Dietary Supplement Essay Example for Free

Dietary Supplement Essay Taking any kind of supplements can also be a type of complementary or alternative medicine. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not regulate dietary supplements in the same way that it regulates medicine. A dietary supplement can be sold without research on how well it works. The benefit of taking dietary supplements is that they are designed to augment your daily intake of nutrients. Normally, you should be able to get all the nutrients you need from a well balanced diet. However, taking supplements can provide additional nutrients when your diet is lacking or when certain health conditions cause you to develop an insufficiency or deficiency. Multiple-vitamin supplements provide all the basic vitamins and minerals your body needs. These vitamins are generally safe because they only contain small amounts of each nutrient. Individual nutrients can also be sold as a dietary supplement, but in larger amounts than what’s found in a typical multiple-vitamin. These supplements may be used to treat a simple deficiency, such as an iron deficiency, but sometimes they’re used therapeutically to treat specific health conditions or risk factors. For example, large doses of niacin may be used to raise good cholesterol, and folic acid has been used to reduce the risk of a birth defect called spina bifida. The risk of taking dietary supplements is that some contain active ingredients that have strong biological effects in the body. This could make them unsafe in some situations and hurt or even complicate your health. Using dietary supplements could lead to harmful and even life-threatening consequences such as using supplements with medications whether prescription or over the counter and substituting them for prescriptions medicines. Taking too much of some of these supplements, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, and iron. Some supplements can also have unwanted effects before, during, and after surgery. Always inform your health care provider, including your pharmacist about any supplements your taking especially before surgery. The FDA regulates both finished dietary supplement products and dietary ingredients under a different set of regulation than those covering â€Å"conventional† foods and drug products (prescription and Over-the-counter). Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), the dietary supplement or dietary ingredient manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement or ingredient is safe before it is marketed. FDA is responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary supplement product after it reaches the market. Manufacturers are required to produce dietary supplements to minimum quality standards and ensure that they do not contain any contaminants or impurities, and are accurately labeled. Generally, manufacturers do not need to register their products with FDA nor get approval before producing or selling dietary supplements. Manufacturers must make sure that product label information is truthful and not misleading. The manufacturers are required to report all serious dietary supplement related adverse events or illnesses to the FDA as of December 2007. The FDA can take dietary supplements off the market if they are found to be unsafe, adulterated, or if the claims on the products are false and misleading. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin that is normally found in foods such as dried beans, peas, lentils, oranges, whole-wheat products, liver, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach. Folic acid is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folic acid as well as its complications, including â€Å"tired blood’ (anemia) and the inability of the bowel to absorb nutrients properly. Folic acid is also used for other conditions commonly associated with folic acid deficiency, including ulcerative colitis, liver disease, alcoholism, and kidney dialysis. Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take folic acid to prevent miscarriage and birth defects such as spina bifida that occur when the fetus’s spine and back don’t close during development. Folic acid is likely safe for most people. Most adults do not experience an aide effects when consuming the recommended amount each day, which is 400 mcg. High doses of folic acid might cause abdominal cramps, diarrhea, rash, sleep disorders, irritability, confusion, nausea, stomach upset, behaviors changes, skin reactions, seizures, gas, and excitability. There is some concern that taking too much folic acid for a long period of time might cause serious side effects. Some research suggests that taking folic acid in doses of 800-1200 mcg might increase the risk of heart attack in people who have heart problems. Other research suggests that taking these high doses might also increase the risk of cancer such as lung or prostate cancer. For folic acid deficiency: the typical dose is 250-1000 mcg per day. For preventing neural tube defects: at least 400 mcg of folic acid per day from supplements or fortified food should be taken by women capable of becoming pregnant and continued through the first month of pregnancy. Women with a history of previous pregnancy complicated by neural tude defects usually take 4 mg per day beginning one month before and continuing for three months after conception. References: www. nih. gov/medlineplus/dietarysupplements www. wedmd. com/dietarysupplements www. fda. gov/food/dietarysupplements

pearl harbor Essay -- essays research papers fc

