Fungal Zombie Infections: Are They Plausible?

April 2023 | Clare Bulalacao

“What does cordyceps do? Is it evil? No. It’s fruitful. It multiplies. It feeds and protects its children. And

it secures its future with violence, if it must. It loves” (“When We Are In Need” 30:34). This is just one of

the many unnerving lines stated in The Last of Us, a fascinating TV show that portrays how a predatory,

ruthless fungus gained reign over the entire world. This parasitic fungus is known as Ophiocordyceps

unilateralis, or cordyceps. During the show, the fungus hijacked millions of human brains to fulfill two

primary goals: survival and proliferation. Because of human-caused global warming, the cordyceps

fungus evolved to withstand higher temperatures, allowing it to survive and thrive in warm human

bodies. This granted it the ability to manipulate human behavior; it controlled hosts to bite others to

facilitate the spread of the fungus, leading to the worldwide devastation of humanity. Nevertheless, the

fear generated from this show hasn’t quite translated to reality. After all, a fungus this destructive and

savagely intelligent couldn’t possibly be real, right? Wrong. Cordyceps exists in real life, but luckily, this

fungus has only ever afflicted insects. However, this raises the question: As a result of our actions, could

cordyceps eventually evolve to take over the lives of mankind?

Although cordyceps won’t be zombifying humanity any time soon, many of its individual characteristics

in the Last of Us are certainly present in many existing fungi. For example, it is plausible for fungi to

spread through food contamination, as grain is an effective substrate of fungal growth. In fact, Ergot,

a type of fungus that contains mind-altering hallucinogens, is thought to have contaminated the rye

supply during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. This caused delusion and resentment among Salem

residents; they irrationally accused and executed several girls who were believed to practice

witchcraft (Esquire). Another instance of fungi-caused changes in behavior and feelings involves the

legendary African Zulu army. Many speculate they ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms (such as the

Bushman Poison bulb or Inocybe patouillardi) to exaggerate their blood-lust and to dull their

exhaustion during battle (The Heritage Portal). Finally, fungi can indeed evolve to survive higher

temperatures due to global warming, as shown by Candida auris (C. auris). This fungus thrives in

human bloodstreams, and it spreads through contact between people. Although it doesn’t take over

human brains or incite murderous desires, it’s dangerous in that it can cause severe, potentially deadly

infections. While these concerning characteristics are fortunately not packed into one species of

mushroom, they provide great insight into the world of fungi.

There will always be a slim possibility that cordyceps or other species of fungi will eventually evolve to

annihilate mankind. While this is alarming to think about, we should also consider the fact that we too

are evolving, except in science, research, and technology. With advanced antifungals, insight from

shows like The Last of Us, and our amazing, protective bodies, society will become better at battling

infections of any caliber. The possibilities regarding fungi may be vast and daunting, but according to

the wise words of Ellie and Joel, it is crucial that we simply “endure and survive.”

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The Lack of Translators in Healthcare

January 2023 | Amy Dinh

In the United States, medical attention is provided to anybody that needs it, regardless of their background. The country is often considered a “melting pot” of cultures; it’s obvious that a large portion of the American population either doesn’t have English as a first language, or does not know English at all, not to mention the amount of hard of hearing and deaf people that face similar language barriers. Language interpreters are often required to bridge the gap of understanding when this occurs; however, there aren’t nearly enough of them and the stigma that surrounds non-english speakers oftentimes open allows racism to occur. 

The lack of professionals in the language industry, budgets, and time limitations hold many healthcare centers from hiring full-time interpreters. A lot of lesser-known languages also don’t have interpreters available, depending on the area there would be a higher demand for specific languages due to larger populations of specific ethnicities living there. It doesn’t help that according to the Affordable Care Act, medical facilities can’t ask family members and/or friends to translate for the patient (The Language Doctors).  Being proficient at multiple languages isn’t enough to work as a language interpreter, they often go through years of training to ensure that medical terms have an equivalent in other languages. The amount of work and time required often drives people away from the profession, so as the demand for interpreters increases the amount of people entering it decreases. 

Some hospitals can’t afford interpreters because of limited funding, since it would require another person on the payroll to accommodate. It’s impossible for healthcare workers to provide care if the is a large language barrier; it can lead to disastrous results, as shown in a report conducted by UC Berkeley School of Public Health and National Health Law Program in 2010 where, “...of 1373 malpractice claims, at least 35 were linked to inadequate language access” (Eldred). Often there simply isn’t enough time to call interpreters or to spend hours attempting to understand the other party, especially in places such as the emergency room or ICU. Efficiency is essential, and spending time deciphering what the patient or doctor is saying wastes time. 

Most people who require language translation services are immigrants and people of color leading to further discrimination for marginalized groups. They’re not able to get the same level of care as others because of the gap of understanding and are subject to racism and therefore worse quality of care. The struggle leads to frustration and irritability, making people of color not feel welcome in healthcare settings, causing them to avoid hospitals and other healthcare centers altogether. This builds on existing racism, further increasing the gap between the privileged and everyone else. 

The lack of medical translators in healthcare cannot be solved immediately, nor will ever be completely solved. However, it’s important to increase awareness on the topic to encourage people to be empathetic to others struggling with language issues and to inspire some to become interpreters themselves.

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The Cost of American Healthcare

November 2022 | Alexa Ramos and Kaitlyn Yi

Although the United States healthcare system is ranked #1 for Choice, Science and Technology, it isn’t classified as the country with the best healthcare system, nor does it rank in the top ten. With a population of more than 331 million people, a grand total of $4.1 trillion is spent on healthcare. This expense not only drives people away from healthcare, but also reduces one’s access to it. Having access to affordable healthcare is vital as it helps prevent disease while also improving a person’s well-being. This leads to the controversial question: is the cost of American healthcare too expensive?

The high expense of the United States healthcare is primarily due to the salaries of its healthcare workers and the cost of pharmaceutical drugs. In America, the average salary for a nurse is about $74,250 (Investopedia). However, the salaries of nurses are much lower in other countries, such as South Korea where registered nurses (RNs) are paid ₩5,27,41,724 ($37,012) a year (Glassdoor). American citizens face the consequences by paying more to fulfill this upscale earning. Moreover, an average American spends $1,443 on prescription drugs while citizens in other developed countries spend only around $749, almost twice as much compared to other developed countries. Denmark for instance, has been classified as the country with the best healthcare system in the world, yet citizens don’t pay the same costs as Americans since their government funds for all things healthcare related (Borgenproject). Analyzing these differences, the irrationally high price for American healthcare doesn’t seem to correspond to the insufficient treatment received.

While prominently ranked amongst other developed countries, the U.S. 's unreasonably high cost of $12,318 per capita, heavily impacts its residents accessibility to healthcare (Peter G. Peterson Foundation). Furthermore, lack of insurance also contributes to absence of affordable care.

“Forty-three percent of working-age adults were inadequately insured in 2022. These individuals were uninsured (9%), had a gap in coverage over the past year (11%), or were insured all year but were underinsured, meaning that their coverage didn’t provide them with affordable access to health care (23%)” (The CommonWealth Fund).  

Many low income adults find themselves struggling to afford proficient healthcare at such high prices without insurance. Consequently, one in five Americans are reported to have medical debt since “...healthcare has increased from $193.5 billion to $388.6 billion” (AAMC). Sky-rocketing costs have significantly affected accessibility, causing many citizens to fear for their financial stability: “ …71 percent of those who lacked continuous coverage said they had avoided getting needed health care because of the cost of that care” (The Commonwealth Fund). The incapability to afford and receive proper insurance and care due to the costs can result in worsened health in individuals as they’re only concerned about their financial well-being rather than physical and mental status. This negative effect is ultimately due to the costs of healthcare.

Even though American healthcare is expensive, many argue that the current system is beneficial towards promoting better health and advancements in medicine. High costs have allowed our medical environment to offer the world’s greatest health benefits of a high life expectancy for those over 80, lower mortality rates for heart attacks and strokes, as well as the best cancer survival rates (Fair Observer). Yet, not everyone is able to receive these benefits due to the lack of affordable insurance and healthcare. By extracting this heavy burden from society, it will decrease cost inefficiencies and allow people to receive and maintain proper care and encourage health improvements. Without affordable healthcare, the health of individuals in America can be expected to decline as the cost increases. Recognizing both the benefits and disadvantages to high healthcare costs, American citizens should take action to lower these prices in order to ensure the right of a healthy life to all.

