Chapter+3+Sensation+and+Perception

Vicki Quintanilla - Fibromyalgia

The topic that interested me the most was pain. It is amazing how many people deal with pain everyday of their life and yet keep up with their families, job and school. Many woman have suffered with constant pain everyday and most thought it was all in their heads, well contrary to that assumption both men and women are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The average time for diagnosis is 5 years and generally in the ages of 20-50. Most suffering with fibromyalgia has been misdiagnosed, a lot of people will say that there is always something wrong with you and possibly call you a hypochondriac. But for most that suffer with chronic pain everyday, life can be very hard. Simple tasks like getting out of bed are very painful. Many say that in the morning your joints are very stiff and extremely painful. Such pain like that in the morning also goes along with severe fatigue, some will say that they hurt from head to toe. Stress is a factor in fibromyalgia; doctors do say that in some cases that if your stress levels go down with life changes that you may be free from fibromyalgia. There are many signs for fibromyalgia: 1. Severe pain for many years with no explanation 2. Migraine headaches 3. Irritable bowel syndrome 4. Severe tender spots in all areas of the body 5. Tingling and numbness 6. Headaches 7. Stiffness in the morning when getting up 8. Anxiety and depression 9. Interruptions in sleep pattern 10. No energy for exercise In order to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you must have 3 months of constant pain and 11-18 key painful spots. Most pain will be in these areas 1. Lower back 2. Shoulders 3. Neck 4. Legs 5. Buttocks Most doctors will have you keep a record of your pain to make sure you are getting the right diagnosis. Other health conditions associated with fibromyalgia 1. Irritable bowel syndrome 2. Chronic fatigue 3. Depression 4. Cancer 5. Back problems 6. HIV 7. Rheumatoid arthritis 8. Lyme disease Most do not realize how painful fibromyalgia is, it can be very excruciating and hard to deal with normal routines. My twin was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 2 years ago after suffering with constant pain for 5 years, she has since been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and learning to deal with pain on a daily basis. Her fingers and toes have started to point outward, which is a complication with rheumatoid arthritis. Diagnosis with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis is extremely painful and can interrupt your career as well as enjoying time with your family. Eventually you will not be able to work as your hands and feet start to disfigure, it is hard and painful to use them in everyday tasks. My twin was told that she will be in pain the rest of her life, meaning she will be taking pain medication everyday to function. I have learned in this chapter that many Americans suffer from pain everyday. I also learned that your mental state can play a major roll in how you feel, if you always believe that something is wrong with you that it will affect your pain as well. I found it very interesting that when you are adapted to the pain level everyday, it sometimes can be less painful. However if you are in an emotional state you will experience more pain. Some will say to use mind over matter to try to deal with the pain, if you keep a positive attitude and keep saying to yourself I can handle this pain, you might have better days. However fibromyalgia is real and the pain can be unbearable at times. Getting a proper diagnosis and treatment will help deal this everyday. Find a support group so that talking with others might help with some ideas to deal with the pain. I still wonder how exactly pain is triggered off, how there are so many illnesses caused by constant pain. How do this doctors and scientists come up with names and signs for diseases. Treatment is import for all diseases. Some treatments do not always work for others, what are the options for them? I am still interested in how your emotional state can play a roll in experiencing pain. It is known that when you stress out, it can tighten your muscles which lead to pain. So is that saying that a happy person that never gets upset will be healthier? With scientific studies these days we learn of more illnesses all the time, I wonder if there will be a cure for all diseases and disorders. I believe that mind over matter can help with dealing with pain. Although the economy plays a major role in injuries, people are working much harder so they don’t lose their job. People are stressed out more and tend to get hurt easier than someone that is stress free. [] []

Keith Pizzo - The Nose Knows

I am an old soul. I have been told that I was born in the wrong decade. This is probably due to my love of old movies, old music, and nostalgia in general. They say history repeats itself, so it is no surprise to me that the government pays people to study the past in an attempt to predict the future. In 2007, the government actually backed an experiment by Physicist John Cramer that involved time travel. The subject of time travel has been a staple in science fiction movie plots like 1985’s “Back to the Future” and television shows like “Quantum Leap” in the early 1990s. Readers marveled as they read about it in books like “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells and more recently in Michael Crichton’s “Timeline”. Perhaps you’d find it interesting to know that you have your own time machine. It’s as plain as the nose on your face.

What comes to mind when you think about a nose? A runny nose? A nose bleed? Nose hairs that need trimming? Boogers?! Maybe you’ve thought of one or all of those things, but have you ever thought about your nose as being a time machine? Yes! Your nose and your sense of smell can take you back in time with just a whiff of a familiar scent of days gone by. How is it that the aroma of homemade spaghetti sauce simmering on a stove can take you back to your Italian grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon in 1993? How is it possible that the odor of fallen leaves and rain can place you on a high school football field performing a halftime show with the marching band in 1988? Why does the smell of moth balls transport you to the hall closet in your trailer up north on a summer day in 1979? For this writing assignment, I hoped to gain further understanding of the sense of smell and its connection with memory.