Pearl Harbor: Isolationism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a common held belief that America has historically been a nation driven by the ideology of isolationism. The best cases for these arguments are through our unwillingness to participate in either world war. The lynch pin being the events that happened in Pearl Harbor. I will try to dispel this theory in my essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On December 7th, 1941 war was forced upon America by the Japanese assault on Peal Harbor, and declarations of war by Germany and Italy four days later. It is a myth that Franklin D. Roosevelt was anxious to bring America into the war, and was prevented from doing so by the overwhelming isolationist spirit of the American people. The evidence shows that FDR was primarily concerned with his domestic policies and had no wish â€Å"to join in a crusade against Nazism or totalitarianism or indeed against international aggression.† He took no positive steps to involve the United States in the conflict. The war came as much a surprise-and an unwelcome surprise-to him as anyone else. There is a persistent myth that he was forewarned about the Japanese aggression at Pearl Harbor, and did nothing to stop it, being anxious that American participation in the global conflict should be precipitated by the unprovoked act of aggression. That all kinds of warnings were in t he air at the time is clear. But an objective survey of all the evidence indicates that Pearl Harbor came as a real and horrifying shock to all the members of the Roosevelt administration, beginning with the President himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is also a myth, however, that America’s unwillingness to engage in World War Two-the polls show that around 80 percent of the adult population wanted America to stay neutral until the Pearl Harbor assault-sprang from a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -2- deep sense of isolationism, which was America’s â€Å"pristine and natural posture in world affairs.† This myth is so persistent that it has led in the 1990’s to a demand to ‘return to isolationism,’ as though it were America’s destiny and natural preference. So it is worth examining in a longer historical context. There is nothing unique, as many Americans suppose, in the desire of a society with a strong cultural identity to minimize its foreign contacts. On the contrary, isolationism in this sense has been t... ...ry into international affairs. He was a President fraught with the problems of a panicked, economically debacled country. His entire focus was on the regrowth of the American infrastructure. The fickle attitude of Japan, a country that occilated between threats of war and neutrality, between military and civilian control, were not taken seriously in leu of more prevalent problems. This is not to say, either, that the U.S. itself was a populace of isolationists. America had grown wealthy through international trade and exports, but the devastating implications of a war on an already strained people was too much. America joined the war, initially, in retaliation to the threat of war. It was forced, inadvertently, into war, not by Presidential conspiracy to overturn isolationist feelings, but out of self-defense. Bibliography Charles C. Transill, â€Å"Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace† (New York 1957) Ibid., 688. Roberta Worhlstetter: Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision (New York 1980) Akira Ariye: Across the Pacific: an Inner History of American-East Asian Relations (New York 1967) The American Past: Conflicting Interpretations of the Great Issues Vol. II (Macmillan Co. 1961) pearl harbor Essay -- essays research papers fc Pearl Harbor: Isolationism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a common held belief that America has historically been a nation driven by the ideology of isolationism. The best cases for these arguments are through our unwillingness to participate in either world war. The lynch pin being the events that happened in Pearl Harbor. I will try to dispel this theory in my essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On December 7th, 1941 war was forced upon America by the Japanese assault on Peal Harbor, and declarations of war by Germany and Italy four days later. It is a myth that Franklin D. Roosevelt was anxious to bring America into the war, and was prevented from doing so by the overwhelming isolationist spirit of the American people. The evidence shows that FDR was primarily concerned with his domestic policies and had no wish â€Å"to join in a crusade against Nazism or totalitarianism or indeed against international aggression.† He took no positive steps to involve the United States in the conflict. The war came as much a surprise-and an unwelcome surprise-to him as anyone else. There is a persistent myth that he was forewarned about the Japanese aggression at Pearl Harbor, and did nothing to stop it, being anxious that American participation in the global conflict should be precipitated by the unprovoked act of aggression. That all kinds of warnings were in t he air at the time is clear. But an objective survey of all the evidence indicates that Pearl Harbor came as a real and horrifying shock to all the members of the Roosevelt administration, beginning with the President himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is also a myth, however, that America’s unwillingness to engage in World War Two-the polls show that around 80 percent of the adult population wanted America to stay neutral until the Pearl Harbor assault-sprang from a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -2- deep sense of isolationism, which was America’s â€Å"pristine and natural posture in world affairs.