Should Schools Close Again?

November 2021 | Connor Gregory

Back in 2020, schools across the nation were shut down because of the viral pandemic that we all know as COVID-19. For many months, we endured self-isolation and restricted lifestyles which impacted our health and mentality in a negative light. Thankfully in 2021, lockdown restrictions are loosening as time goes by. However, with the reopening of schools and public spaces, a new variant of COVID has arose. It is because of this dilemma that many are faced with the question: Should schools close yet again? Although the development of COVID variants have been rising, schools are unlikely to close again.

The Los Angeles Times are reporting that parents are worried about compromising their own health and the health of loved ones by sending their children to school, “‘I wanted to be excited about a new school year, but now I am having to think: ‘Am I putting our health at risk by going to school in person?’’” (Blume). As more and more information is revealed about these new variants, more and more people fear another lockdown because of them. Gov. Gavin Newson of California reassured that they are going to implement public areas back, “‘in a sustainable way.’” (Los Angeles Times). With the reassurance that matters will be handled carefully, some concerns have been put to ease but much of the outcome may still be in the air. 

The CDC released information about the new Delta variant of COVID-19 stating that the newer variant was “more infectious and was leading to increased transmissibility when compared with other variants…” (CDC). Although the original COVID-19 variant was reported to be extremely infectious, the Delta variant seems to have mutated to become even more so. With this development, the prospect of another lockdown might seem possible, but the CDC states that if the population continues to get vaccinated and manages to halt COVID-19, the new variants can be put down as well. “The COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant… For all people, the vaccine provides the best protection against serious illness and death.” (CDC). Even though the Delta variant is able to still infect a vaccinated person, the vaccine is still a viable defense against the deadly virus. 

With the development of medicine and the information we learned on how to handle COVID-19 we are capable of protecting ourselves from newer infectious diseases. As long as people follow the safety guidelines and get vaccinated, the threat of having to go under lockdown is not an immediate issue. So the answer to whether or not schools should close; is that schools do not need to be shut down just yet, but if the requirements are met then it would be necessary. With the development of medicine and the information we learned on how to handle COVID-19 we are capable of protecting ourselves from newer infectious diseases. As long as people follow the safety guidelines and get vaccinated, the threat of having to go under lockdown is not an immediate issue. So the answer to whether or not schools should close; is that schools do not need to be shut down just yet, but if the requirements are met then it would be necessary. 

Current Coronavirus Situation in Japan

November 2021 | Madison Lardizabal

In the United States, life is beginning to return to normal. Restaurants, schools, and other daily places of gathering are picking back up again as well as successful vaccine distribution. Although America is onto the next phase in moving past this pandemic, what are other countries experiencing? Mns.com explains “In Japan, numerous areas including Tokyo remain under a state of emergency. It’s a sign, argue some public health experts, that the strict methods that kept places like Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore safer than their counterparts in the West for all of last year may not be sustainable in the long term.” 

At the end of 2020, there were about 230,000 cases in Japan, and about two weeks later the country hit an estimated total of about 300,000 cases. From here cases still began to rise and by the time the Tokyo Olympics ended in August 2021, Japan crossed over one million cases. Japan was struggling to stay above the water with their cases rising so fast but still had to host the Tokyo Olympics. This really impacted their country hard and caused an entire wave to pass through their small country, but recent news leaves doctors puzzled. Japan's cases are suddenly plummeting almost as fast as they were going up in recent months. 

This is a positive movement for Japan, but some major questions to be asked are why and how long? Clearly, an explanation for this sudden decline could simply be they stopped testing to drop their numbers, but recorded data removes this from consideration. With only a 45% decrease in the amount of test taken, the number of positive cases went from about 17% to about 1.2%, allowing Japan to reach their record low in cases for 2021. 

COVID-19 in Taiwan

November 2021 | Ko Er (Carol) Rau

“Taiwan can help.” In April 2020, Taiwan donated ten million masks to the United State’s medical forefront to combat the COVID-19 crisis. During this time of shock and hopelessness, Taiwan brings the light not only to the United States, but also to more than eighty countries with more than fifty-one million mask donations. As the former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen proudly proclaimed, “Taiwan not only can help, but Taiwan is helping.” In the worldwide combat against COVID-19, Taiwan ranked as having one of the lowest cases. From April to December of 2020, the new domestic cases were zero throughout the eight months. However, this legacy was shattered, as the second wave of the variant virus attacks started in May of 2021.

The deadly virus drilled the first hole through the airline crew when Taiwan dropped its guard. Within one day, forty-four airline crew members tested positive. The number of confirmed cases then skyrocketed to the hundreds. Responding to this sudden outbreak, the Taiwanese government announced Level 3 Epidemic Alert, which strictly enforced quarantine. All nonessential businesses were mandated to close, while essential businesses were strictly regulated. For example, a social security number is required to enter a market for food and life necessities, while the grocery-shopping time is limited to one hour every other day. In order to prevent cluster infections, the government traced people’s footings by mandating them to register their contact information everywhere they visit. Although inconvenienced, the Taiwanese citizens loyally abide by these rules, which shaped the success of minimizing the spread of the virus. 

After five months of combat, Taiwan successfully limited its newly confirmed cases into a single digit. As vaccination is the key for prevention, the Taiwanese medical company Medigen Vaccine Biologic Corp developed the first domestically produced COVID-19 vaccination, which contributed to the rising vaccination rate in Taiwan. Within one month, the percentage of receiving the first dose vaccination rose to 61%, and the fully vaccinated rate rose to 22%. Currently, the Taiwanese government is pushing for the acceptance of the Medigen vaccine by the FDA.

The achievements of Taiwan has proven to the world that with enough effort, the virus can be contained. After all, a return to normalcy is within our reach, but only through selfless unification.

Vaccines for Kids

November 2021 | Margabrielle Navarro

The threat of the coronavirus has subsided due to the distribution of vaccines allowing students to go back to learning in person, but elementary students are still vulnerable to the lingering threat of COVID since they are too young to get the vaccine. Thankfully, parents will soon feel less worried about their child contracting COVID-19 because vaccines for children are one step closer to being accessible to kids.

Timeline

In late September, Pfizer announced the results of the successful trials on the vaccine for children that are between the ages of 5 to 11 years old. Pfizer claims that the vaccine for kids is safe and effective. The data submitted showed pleasing safety outcomes and good antibody responses. The vaccine displayed promising results of it being highly effective to those of ages 5 through 11 years old.

At the beginning of October, Pfizer submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration about the outcomes of the clinical trials on the vaccine for children that are 5 to 11 years old. Furthermore, Pfizer asked the F.D.A. for emergency approval. The F.D.A promised that they would work swiftly to come to a decision, and they have a meeting scheduled on October 26 that will be discussing the approval of the vaccine. It is expected that the ruling will be made before Halloween.

Pfizer stated that pediatric clinical trial results for young children ages 2 through 5 years old may be available later in October and the results for babies between the ages of 6 months to 2 years old might be available in late October or mid-November. After the results are announced, the F.D.A. may allow emergency authorization of the vaccine for those age groups.

Not only that, but Moderna has also been conducting trials on vaccines for young children older than 6 months and is expected to announce the results later in the fall.

For now, Pfizer suggests that children should be given one-third of the adult vaccine.

Research

The pediatric clinical trials for children vaccines involved 2,268 participants. They were given a lower dose compared to adults and teens. The children were divided into three different age groups: children ages 5 to 11 years old, kids ages younger than 5, and toddlers 6 months to 2 years old.

Children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old received two doses of 10 micrograms, which is about one-third of the vaccine dose that adolescents and adults receive. Kids younger than 5 and infants 6 months to 2 years old received two vaccine doses of 3 micrograms.

The results of the trials on kids from ages 2 to 5 years old and 6 months to 2 years old are expected later in the year. While the results from those of the age group 5 through 11 years of age have already received results being favorable and safe.

