with an 8 TUB hard drive will cost about $100 dollars In the year 2023. And that Is If we even use HAD at that time.

A Brief Overview of British Literary Periods

Although historians have delineated the eras of British literature in different ways over time, common divisions are outlined below.   Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (450–1066) The term Anglo-Saxon comes from two Germanic tribes, the Angles and the Saxons. This period of literature dates back to their invasion (along with the Jutes) of Celtic England circa 450. The era ends in 1066, when Norman France, under William, conquered England. Much of the first half of this period, prior to the seventh century, at least, had oral literature. A lot of the prose during this time was a translation of something else or legal, medical, or religious in nature; however, some works, such as Beowulf,  and those by period poets Caedmon and Cynewulf, are important. Middle English Period (1066–1500) The Middle English period sees a huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England and results in what we can recognize today as a form of â€Å"modern† (recognizable) English. The era extends to around 1500. As with the Old English period, much of the Middle English writings were religious in nature; however, from about 1350 onward, secular literature began to rise. This period is home to the likes of Chaucer, Thomas Malory, and Robert Henryson. Notable works include Piers Plowman and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.   The Renaissance (1500–1660) Recently, critics and literary historians have begun to call this the â€Å"Early Modern† period, but here we retain the historically familiar term â€Å"Renaissance.† This period is often subdivided into four parts, including the Elizabethan Age (1558–1603), the Jacobean Age (1603–1625), the Caroline Age (1625–1649), and the Commonwealth Period (1649–1660).   The Elizabethan Age was the golden age of English drama. Some of its noteworthy figures include Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and, of course, William Shakespeare.  The Jacobean Age is named for the reign of James I. It includes the works of John Donne, Shakespeare, Michael Drayton, John Webster, Elizabeth Cary, Ben Jonson, and Lady Mary Wroth. The King James translation of the Bible also appeared during the Jacobean Age.  The Caroline Age covers the reign of Charles I (â€Å"Carolus†). John Milton, Robert Burton, and George Herbert are some of the notable figures. Finally, the Commonwealth Age was so named for the period between the end of the English Civil War and the restoration of the Stuart monarchy. This is the time when Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan, led Parliament, who ruled the nation. At this time, public theaters were closed (for nearly two decades) to prevent public assembly and to combat moral and religious transgressions. John Milton and Thomas Hobbes’ political writings appeared and, while drama suffered, prose writers such as Thomas Fuller, Abraham Cowley, and Andrew Marvell published prolifically. The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785) The Neoclassical period is also subdivided into ages, including The Restoration (1660–1700), The Augustan Age (1700–1745), and The Age of Sensibility (1745–1785). The Restoration period sees some response to the puritanical age, especially in the theater. Restoration comedies (comedies of manner) developed during this time under the talent of playwrights such as William Congreve and John Dryden. Satire, too, became quite popular, as evidenced by the success of Samuel Butler. Other notable writers of the age include Aphra Behn, John Bunyan, and John Locke. The Augustan Age was the time of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, who imitated those first Augustans and even drew parallels between themselves and the first set. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, a poet, was prolific at this time and noted for challenging stereotypically female roles. Daniel Defoe was also popular.   The Age of Sensibility  (sometimes referred to as the Age of Johnson) was the time of Edmund Burke, Edward Gibbon, Hester Lynch Thrale, James Boswell, and, of course, Samuel Johnson. Ideas such as neoclassicism, a critical and literary mode, and the Enlightenment, a particular worldview shared by many intellectuals, were championed during this age. Novelists to explore include Henry Fielding, Samuel Richardson, Tobias Smollett, and Laurence Sterne, as well as the poets William Cowper and Thomas Percy. The Romantic Period (1785–1832) The beginning date for the Romantic period is often debated. Some claim it is 1785, immediately following the Age of Sensibility. Others say it began in 1789 with the start of the French Revolution, and still, others believe that 1798, the publication year for William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s book Lyrical Ballads, is its true beginning. The time period ends with the passage of the Reform Bill (which signaled the Victorian Era) and with the death of Sir Walter Scott. American literature has its own Romantic period, but typically when one speaks of Romanticism, one is referring to this great and diverse age of British literature, perhaps the most popular and well-known of all literary ages. This era includes the works of such juggernauts as Wordsworth, Coleridge, William Blake, Lord Byron, John Keats, Charles Lamb, Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas De Quincey, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley. There is also a minor period, also quite popular (between 1786–1800), called the Gothic era.  Writers of note for this period include Matthew Lewis, Anne Radcliffe, and William Beckford. The Victorian Period (1832–1901) This period is named for the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne in 1837,  and it lasts until her death in 1901.  It was a time of great social, religious, intellectual, and economic issues, heralded by the passage of the Reform Bill, which expanded voting rights. The period has often been divided into â€Å"Early† (1832–1848), â€Å"Mid† (1848–1870) and â€Å"Late† (1870–1901) periods or into two phases, that of the Pre-Raphaelites (1848–1860) and that of Aestheticism and Decadence (1880–1901). This period is in strong contention with the Romantic period for being the most popular, influential, and prolific period in all of English (and world) literature. Poets of this time include Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Matthew Arnold, among others. Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, and Walter Pater were advancing the essay form at this time.  Finally, prose fiction truly found its place under the auspices of Charles Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Samuel Butler.   The Edwardian Period (1901–1914) This period is named for King Edward VII and covers the period between Victoria’s death and the outbreak of World War I. Although a short period (and a short reign for Edward VII), the era includes incredible classic novelists such as Joseph Conrad, Ford Madox Ford, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and Henry James (who was born in America but who spent most of his writing career in England), notable poets such as Alfred Noyes and William Butler Yeats, as well as dramatists such as James Barrie, George Bernard Shaw, and John Galsworthy. The Georgian Period (1910–1936) The Georgian period usually refers to the reign of George V (1910–1936) but sometimes also includes the reigns of the four successive Georges from 1714–1830. Here, we refer to the former description as it applies chronologically and covers, for example, the Georgian poets, such as Ralph Hodgson, John Masefield, W.H. Davies, and Rupert Brooke. Georgian poetry today is typically considered to be the works of minor poets anthologized by Edward Marsh. The themes and subject matter tended to be rural or pastoral in nature, treated delicately and traditionally rather than with passion (like was found in the previous periods) or with experimentation (as would be seen in the upcoming modern period).   The Modern Period (1914–?) The modern period traditionally applies to works written after the start of World War I. Common features include bold experimentation with subject matter, style, and form, encompassing narrative, verse, and drama. W.B. Yeats’ words, â€Å"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold† are often referred to when describing the core tenet or â€Å"feeling† of modernist concerns. Some of the most notable writers of this period, among many, include the novelists James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, Dorothy Richardson, Graham Greene, E.M. Forster, and Doris Lessing; the poets W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, Seamus Heaney, Wilfred Owens, Dylan Thomas, and Robert Graves; and the dramatists Tom Stoppard, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, Frank McGuinness, Harold Pinter, and Caryl Churchill. New Criticism also appeared at this time, led by the likes of Woolf, Eliot, William Empson, and others, which reinvigorated literary criticism in general. It is difficult to say whether modernism has ended, though we know that postmodernism has developed after and from it; for now, the genre remains ongoing. The Postmodern Period (1945–?) The postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. Many believe it is a direct response to modernism. Some say the period ended about 1990, but it is likely too soon to declare this period closed.  Poststructuralist literary theory and criticism developed during this time. Some notable writers of the period include Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller, Anthony Burgess, John Fowles, Penelope M. Lively, and Iain Banks. Many postmodern authors wrote during the modern period as well.