The first thing one must understand is the way the sense of smell works. This, in itself, is difficult to explain, because scientists still consider some things regarding the sense of smell a mystery. Inside the human nasal cavity it is estimated that there are 12 million odor-detecting cells. Each one of those cells is programmed to respond to certain odor molecules. Each of these 12 million cells has axons that links into the olfactory bulb in the brain. When an odor enters the nasal cavity, they pass over these 12 million cells and signals are sent to the olfactory bulb. Once there, the brain begins to recognize, and even remember, it. Scientists believe that the human brain can recognize and remember about 10,000 different smells, but do not grasp how the messages from the nose result in the sensation of smell.

Linking a smell to a memory involves another part of the brain: the limbic system. The limbic system is the sometimes referred to as the “memory and emotional center” of the brain. When a smell hits the olfactory bulb it is analyzed, and based on the brain’s findings, additional nerve impulses are sent out to the limbic system. It is there, that smells and memories are instantly connected. Because of the fact that the limbic system involves both memory and emotions, it is easy to see how a person can become emotional over a particular scent. It is now easy to understand how the scent of long forgotten perfume can cause you to remember a special day or person from your past.

We’ve seen how the limbic system can connect the sense of smell with memories, but I’d also like to show how it connects smell with emotion or mood. All of the memories I have used as examples have been pleasant ones. It is important to note, however, that sometimes a smell can bring about a bad memory. Perhaps the perfume you got a whiff of, was the perfume your “exgirlfiend from hell” wore. This would certainly not bring about pleasant memories. It makes perfect sense to me that while certain smells have the power to put you in a good mood, that certain smells would have the power to put you in a bad mood.

The human body, with its five senses is an amazing thing. The time it takes for a smell to enter the nostrils, travel to the brain and tell the body what it is takes milliseconds. In that short amount of time neurons, axons, and stimulated receptors all go to work and register it for the first time or connect it with something in your past. If it is the latter, for a brief moment, you step in your time machine and are whisked The away to that moment. Instantaneously your mind triggers memories of people, places or an event from long ago. You may even feel as though you are back there physically in that moment, but this is when the other four senses of the human body step in and keep you in the present. Based on what I discovered on the sense of smell, I feel it may truly be one of the most important senses we have.

The difference in perception of American and Iraqi life-Rachel Karyakose

Since the war in Iraq began in March of 2003 Americans believed that Iraq was a country in need of some major help. Although I do agree, many American do not understand how much pressure we have put on Iraq to become a country similar to our own. Unintentionally we have Americanized many of the Iraqi people. Some of the Iraqi people enjoy the freedoms they now have but many are trying to hold on to what they grew up with. The American and Iraqis perception of a good life are very different and I have always found this intriguing because my father and his entire family originated from a village outside of Bagdad and some still live in Iraq today. In the country of Iraq pregnancy is the most important thing a woman can be a part of. The children are sacred and they believe the more children they have the better. When it comes time to give birth to the child Iraqi woman normally just have there babies in a nice clean bedroom of the house, very rarely do the go to the hospital to have like we do in America. If for any reason the pregnancy is detrimental to the baby or mother then and only then or abortion legal. American may find it weird to have that many children or that pregnancy is the most important thing a woman does but I grew up knowing that my father’s family was very large. He has nine brother and sister which is slightly more the average of four in an Arab household or way more the average of two in American homes. As for pregnancy being sacred that just the way Iraqis know and the mother are the neuters. Unlike the United States Arab man and woman are not suppose to go on dates or be alone with one another until they are engaged. Prior to being engaged almost all Iraqi stay close to the house until they are married and then quickly create their own life in their own home. Marriages are many times arranged by both families with both partners in marriage agreeing. As much as they say that both parties have a say in the marriage many time the marriage will not last long because the man and woman are not compatible. Similarly to the United States the minimum age to get married without parent consent is 18 but unlike America premarital sex is absolutely taboo. If someone disobeys the unwritten law the other family could be forced to take power in ending the marriage or even kill. Strangely enough polygamy is completely legal for up to four wives, whereas here polygamy is illegal but still occurs. Weddings in the Arab communities are very extravagant and can last well over a week with all the celebrations. On average a wedding is between a man around the age of 26 and a woman around the age of 22 which is about a four year difference from the American averages. Once a couple is married the woman takes on the housekeeping and babysitting while the man goes to work all day. Women are very segregated from men in all parts of life. The women rarely leave the home unless it is to go grocery shopping or over to a friend’s house to cook or socialize. From my experience the men sit and socialize, play backgammon, chess and dominoes while lunch or dinner is being prepared in the kitchen by women and girls that are 12 years of age and up and are willing to help. Then when the food is ready the men eat first and us women have to make it as easy on the men as we can so we hand them there plates they get there food and return to the social area of the house. Us woman then bring them a platter of drink for them to chose from. I think the men at the gatherings are very lazy but when I try to speck up I don’t get listen to so I just play along. Many Americans would think that in these situations the woman are treated as servant and we are but that how it is. Men using beginning working in the family business or for a friend of the family at a young age and continue that work almost there whole career. Young ladies may also work in the family business until they are married and have children and then more often than not they quit work to raise the family. Iraqi people normally do not get to pick their professions but learn to like them with time. More time then not they would be working with friends and relatives so there social groups are the same and takes away from the boring jobs they may have. If the man works at a party store or a family business many times the shop or business would close at lunch time so the men could return home for lunch which is their largest meal of the day. After lunch the men would return to work and then work late and return home late in the evening for a light dinner with the family. Men using work well into their 60’s and then if they chose to they can retire and enjoy their spouse. By the time they are 60 or 70 they may be losing the ability to live independent from a caregiver and then move in with their oldest son and his family to be taken care of until death. This is very different from the idea we have in America where we put our elderly love ones in nursing homes close to home. Arab people believe that death is destiny just like any other group but they also do not morn for a long period of time. They normally will have a sort prayer service and a funeral the day follow the death of their loved one. Traditionally everyone wears black to the prayer and funeral. I found this to be very dark and gloomy when I went to my great-grandma’s prayer service. American may find it odd that the men and women sit on opposite sides of the room to partake in the prayers. My father said that this is because the men and the women deal with the death in different ways so they pray differently. From the day a child is conceived to the day they die Iraqi people are very family oriented and stay unified for life. Although I find some of the moral and ethics of my father culture strange they are just different and live different. They have a more direct way of doing thing and I like it in some sense. I hope to continue some of the tradition I have seen on to my children so they can understand our heritage a little better. I think many people don’t know about the Arabic culture so they judge it before they understand what it is really about.