Pros and Cons

Luckily, children rarely get severely ill from COVID-19, but in August, the new Delta variant strain sent over 30,000 children to the hospital. Also, the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention has mentioned some cases where people ages 30 and under have been getting myocarditis and pericarditis after getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Additionally, due to the concerns of myocarditis and pericarditis, Sweden and Denmark stopped giving out Moderna to younger people. Although the chances of actually getting myocarditis are low, this may cause parents to be reluctant towards allowing their child to get the COVID vaccine due to the possibility of developing life-threatening symptoms.

At the same time, allowing one’s child to get vaccinated will be more beneficial to them since it will protect them from getting the virus. Considering that the new Delta variant is on the rise, the COVID-19 vaccine for children will prevent them from the dangers of it. As Dr. Vivek Murthy (Surgeon General of the United States) claims, “The benefits of vaccination far outweigh any risks. It's easy to forget that not getting vaccinated is a choice that puts our kids at higher risk of getting COVID.”

Joe Biden's Vaccine Mandates

November 2021 | Shamganesh Arcot

The COVID-19 vaccine is often described as a “government experiment” by critics, and is often a major source of debate. There is no question that COVID-19 is spreading quickly and death rates are slowly increasing. Although there is a vaccine to protect us from COVID-19, a quarter of the U.S. rejects it. This rejection has led to Joe Biden making mandates regarding the vaccine, which has created debate about whether this is a good or bad step for the fight against COVID-19.

On September 9, 2021, Joe Biden announced the vaccine mandates, spreading a wave of shock and surprise. This announcement created many questions, such as “Why now?” and whether this goes against people's freedoms or not. This vaccine mandate requires federal workers and companies to be vaccinated, which is around 80 million workers. As a result of the high Covid cases, Biden says his “patience is running thin”. In addition to these mandates, Biden’s executive order will be adding a fine of over $10,000 for the companies who violate the mandate.

There are many differing opinions on the Biden vaccine mandates, some positive and some negative. Some positive viewpoints of the mandate is that it helps ensure safety for the public, keeps schools open, and helps the economy recover. These mandates support the fight against Covid by reducing the spread, which results in a stable and healthy economy. The negative viewpoints of the mandate is that a majority of the people that are vulnerable to COVID-19 are vaccinated which means that there is no longer a need to require vaccines. Further, some say that the mandates violate people’s freedom and the constitution. Although there are many differing views, it is up to us to decide whether the vaccine mandate’s pros outweigh the cons to keep all of us safe. 

Ultimately, Joe Biden’s mandate is proof of how different people view vaccines and personal freedom in different lights. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that we must take actions to protect the health of ourselves and loved ones, and vaccines are a good way of doing so. 

The Rise of the Delta Virus

November 2021 | Amy Dinh and Kashika Gupta

COVID-19 made its debut in 2019, though it didn’t devastate the world until 2020. Schools were closed and everyone was in a state of shock, fearing for their lives. Luckily, vaccines were developed and were soon distributed throughout the world as a solution and way to end the deadly pandemic that had gripped the world. The majority of the vaccines distributed in the United States are from either Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, or Pfizer. Worries were soon ceased, until it was realized that the virus had already mutated into dozens of variants and versions of each other (CDC).

Among these exponentially more dangerous viruses, the Delta variant is undoubtedly the most deadly and advanced. Scientists and doctors were not expecting so soon for mutations and the preparations were not in place to respond adequately. Compared to the rest of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS COV 1) strains, Delta has certainly made its reputation as the most formidable. The differences between the Delta variant and the original strain is that the variant is more contagious and aggressive; it has been noted that the symptoms happen more quickly and are harder to shake off (CDC).

Unfortunate timing and noncompliant people are the main reasons why the variant has devastated the world, specifically the United States. It wasn’t discovered until after the easing of COVID restrictions and the mass distributions of vaccines; people’s guards were down, another wave of cases wasn’t expected, especially cases caused by a new variation that nobody was familiar with (Berg). Agitation from the first lockdowns exploded into violence and harsh declarations from hordes of people refusing to continue following COVID prevention plans. 

While the Delta variant is under the same umbrella as the other Coronavirus strains, it stands out due to the impact it leaves. The more aggressive nature of its spreadability makes it even more dangerous to unvaccinated people and potentially vaccinated people as well. The fact that people aren’t cautious about it makes it worse. It being much more infectious and susceptible is cause for concern, yet not as many precautions are taken to ensure that more people won’t die. This behavior of not taking the situation seriously greatly hurts the chances of the world getting better, without cooperation it only seems that progress is going backward.

The Delta virus is at its greatest threat to the people who still remain unvaccinated. According to two studies performed in Canada and Scotland, patients who were infected with the Alpha or original virus were less likely to be hospitalized than patients who were infected with the Delta virus. This is a threat to unvaccinated people since they are at a greater risk of exposure than vaccinated. Although it's still possible for vaccinated people to get infected, the amount of time they spread the virus is shorter than those who are unvaccinated, due to the stronger protection they have (CDC).

So how can everyone stay safe from the Delta variant? The best way for protection is vaccination since it’s the strongest force of defense. But there are other precautions people can take to stay safe. Make sure to social distance from people, wear masks in crowded areas, do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, and maintain proper hygiene by washing or sanitizing your hands. It’s important to stay safe and cooperate with the lockdown precautions to ensure a quick recovery.

The Game Winning Shot, the COVID-19 Vaccine

November 2021 | Kyra Phaychanpheng

From the perspective of a basketball player and lifelong fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the upcoming season was highly anticipated, regarding so many new aspects, such as vaccine mandates, safety protocols, and wondering how the players that I admire will be affected by COVID-19. Three individual cities have established their own mandates, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. In New York, only one dose of the vaccine is required in order to participate in indoor activities in public spaces, while San Francisco and Los Angeles are requiring players to be fully vaccinated. 

As a national association, the topic of their own mandate has been debated for many months, but the NBA would need to make an agreement with the Players Association. Unfortunately, the NBA Players Association, influenced by the vice president Kyrie Irving’s ideas, collectively decided to reject any vaccination requirements for the players.

Many controversies have arisen regarding the vice president, Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets and his silence in regards to his position being vaccinated or not. The silence spoke loudly, and in response to Irving’s decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine, the Nets explain that “Given New York's COVID-19 regulations, Irving isn't permitted to play in games in Brooklyn until he's received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine “ (Wimbish). The players would need to skip every home game or team activities in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles depending on what team they are on. The choice to not receive a COVID-19 vaccine also has many economic consequences on players: “for Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving... that would cost him $300K a game, the same goes for Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins who isn't vaccinated” (Kaskey-Blomain). 

Because about 10% of the league possibly remains unvaccinated, there are many extra safety protocols in place for the unvaccinated individuals, that vaccinated players do not have to experience. Limited contact with other players, such as not staying in rooms with vaccinated players, getting lockers far distance away from vaccinated players, and prohibiting unvaccinated players from traveling outside of the hotel room are some rules. The unvaccinated NBA players will have to undergo rapid testing on all practice days, game days, team activities, and traveling days. These precautions will help the NBA stay COVID-19 negative, and ensure the safety of the players and staff, although not all of the players will be fully vaccinated. 

Antimaskers Refuse To Socially Distance After Zombification

March 2021 | Esther Kim

As the fourth wave of the abhorrent ZOMBIE-19 pandemic sweeps over America, an emerging group of social activists, calling themselves the “Antimaskers”, have taken to the streets of Washington, D.C. in efforts against post-bite social distancing mandates. 

“This so-called mandate is plain absurdity,” claimed Ryan Lo, founder and chairperson of Antimaskers International and a passionate advocate for post-bite freedom. 

“The fact that the government claims to protect our loved ones but is not allowing us the freedom to spend our few precious minutes with family and friends is inhumane and unacceptable.”

Although statistics indicate that friends and family members of Antimaskers are more than five times as likely to become bitten than those with no personal connection to this fast-growing organization, Antimaskers International is maintaining their firm stance on the matter.

“It’s our freedom given to us at birth and no one, especially not those so-called zombies, have the right to take it away from us,” Lo stated at a recent news interview. When asked about his thoughts on rising death rates, he replied, “Why should I care if 200 million Americans are dead? I’m safe and my family’s doing just fine. Besides, why should I trust numbers from the CDC, or CBC, or whatever it’s called? For all I know, no one around me has died yet.”

