Gabrielle+G.

Post #3 June 6 2014

=**Love Sickness: A disease**=

But what people really do not think about is that lovesickness is actually a disease that effects the brain and potential over all health of a human being.
 * In** 1979, Dr. Dorothy Tennov introduced the term limorence to describe what we know today as lovesickness. According to dictionary.reference.com lovesickness is defined as languishing for love and expressiveness of such languish.

media type="custom" key="26158428" Comedic short film on how people perceive lovesickness

Signs and Symptoms of being love sick-
There are signs one can look for is thinking they might be suffering from lovesickness, these symptoms include:
 * Mood Swings: including feelings of depression and hopelessness, as if you cannot live without said persons affection. Sudden urges to cry
 * Isolation: You isolate yourself from the rest of the world and feel as though no one understands what you are going through
 * Tiredness: You feel tired a lot more then you normally would and do not have the energy to do daily tasks
 * Loss of appetite: may include nausea and vomiting
 * Distraction: You may feel distracted or scatter brained
 * Symptoms of obsessive compulsive: checking social media and phones constantly
 * Hording: Treasuring the memories and or items from this person
 * Insomnia
 * Anxiety

Not only are these symptoms effecting the person physically and mentally but symptoms of lovesickness can completely interfere with ones daily life.



What causes Lovesickness-
Lovesickness actually has to do with the chemicals in the brain and is even said to be a mental illness, although love is something that people seek to have. When experiencing lovesickness people often feel miserable and wonderful at the same time, this is because the chemicals that are releases during the feeling of having lovesickness act like those chemicals that are released when using drugs. The brain is overloaded with the release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, the feel good hormones. All of these neurotransmitters trigger strong emotional and psychological responses.

Suffering from a Broken Heart-
After experiencing lovesickness you can also experience symptoms from falling out of love, which is known as Broken Heart Syndrome in the medical community. Symptoms of Broken Heart Syndrome actually mimic the symptoms of a heart attack, including chest pain, shortness of breath and heart failure.

Keeping the Love Alive-
Neuroscience research has shown that couple who have been together for a long time can keep their romance alive by going out on regular date nights. Researchers have found that by doing this it will keep the relationship fresh and rewarding. When couples engage in fun, exciting and new experiences the brain will release the dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine the same way it had when they first fell in love and caught the "love bug".

Further Readings: __ [] __ <-- Are you suffering from love sickness? Find out here. __ [] __ <-- Oprah's views a on the "Love Drug" __ [] __ <-- How to get over being Lovesick __ [] __ <-- BBC's input on Lovesickness

Sources: __ [] __ __ [|http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression-pictures/signs-youre-lovesick.aspx#/slide-5] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __

= =

Post #2 May 1 2014

The Evolution Of The English Bulldog
Image of the English Bulldog that we know today

English Bulldogs as we know them today are the short, stocky, rollie pollie dogs that are famous for their body that is covered in wrinkles. This image is what seems normal to us and it seems as if the English Bulldog has always been this way but unfortunately that is untrue. The English Bulldog we know today is completely manmade.

media type="custom" key="25787592" TPStation's Dogs 101: English Bulldog describes the English Bulldog past and present.


 * Physical Changes:**

The English Bulldog was not always as short as it is today, they were much taller but once bull baiting became illegal the demand for shorter bulldogs as companions began to rise. Along with the shorter stature came the loss of weight as well. Originally a male bulldog on average would weight 90lbs but todays bulldogs on average only weight 50-60lbs. Unfortunately when humans decided to change the outer appearance of this breed it drastically changed the skeletal features as well. The dogs were bread to have larger skulls, shortened faces, shorter shoulder height and be wider through the breast bone. All these drastic changes took place over less then a hundred short years of breading for these specific traits.

The English Bulldog that was originally breed for bull --The difference in the shape of the skull in the English Bulldog baiting in the 1800's


 * Health Problems:**

Because humans were picking these characteristics for the English Bulldog, like many other breeds, they became dangerously inbred which lead to multiple health problems that the breed is known for today. Including:
 * Skin infections, due to the excessive skin folds
 * Cherry eye, also because of excessive skin folds around the eyes
 * Hip dysplasia
 * Brachycephalic Syndrome- breathing problems, due to the shortened nose
 * Over heating
 * Heart problems
 * Mouth/Jaw problems
 * Rear/Tail problems
 * Urinary/Reproduction problems
 * Cancer