† This myth is so persistent that it has led in the 1990’s to a demand to ‘return to isolationism,’ as though it were America’s destiny and natural preference. So it is worth examining in a longer historical context. There is nothing unique, as many Americans suppose, in the desire of a society with a strong cultural identity to minimize its foreign contacts. On the contrary, isolationism in this sense has been t... ...ry into international affairs. He was a President fraught with the problems of a panicked, economically debacled country. His entire focus was on the regrowth of the American infrastructure. The fickle attitude of Japan, a country that occilated between threats of war and neutrality, between military and civilian control, were not taken seriously in leu of more prevalent problems. This is not to say, either, that the U.S. itself was a populace of isolationists. America had grown wealthy through international trade and exports, but the devastating implications of a war on an already strained people was too much. America joined the war, initially, in retaliation to the threat of war. It was forced, inadvertently, into war, not by Presidential conspiracy to overturn isolationist feelings, but out of self-defense. Bibliography Charles C. Transill, â€Å"Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace† (New York 1957) Ibid., 688. Roberta Worhlstetter: Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision (New York 1980) Akira Ariye: Across the Pacific: an Inner History of American-East Asian Relations (New York 1967) The American Past: Conflicting Interpretations of the Great Issues Vol. II (Macmillan Co. 1961)

Judaism and the Chosen People of God Essay

Judaism is one of the first monotheistic religions currently surviving. It followers, the Jews, believe that there is only one God who is Almighty and Everlasting. Inscribed in the Torah is the name of God, with four consonants and no vowels. They have high respect for the Lord that they consider his name â€Å"too holy to be pronounced† (Buchanan and Halliwell, 2008). In their daily conversations and prayers, the Jews use different words pertaining to God. Everyday speech include â€Å"the Holy One† and â€Å"Blessed be He† while prayers include Adonal, or the Lord, and shomer Yisrael, or Israel’s guardian. These demonstrate how the Jewish perception of the Lord, as seen in the book of Genesis where the stories of the Patriarchs are written (Buchanan and Halliwell, 2008). The Jewish understanding towards their relationship with the Lord the worship is in accordance to their Covenant. God gives His promise to be their God who guides and protects them, while requiring them to follow the Mitzvot or His commandments. God chose the Jews as His chosen people. This is not because He favors them with privileges, but because He endowed them with a responsibility of being the priest people. It is actually a difficult task and the literal translation of the word Israel is â€Å"one who struggles with God† (Buchanan and Halliwell, 2008). One of their most basic beliefs is that they have the responsibility to worship God and recite prayers, which is called Tefillah. They should also express their gratitude and thanks to the Lord for his love and greatness, which is shown through the Amidah or the prayer of18 blessings in praise of God recited while standing. They also see themselves to have the task of responding to God through both repentance and search of social justice (Buchanan and Halliwell, 2008). History of Key Sacred Texts The Torah, or Law, is the commandment given by God to His chosen people. It was originally pertained to the Ten Commandments, and eventually became the Pentateuch. The Torah is the most important text in the Jewish religious life, as it contains the revelation from God. It is God’s gift to His people given to Moses at Mount Sinai. However, the original texts given by God to Moses did not survive the raid of Jerusalem during 6 BC. Also destroyed were the other Scriptures written by different Prophets, with high relevance to the Jewish faith. But after the release of Israel from Babylon in 5 BC, the Prophet Ezra revived the accounts on the life of the Patriarchs and the history of God’s chosen people. And between 4 and 2 BC, other authors wrote down the different Scriptures of other Prophets that existed long before. Prophet Jonah, who lived during the 8th century BC, was found to have his scriptures written during this period while the Psalms were written after five centuries. The sources of these authors are however unknown (Mirza, . Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments contain the fundamental laws that God requires His people to abide. These state the different religious and moral obligations of men, revealing God’s will on man’s duties to Him and to the rest of His creation. God’s commandments are written in the Pentateuch twice, as it is found both in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. God himself carved the words on two stone tablets as sacred texts handed to Moses (Bellaflore, 2007). The Ten Commandments are God’s covenant with the Israelites. The first three laws concern man’s relationship with God, as it states what man’s responsibilities are to his Lord. While the remaining seven laws are about how man should live with others, as they should not transgress each other’s rights as human beings and equal children of God. The first commandments directly state that there is only one God, the monotheistic notion of an Almighty Creator. The people should not worship other Gods, and therefore should not commit idolatry and other forms of polytheistic practices. The other two commandments teach the people to not commit blasphemy, or take the name of the Lord in vain, and to always observe the Sabbath day. The rest relates the basic commandment that one must not wrong his neighbor, that he must not commit