Pushing through a shower of camera flashes from local reporters, Lo rallied his group of 100 avid followers holding colorful pickets and loudspeakers in front of the U.S. Capitol. 

Stepping onto a podium, Lo addressed his audience: “Today, we stand here in solidarity to preserve the foundational democratic rights granted to us by our Founding Fathers. Our right to hold power over our own life, death, and our invaluable last moments seized from us by the self-serving oligarchy. Let us liberate ourselves from government repression and fight for our freedom!”

The protestors joined in cheering. Despite an unprecedented attack from a nearby zombie, the bitten man stood his ground, leaning on his small daughter for support. His newly invigorated chants for freedom were soon indistinguishable from the crowd’s voice. The organized cheering soon turned into a frenzied mass of voices as the Antimasker, who had then lapsed well into infection, bit into his child’s hand. 

Noticing the agitated crowd, Lo reinitiated the chanting through his loudspeaker. The Antimaskers rally continued throughout the evening, unaware of a nearby fire sparked by one of the infected. A few of the bitten were spotted leaving the protest to see their loved ones and exchange final goodbyes, as Washington D.C. burned to the ground around them.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

March 2021 | Nimrah Saleem

High tides and high cases

But only on a primitive basis 

Because soon the water recedes and the patients start to decrease 

Which means running in the sand freely and living life carelessly 

Until it hits unexpectedly and vivaciously 

The Tsunami 

Again, here we go 

No need for sunscreen, no need for a mask 

The sand is calling me and quarantine is not a blast 

Sunscreen is optional and let’s leave social distancing in the past

I’ll still play at the beach, nothing’s out of reach 

Tsunamis don’t affect me

SENATE REPUBLICANS BASH NEWLY APPOINTED DHHS DIRECTOR NEIL MURPHY 

March 2021 | Ryan Lo

Washington D.C.— After a divisive race to the White House, Joseph R. Biden was finally sworn into office as the 46th president of the United States. His rise to the presidency meant new cabinet picks. Most notable of the picks was Neil Murphy, a high school English teacher from Chino Hills, California. At his confirmation hearing, Murphy presented a twelve-slide grammar presentation to the committee, pointing out the grammatical errors in the Congressional agenda.

His time of service at the Department of Health and Human Services was one of radical reform to many. Senate Republicans bashed his extreme socialist, communist, anti-freedom, anti-second amendment and anti-first amendment positions on public health, such as mandatory vaccinations and strengthened scientific research around nutrition. 

All federal employees at the DHHS were required to read the Hot Zone, and funding towards pandemic defense was increased exponentially. In addition, a large billboard stating, “Your body is a temple!” was erected outside the DHHS headquarters. 

The billboard drew huge crowds of protestors against “the liberal takeover of medicine.”

However, Murphy’s influence has spread across borders. Inspired by the Department’s actions, Canadian health officials have implemented a nationwide initiative to have school children meticulously keep track of their sugar, caloric and sodium intakes on a piece of paper. 

“Murphy and the rest of the radical Democrats are taking away our freedom and wasting the taxpayer’s dollars!” Texas Senator Ted Cruz yelled, before realizing he was late for his flight to the Bahamas.

“Well, I’m just disappointed folks,” sighed Murphy as he began marking down a yellow paper with a Sharpie. 

On the other side of the aisle, Secretary Murphy was praised for his efforts at raising public health. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commended Murphy microseconds after Republicans criticized him and declared him the second coming of Christ.

His office was given a huge thank-you basket consisting of Tejava tea and nutrition bars by CNN and MSNBC for providing a much needed boost to their ratings after Trump left office. 

Despite the criticism, the DHHS tracked an increase in average American lifespan by 450 percent. Upon hearing news of the Biden administration accomplishing something good, former President Donald Trump lapsed into a psychotic break from reality where he acknowledged he lost the election.

Pandemic to Pandemic: A Biography of Dr. Fauci

March 2021 | Grace Su

One of the leading physicians in these difficult times of COVID-19 has been Dr. Anthony Fauci, an American-born physician-scientist, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and chief medical advisor to the president. Born on December 24, 1940, he was exposed to the field of medicine from an early age when he helped deliver prescriptions for his father, Stephen A. Fauci, a Columbia University-educated pharmacist. Interestingly, Fauci experienced the 1947 New York City smallpox epidemic and was one of the first recipients of the smallpox vaccine. Following high school, he attended College of the Holy Cross for his Bachelor of Arts degree and completed medical school at Cornell University, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1966.

Two years later, Fauci joined the  National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a clinical associate in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI) at the NIAID. He continued climbing higher in his achievements and honors until finally reaching the position of director of NIAID in 1984. Fauci’s contributions to medical research and science are not limited to the ones mentioned above. He has also made contributions to basic and clinical research on the pathogenesis and treatment of immune-mediated and infectious diseases. Also, he has helped to pioneer the field of human immunoregulation by making important scientific observations that underpin the current understanding of the regulation of the human immune response. Additionally, he was one of the leading researchers in the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, during which he made further contributions in understanding the mechanisms of how the HIV virus attacks the body’s defenses.

Facing yet another global pandemic that started in 2020, the COVID-19 virus, Fauci was one of the influential voices in the effort to contain the virus, where he warned that “opening the country too quickly could lead to suffering and death that could be avoided”. While Trump and Fuaci disagreed on ideas concerning the reopening of the United States, Fauci continued to offer his opinion to the media, all the while researching the virus and working to develop a vaccine. 

On December 3, 2020, Fauci received an offer from President-elect Joe Biden to serve as the chief medical advisor to the president in the Biden Administration, which he readily accepted. With numerous prestigious awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, the George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians, the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, and more, Fauci’s prominent leadership through several epidemics in his lifetime has truly made him one of the most influential physicians in history. 

Breaking Down Mental Disorders: ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety 

March 2021 | Madison Lardizabal

The American Psychiatric Association defines mental health disorders or mental illnesses as “health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these).” It also explains that “mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.” However, definitions will never explain what it's like to have a mental illness or go through the experiences of those with one. Unfortunately, mental disorders are not a rarity, specifically with teens, many of whom are expected to deal with it alone. Some of the most common mental illnesses are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), clinical depression, and anxiety. 

The CDC says, “9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis,” on children's mental health. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. ADHD is one of the most common types of mental disorders and makes daily-life tasks extremely difficult for those struggling with it. There are three different types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, or combined. It is well known that ADHD affects one’s ability to focus or sit still, but ADHD can be so much more for many kids and teens. People with ADHD find it extremely hard to fit in at places of work or school because of their possible lack of control. It is likely that people with ADHD will forget important details, look as if they can’t hear you, or even have difficulty not speaking out of turn. This can cause major problems and make matters worse with the wrong teacher or boss. It is important for teachers to understand and make the learning environment as comfortable as possible for everyone. Fortunately, treatments, such as medications and therapies, can help make life easier for many people with ADHD. 

Clinical depression is a mental health disorder in which a person persistently faces a depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. “3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression,” says the CDC on children and teens’ mental health. This mental illness can be seriously misinterpreted by the general public. Clinical depression is not a temporary mood caused by life events; it is a constant state of depression, mixed with a lack of motivation and little to no happiness in any activity. Depression is a difficult mental health issue to discuss because it is extremely personal and not something many people are excited to talk about. It is also common that people with depression find it easier to hide it, in fear of negatively affecting those around them. Depression is extremely important to recognize as early as possible because, the longer it stays bottled up, the worse that person is doing until they can no longer control any of their emotions. Depression is not something you need to hide, and treatment can have a serious and positive impact on your life. 

Anxiety is defined as a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. “7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety,” explains the CDC in regards to children and teens’ mental health. Having said that everyone's experiences with their mental health is different, many people experience symptoms, such as hypervigilance, excessive worry, feeling of impending doom, irritability, and racing or unwanted thoughts. It is also likely that physical signs will appear, like fatigue, sweating, insomnia, restlessness, nausea, palpitations, lack of concentration, and trembling. Occasional anxiety is normal for all teens, but it is important that we recognize the different severities among all of our peers and pay attention to our friends and family if they need help.