Also because of the unnatural changes to the skeletal shape of the breed, the English Bulldog cannot deliverer it's puts naturally as the large head and broad shoulders cannot fit through the mothers birth canal. They must be delivered via caesarean section. Without human assistance with the birthing process, the English Bulldog as a breed would easily go extinct. English Bulldog adult and pup


 * Further Reading:**

__ [] __ <-- History of the English Bulldog and what is was bread for __ [] __ <-- Facts about English Bulldogs and caring for the breed __ [] __ <-- Saving the English Bulldog, New York Times

__ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __
 * References:**

__**Dwarfism**__ Post #1 Feb 28 20 14

When we see someone that is different then us it is almost compulsory to stop and stare. Especially if this difference is a person who is extremely short in stature. Most commonly referred to as little people or dwarfs (not midgets) are found everywhere in the world with any type of Dwarfism occurring on average 26,000 out of 40,000 births.

The Roloff family from TLC's hit show Little People Big World

**What is Dwarfism?**

Dwarfism is defined as an adult with a stature shorter then 4 feet 10 inches and can be caused by over 300 conditions within the body, most of which being genetic. Although Dwarfism is genetic, children born with Dwarfism can be born to parents of normal height. This condition is not an intellectual disability and it is very common for little people to go to school, have normal jobs and have families of their own.

media type="custom" key="25230022" National Geographic Channel's documentary Science of Dwarfism is an insight in to the internal systems of a person living with this condition and how their bodies are so alike yet so very different from the average human being.


 * What Causes Dwarfism?**

As previously mentioned Dwarfism can be caused by over 300 conditions. We have learned that most are caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation in the sperm or egg cells prior to conception while others are caused by genetic changes that are inherited from one or both parents. We are still unsure of what causes these genes to mutate and scientist have said that it happens randomly during pregnancy. Because it is so random it is possible for parents of average height to have a child with Dwarfism and one or two parents with Dwarfism to have an average height child.

Dwarfism has other causes as well including, These can all lead to short stature in children if they fail to grow at a normal rate.
 * metabolic or hormonal disorders
 * chromosomal abnormalities
 * kidney disease
 * and others

This pictures shows a child with Dwarfism compared to children of the same age group. We can see the differences in height in which the child with Dwarfism is much shorter then the rest of the children his age.


 * Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments and Complications of Dwarfism **

Diagnosis of Dwarfism can be made shortly after birth most times solely dependent on the physical appearance of the child. X-rays can be done of the skeletal system to confirm what type of Dwarfism is present. If there is any earlier suspicion of Dwarfism, prenatal test can be done as well.

There is no "cure" for Dwarfism as the skeletal structure cannot be changed but hormonal injections and special diets can help a child's development. Medical treatments can also be preformed to help with medical problems that arise from short stature in children and adults. Some types of Dwarfism can also affect vision and hearing and need to be carefully monitored.

The one thing every Dwarf has in common is of course shortness but other problems can become apparent because of this stature including,
 * delayed development of motor skills
 * breathing problems caused by small cheats
 * weight problems
 * curvature in spine
 * bowed legs
 * trouble with joint flexibility and early arthritis
 * lower back pain and led numbness
 * crowding of teeth

Surgery can bring relief to some of these problems but many people suffering from Dwarfism do end up needing a wheelchair or canes to help mobility.

This is the most common skeletal structure for someone with Dwarfism.


 * Achondroplasia**

There a many different types of Dwarfism and most are known as skeletal dysplasias, which are conditions of abnormal bone growth. The most common of skeletal dysplasias is achondroplasia. This type of dysplasia is where a person has a average sized trunk but shortened limbs (arms and legs). Anchondroplasia occurs on average every 1 of 15,000 births of any race or ethnicity.

People with anchondroplasia also share other common features such as,
 * larger head
 * prominent forehead
 * flattened bridge of the nose
 * shortened hands and fingers
 * and reduced muscle tone

The average height for someone living with anchondraplasia is a little over 4 feet tall.

This image displays some of the physical features of someone living with Dwarfism.


 * Further Readings**

For further readings of the above topics please feel free to brows the links below:

[] <-- Other forms of skeletal dysplasias found in those with Dwarfism [|http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/growth/dwarfism.html#] <-- Easy to follow facts and information about Dwarfism for teens [] <-- More on anchondroplasia, causes, testing, ext. [] <-- Full length National Geographic Channel's Science of Dwarfism

[|http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/dwarfism.html#] [] [] [] [] []
 * References**