Lauren E. Ross

Your Sense of Smell I remember watching a movie a long time ago, were a father of a newborn infant put these beautiful strong scented flowers up to the babies nose whenever he was around. Throughout the movie, it shows the baby being taken away and raised into a different family without any knowledge of her biological parents. Then, towards the end, the girl is given the same flower by a strange man she’s never met. She smells this beautiful flower and it instantly takes her back to a memory the she was totally unaware of before, which instantaneously made her realize there was some kind of connection between her and the man. She later finds out the man was indeed her biological father. This made me think, is the human sense of smell really that strongly linked to memory? Is it possible for a memory to be triggered in adulthood from a smell that you only smelled as an infant or small child? I began to research, and discovered just exactly how the sense of smell works and how it’s linked to memory, as well as how it influences society today. Your sense of smell is operated by a very complex system. The first step in order to smell is breathing in through the nose. As you breathe in, odor molecules floating in the air get sucked in and dissolve into mucus which then turns them into receptor cells. Under the mucus lays the olfactory epithelium. The receptors cells are then transferred to here were they transmit information to the olfactory bulbs in the back of the nose. The bulbs then send a message to the higher brain (limbic system) were the cells are perceived as scents. The odors are how we can perceive things through our sense of smell. This system is one of the two systems in the human body that can identify and memorize molecules instantaneously, the other one being the immune system. (Rodriguez-Gil, 2004) Because the limbic system includes the hippocampus which is responsible for memory, and the amygdala, which is responsible for emotions, this makes smells easily memorized and stored within these parts of the brain. There are over 2000 scents the brain can individually distinguish, and most are remembered after you smell them for the first time. A smell can bring back a memory from years ago almost instantly, especially if the memory is something traumatic or joyful. Smells, however, are conditioned responses. This means you must smell something for the first time in order to link it to something. When you smell that smell for the first time, the brain automatically links that scent to a person, thing, or situation. Smells actually have the power to change the mood you’re in, for example, if your mother died recently and you smell an old sweater, this may inflict emotions such as sadness and sorrow. Because we encounter most of our smells in our early ages, smells are most often linked to childhood memories more than anything else. It has been proven that we even make connections between smells before we are born. Experiments show that infants exposed to strong scents in the uterus, such as garlic and cigarette smoke, show a preference to that smell after birth. (Dowdey, N/A) Recently, companies have begun to discover the opportunities that the sense of smell has to offer. Companies that sell items such as baked goods will set freshly baked cookies out on the counter to draw in customers. Adds for perfumes in magazines now allow you to smell a sample of their finest sent. Now, even clothing companies are starting to break through more than ever distinguishing scents. They strive to develop their own sent, unlike any other companies, to make them become more popular and memorized by customers. The first company I think about is the teen clothing store Hollister Co. Every time I buy a shirt from there the scent of “Hollister” lingers throughout the house when I bring it home, and most of my family can instantly recognize it without seeing the bag or logo. (Dowdey, N/A) In conclusion, I learned a lot from researching this topic. I now understand how important smell is to each individual, how it ties in emotionally, and how large companies use it to their advantage. I learned exactly how smell works physiologically and found the answer to my question; it is possible to remember smells you smelled small infant in adulthood, because it is so strongly linked to memory.

Works Cited

Dowdey, S. (N/A). //How Smell Works//. Retrieved October 19, 2010, from www.Discoveryhealth.com: http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nose-throat/smell.htm Rodriguez-Gil, G. (2004, Spring). //The sense of smell: A powerful Sense//. Retrieved October 2010, from www.tsbvi.edu: []

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