Although symptoms can help you determine what a person with a mental illness is experiencing, it doesn't give you a real sense of what it actually feels like to live with a mental illness. I was able to discuss with a family friend, diagnosed with anxiety, what it really feels like to live with it on a daily basis: “Anxiety is like a burden you have to carry around. Some people have triggers that can rarely be controlled, [while] others don’t.” An example of a trigger and the effect they can have is “a single thought that pops up a million times in your head, yelling at you, making you begin to feel like you can’t breathe.” Physical effects are also likely in most people that struggle with this illness. For example: “My body becomes numb and you can begin to worry, with your mind going a thousand miles per hour, thinking of all the possibilities that could happen, causing you to lose all focus on everything else around you.” Though anxiety can be similar for some, it also varies among different types of people: “Some people have constant signs, such as stomach aches or paranoia, and others don’t. A lot of it depends on the person.” This is just one real-life example of someone who struggles with a mental illness. 

Mental health disorders are a real and serious thing happening all around us, even in those you would least expect. If you feel that you need to talk to someone, there are outlets all around you, such as friends, family, school admin, or even guidance counselors. ADHD, depression and anxiety are just some common examples of mental illnesses, but not even close to all of the illnesses people deal with daily. It is important to educate yourself on topics like these and help those around you that feel alone. Please reach out!

Breaking down Tom Brady's tb12 method

March 2021 | Jenna Min

It’s the concept of life. As we continue to age, the peak of our physical health starts to decline. However, what if I told you that there was a way to maintain that peak a bit longer? Tom Brady, the 43-year-old football quarterback, recently won his seventh Super Bowl title. Although most quarterbacks retire before reaching Brady’s current age, he is still playing football with great success. The secret to this success, along with Brady’s hard work and talent, is his diet. 

Tom Brady created a diet plan known as the TB12 method, which is based on whole foods and promises to “boost your energy levels, minimize inflammation, reduce your risk of injuries, and enhance your sports performance and recovery.” 

The TB12 method places an emphasis on “alkalizing foods”, which are meant to reduce inflammation in the body. This method offers athletes a way to better themselves in competitions. Not only does this diet plan help with performance, but it also helps to create a stronger immune system, hence creating a faster and better way for recovery if injured. Because the TB12 method is rich in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds, your body works together to efficiently boost your immune system and limit excess inflammation. With this in mind, athletes must maintain their health to ensure that they aren’t tied down to the ground with slow recovery, which will further affect their performance for the season.

On the downside, the healthy choices Brady makes is quite restricted. For instance, the TB12 method calls for organic foods, such as Himalayan salt and proprietary supplements. These organic foods can mount up and potentially cause a blow in your grocery shopping list.  

Here’s a breakdown of Tom Brady’s diet:

-80% fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes

-20% protein (chicken, red meat, seafood)

-Eat until you're 75% full

-No dairy or nightshade vegetables (ex: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants)

-Halve your body weight in pounds and drink that many ounces of water a day (70 ounces for me daily)

-Maximum of 2 cups of coffee (no caffeine after noon)

-No food within 3 hours of going to bed

Here’s a breakdown of what Tom Brady's diet encourages one to eat:

-Fruits and vegetables

-Meats

-Fish and seafood

-Whole grains

-Legumes

-TB12 products and supplements

Here are foods that shouldn’t be eaten if following Tom Brady's diet: 

-Gluten-containing foods

-Caffeinated foods and drinks 

-Dairy-containing foods

-Processed grains

-Non-organic, non-local, or non-seasonal produce

-Factory-farmed meat and seafood

-Cooking oils

-Soybeans

-Processed foods

-GMOs

-Iodized salt

-Alcohol

With the pros and cons of the TB12 Method, it is important to make the decision for yourself on what components of the diet fit and don’t fit you and your lifestyle.

The silent beast: misinformation

March 2021 | Lauren Gumarang

Misinformation: false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.

Misinformation is not a new phenomenon. In fact, Romans, like Octavian, used what modern politicians may deem as “fake news” in his campaigns against his opponent Mark Antony. However, in our current day and age, misinformation has exploded into a mutilated virus that infects the mind.

This age-old problem continues to make its waves in the world of a pandemic. Unlike in “ye olden times”, today we have the looming problem of social media, which makes the infectious virus of misinformation even more contagious. Everyone and anyone can post and espouse whatever they would like to, whether it is true or not. And all of these posts from any of these accounts are available to just about everyone online. New and scary events can push people into corners where it’s hard to decipher what information is true or not. And often in situations where the population is under distress, people often lend their ears to anyone.

One example of misinformation at a huge and dangerous scale happened in April 2020, when many among the populous started to inject disinfectant in their body as a deterrent against COVID-19. The trying and even desperate times fostered the perfect environment for the virus of misinformation to take hold. Almost a year later, misinformation about COVID-19 is still very much alive. With the rollout of the vaccines, many are still skeptical: one-third of adult Americans are doubting current vaccination. But, what is the effect? Herd immunity will take care of the unvaccinated one-third. However, the esteemed Dr. Fauci explains that “somewhere between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population” needs to get vaccinated in order to, as Harvard University expert William Hanage states, “see a real effect”. The fact that even a fraction of the US, to the degree of one-third of the population, ignores the facts and figures of academic experts, is worrying to say the least; the misinformation tiger bears its dangerous claws.

Alongside the current COVID-19 pandemic, the even more ancient misinformation virus is still very much prevalent and active. But, how can we fight it? If this is such an ancient and terrible infection, what is the equivalent of wearing masks to prevent its spread? For one, know where facts are coming from and research thoroughly. Kristina Lerman, from USC’s Information Sciences Institute, states, “Follow a diverse set of accounts for a varied information diet”. This can allow one to cross reference their incoming streams of information and decipher what is true or not. 

Misinformation is not a new phenomenon, and it seems like it will be around for a while at this rate. To combat it is a noble and just path, though as all just courses are, will prove to be difficult and demanding. To kill this beast is a feat that may not come very soon, but if we keep our wits sharp and analytical, we could at least stare down the monster.

How the lockdown has affected people's mental health

March 2021 | Connor Gregory

It is no secret that, with the lockdown being instituted across the country, American citizens' mental stability has declined over the months of this pandemic. The University of Minnesota found that depression rates in the U.S have tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The deaths of friends and families, along with the isolation caused by the lockdown, have affected many Americans' mental health and ability to keep a consistent and healthy lifestyle. During these harsh times, it is important to keep moving forward and take care of oneself. 

One way to keep spirits high during the pandemic is to pick up new hobbies. Some examples of this may be drawing, cooking, or craft making. Others may take the newly found free time to work on their physical health and strength by working out more frequently. Dr. Chana Frumet recommends to take this time to bond with family and keep each other company in order to pass the time. Many may feel like they are trapped within their own houses or have lost their freedom, but there are numerous ways to keep spirits high during these low times. 

Healthcare in Italy: Combating COVID-19

February 2021 | Connor Gregory

Italy’s healthcare plan for COVID-19 had an extremely rocky start. Due to a lack of preparation and an inability to respond quickly to the invading virus, Italy suffered many casualties to the spreading issue. Caught off guard, hospitals were overrun and suffered a lack of ventilators.

By the end of March 2020, Italy had 105,776 cases of COVID-19. The nation reported an inability to hospitalize all of the infected patients at the beginning of the outbreak. Soon, they had to start making an extremely difficult decision on who should be prioritized in terms of hospitalization. Italian doctors were forced to make this grim decision many times throughout the first wave of the pandemic. By June 30th, 2020, there were over 34,900 deaths. As panic set in, people began to worry about how to combat COVID-19.

Pressured by a rising death toll, the Italian government issued the Relaunch Decree, a bill that directed 3.25 billion euros towards Italy’s public health system. It also helped in increasing the maximum capacity of many hospitals, buying thousands of more beds and putting 1.5 billion euros directly into the hospital network. This allowed Italian hospitals to treat more patients at once and save more lives. 

Currently, Italy has over 2 million cases throughout the country and has had over 85,000 deaths. Although the slow reaction caused Italy to suffer greatly, the government eventually managed to pull through. Italy is on the road to recovery and is getting a hold on COVID-19.