murder, adultery, thievery, and bear false witness. Children are also expected by God to always honor their parents (Bellaflore, 2007). Jerusalem This city is the most important city to the Jews. Upon their migration to the Palestine, many other tribes and populations have already occupied area and cities have already risen. King David seized one of the cities in 1005 BCE and converted it into his capital city Jerusalem. This is where both religious and political affairs were concentrated, where the Temple of God was built. But the Temple and most of its contents perished during the conquest of the city by other empires. The Romans destroyed the last Temple and only a single wall survived until today. It is now known as the Wailing Wall and is one of the holiest Jewish places both in Jerusalem and the entire world (Imhoof, 2008). The Nation of Israel The State of Israel is a country found in southwestern Asia established on May 14, 1948 with David Ben Gurion as its first prime minister. The land was formerly part of Palestine conquered British, and was handed to the Jews and marked the success of the Zionism movement. This movement campaigned for providing the Jews their own place at the land of their ancestors. As sanctioned by the United Nations, this sovereign nation was created and gave home to many Jews from all over the world. But because displaced Palestinians formerly occupy Israel, there rose an Arab-Israeli conflict. The Muslims protested against the handing of the land to the Jews while the Arabs were left landless (Davison 375; Grobman, no page; Israel, no page). Different Sects of Judaism There were numerous Jewish sects during the first century AD, each primarily in search of the messiah. To them, the messiah is both a religious and political leader who would save them from Roman captivity. These sects include the Pharisees, the Zealots, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and even the Christians. In 70 CE, the Second Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed along with these sects. However, Christianity survived this disaster and separated itself from Judaism as a different religion. The Pharisees, on the other hand, is now the remaining form of Judaism called Rabbinic Judaism (Jewish sects and denominations, no date). A fraction of the Jewish population of the 8th century rejected the oral law included in the Mishnah as followed by the Pharisees, as done by the Sadducees. But eventually, they themselves developed their unique oral traditions that greatly varied from those of the Rabbinic Jews. They are called the Karaite sect, and are still in existence but in a less population number (Jewish sects and denominations, no date). The Holocaust The Holocaust is also known as the Shoah in Hebrew, or the destruction of the Jewish people by Nazi Germany. During the German conquest of Europe, an approximately six million Jews died as they were systematically killed by the fascist and anti-Semite regime of Hitler. The casualties represent the destruction of two-thirds of the entire population of Jews in Europe and one-third of the world. They were deliberately and methodically exterminated through the gas chamber, the crematory ovens, forced labor, hunger, and poor sanitary conditions. This is Hitler’s plan as his answer and â€Å"Final Solution to the Jewish Question† (History of the Holocaust – An Introduction, 2008). Sacred Practices and/or Holidays Two of the most important Jewish holidays are the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is known as the Jewish New Year while Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement. Both of these holidays are expression of the Jewish belief on the judgment of God and that they need to both repent and forgive. Yom Kippur is an entire day where Jews contemplate and reflect, making amends to their sins, and ask God for His forgiveness by fasting (Buchanan and Halliwell, 2008). Customs and practices of the Jews include circumcising the boys during their eighth day. When the boy reaches age 13, he takes participation in a ceremonial rite where he becomes bar mitzvah. From here on, he is considered an adult who will take on his religious responsibilities. Other religious congregations perform a similar ceremony for girls of age 12, called the bat mitzvah. Jews also recite different kinds of prayers in the morning, afternoon and evening. They perform these either at home or the synagogue. Once every week, the Jews celebrate the holy day of Sabbath, from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown. They also observe strict dietary laws called the Kosher and their spiritual leader is called the rabbi (Grobman, no page; Wenner, no page). Judaism Today Due to the constant changes in human life, there is a tremendous technological advancement in the modern world, prompting people to adapt. These changes bring about questions on the Jewish laws, and whether they should be retained. It is therefore the responsibility of the spiritual leaders to adapt and reinterpret the Jewish laws according to the call of times. In our modern world, there are three main divisions among the Jews – the Orthodox, the Conservative, and the Reform Jews. Orthodox Jews are still abiding by the strictest Jewish laws, and are confined within tradition. The conservative Jews consider the orthodox Jews as too Jewish while they do not consider reform Jews as practicing Judaism. Reform Jews, on the other hand, are very liberal and recognizes their religion as progressive. (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, 2008). References Buchanan, J. , and Halliwell, K. (2008). Judaism. Slamnet. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www.slamnet. org. uk/re/judaism. htm. Bellaflore, M. L. (2007). â€Å"The Ten Commandments. â€Å" New Advent. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/04153a. htm. Davison, Michael Worth. When, Where, Why, and How it Happened. London: Reader’s Digest Association Far East Limited, 1993. Grobman, Gary M. â€Å"Who are the Jews. † 1990. Remember. Retrieved 25 February 2008 from http://www. remember. org/guide/Facts. root. whoare. html â€Å"History of the Holocaust – An Introduction. † 2008. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www. jewishvirtuallibrary. org/jsource/Holocaust/history. html. Imhoof, D. â€Å"Judaism. † February 23, 2008. Susquehanna University. Retrieved March 5, 2008 http://www. susqu. edu/history/medtrav/jerusalem/jewish. htm. â€Å"Israel. † 2007. Information Please [Database]. Retrieved 25 February 2008 from http://www. infoplease. com/ipa/A0107652. html. â€Å"Judaism. † One Little Angel. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www. onelittleangel. com/wisdom/quotes/judaism. asp? level=4#. Mirza, M. â€Å"History of the Torah. â€Å"Ummah. Retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www. ummah. net/what-is-islam/scriptur/scriptt. htm

The Discovery of Chinese Silk and the Silk Road

It is well known that silk is discovered in China as one of the best materials for clothing—it has a look and feels of richness that no other materials can match. However, very few people know when or where or how it is discovered. Actually, it could date back to the 30th Century BC when Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) came into power. There are many legends about the discovery of silk; some of them are both romantic and mysterious. The Legend Legend has it that once there lived a father with his daughter, they had a magic horse, which could not only fly in the sky but also understand human language. One day, the father went out on business and did not come back for quite some time. The daughter made him a promise: If the horse could find her father, she would marry him. Finally, her father came back with the horse, but he was shocked at his daughters promise. Unwilling to let his daughter marry a horse, he killed the innocent horse. And then a miracle happened! The horses skin carried the girl flying away. They flew and flew, at last, they stopped on a tree, and the moment the girl touched the tree, she turned into a silkworm. Every day, she spits long and thin silks. The silks just represented her feeling of missing him. Finding Silk by Chance Another less romantic but more convincing explanation is that some ancient Chinese women found this wonderful silk by chance. When they were picking up fruits from the trees, they found a special kind of fruit, white but too hard to eat, so they boiled the fruit in hot water but they still could hardly eat it. At last, they lost their patience and began to beat them with big sticks. In this way, silks and silkworms were discovered. And the white hard fruit is a cocoon! The business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons is now known as silk culture or sericulture. It takes an average of 25-28 days for a silkworm, which is no bigger than an ant, to grow old enough to spin a cocoon. Then the women farmers will pick them up one by one to piles of straws, then the silkworm will attach itself to the straw, with its legs to the outside and begin to spin. The next step is unwinding the cocoons; it is done by reeling girls. The cocoons are heated to kill the pupae, this must be done at the right time, otherwise, the pupas are bound to turn into moths, and moths will make a hole in the cocoons, which will be useless for reeling. To unwind the cocoons, first put them in a basin filled with hot water, find the loose end of the cocoon, and then twist them, carry them to a small wheel, thus the cocoons will be unwound. At last, two workers measure them into a certain length, twist them, they are called raw silk, then they are dyed and woven into cloth. An Interesting Fact An interesting fact is that we can unwind about 1,000 meters long silk from one cocoon, while 111 cocoons are needed for a mans tie, and 630 cocoons are needed for a womans blouse. Chinese people developed new way by using silk to make clothes since the discovery of silk. This kind of clothes became popular soon. At that time, Chinas technology was developing fast. Emperor Wu Di of western Han Dynasty decided to develop trade with other countries. To build a road becomes a priority to trade silk. For nearly 60 years of war, the world famous ancient Silk Road was built up at cost of many losses of life and treasures. It started from Changan (now Xian), across Middle Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. Many countries of Asia and Europe were connected. Chinese Silk: a Global Love From then on, Chinese silk, along with many other Chinese inventions, were passed to Europe. Romans, especially women, were crazy for Chinese silk. Before that, Romans used to make clothes with a linen cloth, animal skin, and wool fabric. Now they all turned to silk. It was a symbol of wealth and high social status for them to wear silk clothes. One day, an Indian monk came to visit the Emperor. This monk had been living in China for several years and knew the method of raising silkworms. The Emperor promised a high profit of the monk, the monk hid several cocoons in his cane and took it to Rome. Then, the technology of raising silkworms spread out. Thousands of years have passed since China first discovered silkworms. Nowadays, silk, in some sense, is still some kind of luxury. Some countries are trying some new ways to make silk without silkworms. Hopefully, they can be successful. But whatever the result, nobody should forget that silk was, still is, and will always be a priceless treasure.