Riding the Wave and Following the Trends: Notable Trends During the COVID-19 Pandemic

February 2021 | Wynn Phaychanpheng

Over 9 months in, Americans are fully acclimated to life in a global pandemic. Zoom is no longer foreign, masks are seen as normal fashion, and COVID-19 testing is more accessible than ever. As we are now in the third wave, let’s dive into relevant trends from the last two, and how, why, and if they are on pace to continue in the future.

1. First and foremost, Increase in Cases

The most consistent trend throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic is the unfortunate steady rise in cases. According to the LA Times’ Coronavirus Tracker, as of January 8, 2021, “the state has averaged 39,745 cases per day” solely in the past week, which is a “significant jump” from December.

2. Hospitals in Crisis

Hospitals and healthcare professionals are being drowned in patients as the current situation worsens. Many will die due to limited space and resources in hospitals. Just a few days ago, Los Angeles ambulances were instructed not to transfer patients with low chances of survival. This includes serious heart attack patients, car crashes, and gunshot wounds, conditions that could have been treated prior to COVID-19. Nurses report that, if a patient cannot be quickly resuscitated, they will be pronounced dead instead of being transported to packed hospitals.

3. Higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation

Mental health during the pandemic has been difficult to maintain for many individuals, as many Americans feel hopelessness and constant tiredness from being stuck in their homes. This has resulted in higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation, as reported by a CDC study in June, only a few months after the pandemic’s start. A more recent study published in September cited that “Depression symptom prevalence was higher in every category during COVID-19 compared with before,” and that depression also disproportionately affects those already at risk for it (low income, POC, etc.)

4. Youth Political Engagement on Rise

The clear partisanship in the U.S, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic– reflected by inconsistent messages by the Trump administration early on, debate on safety measures, masks and vaccines, and calls for healthcare reform– encouraged many Americans to become more politically engaged. Being at home for this extended period gave the opportunity to many to become more educated on topics, such as the summer Black Lives Matter protests calling for police reform, systematic racism, the election, and issues such as healthcare and climate policy. Constant consumption of media also contributed to this rise, which was especially prevalent in youth and young adults.

5. Continued Rise in Social Media Use

The continued increased usage of social media platforms is natural as the pandemic rages on and we remain confined to our homes, turning to social media to connect more with others than ever before. As aforementioned, social media has now become a place for political discourse, education and entertainment of all types, besides being means of communication. Thus, adults report that both them and their children spend more time consuming media. An interesting find from the same study reports a correlation between anxiety levels and an increased use of social media, if you were curious.

6. TikTok and the Jamaican Orange Remedy

With the steady increase of social media use, more people are viewing and creating content than ever before, especially on the app TikTok. In fact, since the start of the year, there was a 75% increase in users (motivated by the pandemic), a greater number of diverse content communities, and former President Trump’s threat to ban the app. I myself was one of the individuals who downloaded it in fears that it would be banned, and now regularly use it to consume media. In late December, a trend swept TikTok where users that contracted COVID-19 attempted to revive their sense of taste by burning an orange’s exterior, then eating the flesh mixed with brown sugar. This proclaimed quick fix was labeled as a Jamaican remedy by creator “toosmxll”, and other users hopped on the trend to test it out. The results? Highly variable. Some were amazed to find they could taste their food afterwards, while others had no result. Medical professionals call on the placebo effect and pre-existing return of taste to explain the success of this unbacked remedy. They add that the strong scent from burning the orange may create a sensory overload, essentially shocking your sense of smell into smelling strong scents. However, this requires pre-existing return.

7. Pandemic Fatigue

Pandemic fatigue, a phrase coined to represent the overall tiredness and frustration with the world’s current state during the lasting COVID-19 crisis, is a very real issue that continues to affect every individual from a personal to communal level. As we near a year marking the beginning of school and business closures, the frustration of not yet being out of the pandemic grows and grows. This has resulted in some individuals choosing to defy safety precautions and congregate in groups, go to holiday parties, and meet friends. While this may provide temporary social relief, it is highly risky and endangers the health of all those involved. Still, we are unfortunately seeing a trend emerging of more and more individuals choosing to take that risk, negatively contributing to the surging cases and limited healthcare resources.

Thus, though I know we are all tired of pandemic life and discouraged by recent events, I  encourage you to stay hopeful. The start of vaccine distributions shines a well-needed light at the end of the tunnel. It’s the beginning of a brand new year. So please, stay safe, stay at home, and stay optimistic about the future ahead.

Europe's Lethal Second Wave of COVID-19

February 2021 | Katelyn Tong

By early June, Europe was emerging from its battle against COVID-19, just as other countries were fighting record caseloads. With the weather warming up, the European Union was encouraging borders to reopen. The Europeans, desperate for a break, took off for their sacred summer vacations. They paid a heavy price for it.

A devastating second wave hit Europe deadlier than the first, forcing disinclined governments back into lockdowns and inflicting severe scars on European economies. Hasty reopenings with few restrictions, coupled with cross-border travel, resulted in thousands of deaths just months before vaccines could arrive.

In most European countries, daily deaths are increasing higher in the fall of 2020 than ever before. In November, nearly 105,000 people in 31 countries monitored by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control died from COVID-19. Western European countries, such as Italy and Belgium, which were hit severely during the first wave, are suffering nearly as bad now. Some countries, including Britain, have done somewhat better in handling the situation, while others are suffering just as much as the first time.

Most notably, almost every country in Central and Eastern Europe is being battered with alarming spikes in cases and deaths. In the spring and fall, Europe’s COVID-19 waves surpassed the United States, although Europe’s current epidemic has begun to level off. How did Europe find itself back into the grasp of the second wave of the pandemic, after biting back the first?

The Rush to Reopen

It was far into the first period of quarantine when the president of the European Commission announced an unpleasant message: Summer vacation, a very important European tradition, and an economic stimulus for many countries, might be cancelled. A week later, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, made an abrupt reconsideration: “I think we will find smart solutions to have some vacation,” she told Portugal's SIC TV channel. “I am positive about summer vacation.” Around the same time, the Commission (the European Union's executive branch) revealed its “roadmap to reopening,” suggesting that national governments slowly and cautiously reopen its social and economic life. Most European governments moved much faster than the Commission recommended.

More than four million people traveled to Spain in July and August, often taking no measures to test or isolate when people arrived or returned. In Belgium, people returning home from holidays abroad were not tested, and social distancing demands were not enforced. Tourists held gatherings in private villas, limiting the effectiveness of government restrictions, which mainly applied to formal venues. Research shows that these decisions- swift internal reopenings, with vague restrictions and cross-border travel- were at the root of the second wave.

Healthcare in the Philippines

February 2021 | Madison Lardizabal

Healthcare in the Philippines is vastly different from the healthcare we are used to in the United States. Although the healthcare system in the US is ranked much higher than the Philippines’, there are some aspects of Filipino healthcare that can arguably beat the US. With that being said, one of the reasons the US is ranked so high is because of the amount of good healthcare locations across the US. On the other hand, the Philippines has most of its quality locations in the populous parts of a single city, Manila. The Philippines also loses a lot of their talented medical professionals to bigger and better paying areas, like Australia, United States, UK, etc. One of the biggest differences between the Philippines and most other healthcare systems is the cost. In the United States, a hospital bed is about $2,000/day, as opposed to about $100/night in the Philippines, even though care is relatively equal. This is great for patients and those in need, but what does this mean for the talented and hardworking medical professionals?

The medical professionals are highly underpaid, especially when comparing the pay for healthcare workers in the United States. This creates a problem for the healthcare system because the excellent professionals in the Philippines realize that they can leave the Philippines, get paid much more, and have much better opportunities outside of their home country. A popular trend, as seen in many past years, is for many Filipino healthcare workers to be trained and recruited to leave the Philippines and get great jobs specifically in the United States. Another popular trend is to leave, get a good job, earn lots of money, and either send it or return home to the Philippines to live comfortably. Unfortunately, these factors are making it harder on the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have an average of 480,737 cases and 9,347 deaths. This is a large number and really reflects the type of system they have.

Their lack of professionals, quality locations, and resources puts a massive strain on the country. The COVID-19 pandemic is also drawing workers away from the Philippines because other countries are also in need of as many workers as possible. Since they will most likely get better pay than in the Philippines, more and more Filipino healthcare workers are leaving their home country.

Although the Philippines has taken a big hit with COVID-19, they have great doctors and professionals that can help them beat this challenge.

The Reopening of Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic

February 2021 | Grace Su

It has been nearly a year since we were all forced to quarantine in our homes. A year ago, we celebrated the much anticipated spring break from school. But rather than two weeks, the return to school was delayed for a month, then two months...until we are nearly sitting on a full nine months from school. Nearly a year later, each of us is looking forward to the day where the spread of COVID-19 will be contained and it will be safe enough for us to return to school, meet with our teachers, engage in after-school activities, and see our friends again.

However, there has been no such luck for schools in California, as Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order on December 3, stating that, due to the “recent unprecedented rise in the rate of increase of COVID cases, hospitalizations, and test positivity rates'', the mandatory quarantine only has the state’s best interests in mind to prevent the spread of the virus. Yet, recently, with the arrival of the new vaccine and nearly 3,454,305 vaccines administered as of January, Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed a new plan on Wednesday, January 6. This plan is to reopen California schools for in-person instruction as early as February, along with a vaccine distribution plan. This plan includes $2 billion in funding and is preparing for elementary students and those with special needs to come back to school first. The plan also calls for increased COVID-19 testing and a mandatory mask requirement for staff, teachers and students. There are still those who disagree with the plan, arguing that opening up schools would surely result in higher infection rates and overly-concerned parents who fear that wearing masks will deprive their children of oxygen. (Note: There is no evidence that low oxygen levels result from wearing a mask, unless you are a person with preexisting lung problems). For those concerned with the safety of reopening schools, data results show that schools are safer than the community and that "it's 15 times more likely for you to get COVID outside of the school setting than in a school setting," according to a statement by Mary Jane Burke, the Marin County Superintendent of Schools. According to the county's data, Marin County has seen just six transmission cases and 94 positive coronavirus cases among more than 44,000 kids and adults involved in in-person learning, to which Burke replies that the time is right to open more schools.

Additionally, California’s 60-member Community Vaccine Advisory Committee is expected to announce on Wednesday, January 6th whether teachers and other education and childcare employees will fall on the prioritization list to receive COVID-19 vaccines, which will ease concerns of COVID-19 transmissions from administrators to their families. There are numerous other plans deliberating proposals that will allow schools to reopen, with safety as the top priority. Although not all of the plans are in place, everyone is making an effort to redirect our society back to its previous prosperity, before the disastrous outbreak of COVID-19.

A Timeline of the COVID-19 Pandemic

February 2021 | Lauren Gumarang

Among the hottest topics in the news currently is the prospect of COVID-19 vaccines. While vaccines usually take years to develop and test, with the dire situation, this vaccine has been in the works for barely several months. 

Beginning with the Trump administration in March of 2020, “Operation Warp Speed” (OWS) was put into action with the sole purpose of releasing a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. OWS partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, the NIH, DOD, as well as both government and private companies, to accelerate the release of such a vaccine.

Perhaps one of the biggest companies behind COVID-19 vaccines is Pfizer (partnered with BioNTech), who, as of December 8, has shown promising results according to the FDA. Their vaccine requires two doses, three weeks apart. With these two doses, the vaccine is reportedly 95% effective, and yields similar results across many demographics. However, some trial participants noted short side effects, like headaches and fatigue. Some even were identified to have Bell’s palsy, a weakness in facial muscles.

Pfizer has not been the only company working on a vaccine. In the US, Moderna has also been a contender with another mRNA vaccine. Currently, it reports a 94% efficacy rate, with its study of 30,000 volunteers. In the placebo group, 185 individuals contracted COVID-19, while in the vaccine group, only 11 did. Like Pfizer, it is a two-dose vaccine with similar side effects. 

The US government is said to have agreed to purchase 100 million doses of each vaccine, and the distribution for the vaccines is still up in the air. Some officials are expecting to vaccinate health workers and nursing home residents first. Each state has varying levels of planned vaccinations. California, in particular, plans for the first wave of vaccines to be for psychiatric/prison hospitals, people in long-term care facilities, and healthcare providers. To lessen COVID-19 strains, Governor Newsom also enacted strict stay-at-home orders in December, which are planned to last around three weeks.

With the looming danger of new strains of COVID-19, people wonder if the vaccines will be deemed ineffective against these new threats. Nevertheless, as the new year started, doses of vaccines have been rolled out to city workers, the elderly, and first responders throughout the nation.

Overall, millions of people are waiting for the coveted COVID-19 vaccines, but some are skeptical. Some believe the vaccines have been rushed, but unlike previous vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines have had rapid global collaboration like never before, as well as high funding. Ultimately, it is up to the individual whether or not to take it, and whether or not they want to protect both themselves and the people around them. I know my answer to that question.

A Parallel of the Pandemic

February 2021 | Nimrah Saleem

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? The answers to this deep philosophical question mirrors the opinions of the American people on the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two general perspectives of how people view this vivacious virus. On one end, you have people who don’t think of the virus as serious and disregard safety precautions. In the bigger picture, they are disregarding their health. This group justifies going to large gatherings, not wearing masks, and traveling, primarily because no one close to them had COVID-19, or had it to the extent for it to become a serious matter. For example, a BBC News article relates the tragic story of Brian Lee Hitchens and his wife, Erin, who “...did not follow health guidance at the start of the pandemic because of the false claims they had seen online.” This simple misconception led to the death of Brian’s wife.

Brian’s loss gained him what anti-maskers lack: knowledge and the basic realization that “This thing is real” (Brian). Hence, why are people still not taking the pandemic more seriously? Well, it circulates back to our mind-opening question. By analyzing the actions of these less precautious people, one can compare how they would believe that a tree wouldn’t make a sound if no one heard it fall. These individuals' belief that, since they haven’t been directly affected by the virus, the virus makes no “sound” or is not serious, mirrors that statement.

However, just because one did not experience a sound, did it still happen? According to Dr. Matt Bobrowsky, an astronomer with a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy, “Even if there’s no person or other animal around to hear the sound, a recorder with a microphone could certainly record those vibrations—as sound.” Thus, relating this to current events, this can allude that even if people aren’t affected by the coronavirus personally, there are still countless news reports and stories of people who have been, proving that this is in fact a serious issue. This paves the path for the second perspective that people have about the coronavirus: This pandemic is a current and serious matter that everyone is facing, and one should take all the necessary precautions in order to combat the pandemic, whether or not one has been directly impacted. Ultimately, people can have opinions (yes, the tree made a sound or no, it did not; yes, we should follow COVID-19 guidelines or no, we should not), but a person should formulate a rational and logical opinion after considering all the evidence, regardless if it is based on a personal experience or not.

Healthcare, A Dangerous Field of Work

February 2021 | Enrico Hernandez

“I can’t take this anymore.” “I can’t wait for retirement.” “I am sick of this.” Many medical professionals are having these thoughts of doubt and unhappiness because of the pandemic. Although healthcare has always been a popular and desirable career path because of its flexibility, job security, and stability, this pandemic has had an extremely negative impact on the field of healthcare.

Medical professionals are constantly risking their lives while working. Also, they are becoming more frustrated, stressed, and burnt out. COVID-19 has negatively affected medical professionals’ mental and physical health. They are constantly working and fighting this pandemic, but their heroic actions come at a cost. Because nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals are frequently putting their lives at risk while working, it is expected that their infection rates are substantial. According to Katie Marquedant, a senior project specialist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, frontline health workers are 12 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to the average citizen. Also, there is an insufficient amount of personal protective equipment (PPE), and frontline workers who do not have PPE are at a 23% higher chance of contracting COVID-19 than the general community. The imminent threat of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace can cause fear and other psychological harm.

Because of fear and stress, there is a substantial amount of burnout rates and mental health complications for frontline health workers. According to a survey conducted by Mental Health America (MHA), stress was prevalent in frontline workers at an overwhelming rate of 93%. Frontline health workers are also experiencing emotional exhaustion (82%), physical exhaustion (68%), and are doubting their decision to go into healthcare (55%). This proves that our health heroes are not only emotionally and physically exhausted, but some have also been questioning their career choice and are showing symptoms of anxiety.

Medical professionals are also experiencing unnecessary frustration due to anti-maskers. According to Anna Almendrala, a correspondent for Kaiser Health News, many nurses are irritated and disheartened by anti-maskers: “‘If you come into the hospital and you're sick, I'm going to take care of you,’ Jewell Harris Jordan, a 47 year-old registered nurse at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California said. ‘But damn, you would think you would want to try to protect the people that are trying to keep you safe.’” Some individuals' lack of adherence to wearing masks makes a frontline health worker’s job significantly more of an uphill battle by putting them at risk and increasing the spread of COVID-19.

Our medical professionals are constantly being overworked in a deadly pandemic, and they have little to no vacation or leisure time. As a result of being overworked, they can barely see their family and friends, not just because of the pandemic, but because of their strenuous work hours. Hence, medical professionals are being overworked to their limit, are physically and mentally exhausted, lack leisure and vacation time, and are constantly being exposed to COVID-19.

Although frontline health workers are going through a challenging time, there are many people rallying to support these healthcare heroes. For example, there are non-profit organizations that support these essential workers. Some organizations, like ProjectN95 and Masks for Docs, focus on donating PPE, masks, and cleaning/hygiene products, like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Other organizations are focused on financial support and food donations. In addition, people are showing their support for these essential healthcare workers by making tokens of appreciation and creating a caravan to honk in their support!

Even though many healthcare professionals and workers take pride in being able to save countless lives in their workplace, they may not be able to rescue their own during these hazardous and dangerous times. This pandemic puts these workers in an especially dangerous position because they are constantly risking their lives to take care of patients infected with COVID-19. The fear of contracting COVID-19 and constantly being stalked by this Grim Reaper of a virus can cause psychological illnesses. This dismal truth poses the question of how this situation will affect current and future generations of healthcare workers after this outbreak. Will this stop or discourage potential healthcare workers from going into this field?

Joe Biden's Plan to Deal with the COVID-19 Pandemic

February 2021 | Priya Patel

Americans are worn out and frustrated with the quarantine and pandemic. Students are overwhelmed by online learning, and parents are stressed about financial issues. Individuals wonder whether Joe Biden will make a positive change for the nation regarding the pandemic. So, what is Joe Biden’s plan to deal with COVID-19?

Biden and Harris’s plan to deal with COVID-19 begins with “fixing Trump’s testing-and-tracing fiasco.” Since getting an appointment to get tested for COVID-19 without paying is difficult for some people, due to their state and/or county policies, addressing this issue is Biden’s first priority. To ensure that all individuals have the ability to get tested, he plans to invest in at-home testing and instant testing. He also plans to double the number of drive-through testing sites. Further, he wants to work on strengthening social security, providing help to older workers, saving incentives for middle-class workers, making affordable health care, and standing up to the abuse of power by prescription drug corporations. Another change to Trump’s plan includes reinstating multiple relationships with organizations, agencies, global health security, etc. Reversing Trump’s actions accounts for almost 43% of Biden’s plan to bring the country back on track.

Other objectives in Biden’s plan include thinking ahead for a successful future by “adjusting the supply of personal protective equipment to ensure we are not dependent on other countries in a crisis.” He claims that he will “provide a clear, consistent, evidence-based national guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic, offer resources to make it through and [] provide equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines.” The last point in Biden’s plan is implementing nationwide mask mandates. However, will Americans listen and wear a mask everywhere they go? Let’s remember that we have a partnership in this plan, and to go back to normal, we must step up and take initiative!

Breaking Down the Third COVID-19 Wave

February 2021 | Ava Mack

In January of 2020, the first COVID-19 case was reported in the United States. Since then, it has grown into a nationwide and worldwide pandemic. The increase and decrease of COVID-19 cases can be broken into three waves thus far. In this article, I will be talking about the current third wave. I will be discussing causes, statistics, possible solutions, and the effect of the lockdown.

The third wave of COVID-19 started around the beginning of September, according to the graph above, from Forbes. There are many suspected causes of the third wave, a few being the holidays and cooler weather. Both of these factors tend to drive people to be inside and closer to others. Another cause may be that people are becoming less strict when it comes to following social distancing and mask mandates. John Drake, a professor at the University of Georgia, says, “What I conclude is that the current wave of COVID-19 is only partly driven by changes in transmission— and these changes in transmission are the smaller part. The bigger factor is the overall larger size of the epidemic at the onset of the third wave compared with the previous waves.” What he means by this is: When COVID-19 spreads, it is a multiplicative process; it increases and decreases based on a growth rate. Based on the graph above, the third wave may be the worst yet, with contributing factors clearly being the holidays, cool weather, and people not following mandates as closely as they used to.

There are not many solid solutions to ending the third wave of COVID-19, but there are some measures that can be taken to help reduce the spread. These include continuing to stay at home if you feel sick, practicing six feet of social distancing, and wearing a mask when going outside. With the recent first wave of vaccine distribution, we can bring the number of cases down, if as many willing people took the vaccine as possible. It is important to continue to stay safe in order to protect ourselves and others.

After being in lockdown for months upon months, there is no doubt that there were some major changes in day-to-day life, as well as negative effects. Drew Holden, from the New York Times, states, “Extended social isolation can have serious health implications, from heart disease and dementia to depression and death. During the pandemic, our diets and lifestyles got worse, increasing our vulnerability to the very disease that isolation is meant to help address." Along with these negative physical effects of lockdown, there has also been a rise in anxiety and depression. This rise is not completely due to the lockdown, as losing loved ones to COVID-19 or other health-related issues has contributed to this rise. There was also a drastic change in students’ lives, as most schools have been closed during the lockdown. "About half of the country’s school districts held remote classes, either exclusively or partially, at the start of the year.” Learning online has made it more difficult for some  students to learn certain subjects, like math. Although teachers  are trying hard to combat these struggles, learning online is just not the same as in-person learning. Pre-pandemic, we were so used to being surrounded by family and peers, that the sudden isolation was a shock to most people.

Although there is no definitive cure to COVID-19 so far, we know that wearing a mask, social distancing, and getting the vaccine, when it’s possible, will help bring the number of cases down and allow us to return to some of the social activities we used to enjoy. The lockdown has had an effect on everyone, whether that be mental or physical. We must keep taking it day by day, knowing that we will eventually come out on the other side.

Bioprinting Human Tissues and Organs

November 2020 | Grace Su

There are currently 109,000 people in the United States on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, with another patient added to the list every 9 minutes and an average of 17 people dying each day because of the lack of available organs (Organ Donation Statistics). Imagine you are one of them. Imagine the tens of thousands of other patients in need of the same organ, competing for one. Imagine the cycle of happiness and then disappointment you would endure when trying to find a possible organ donor. Imagine the joy that would come from receiving an organ, only to be followed by the grief that comes with experiencing organ rejection. While all of this would be a common issue of the past, technology and medicine have evolved so drastically that printing organs and tissues can be used as a solution to treat diseases, such as cancer.

What is bioprinting exactly?

Bioprinting is the artificial creation of human skin, tissue, and internal organs, and the production of complex living and non-living biological products from raw materials, such as living cells, molecules, extracellular matrices, and biomaterials. Artificial organs and tissues are created with the aid of 3D printing and bioprinting, which starts by taking a simple sample of a patient’s cells, which bioengineers aim to recreate. By using a bioreactor, bioengineers are able to recreate enough cells needed for the artificial organ or tissue. An extracellular matrix is then used as a foundation for the cells to grow on, and additional promoters and biochemicals are added to the matrix to initiate cell development, allowing the cells to grow onto the matrix. Biospinning, which is a process that manipulates hydrogel polymer into specific fibers, then spins together to form the desired structure of the organ or tissue. The cells from the matrix are added to the structure, and carefully layered to mimic the complex arrangement of human skin. The cells finally begin to grow onto the structure and are placed into an incubator, which resembles conditions in the human body, to enable the cells to grow naturally, creating an artificial tissue. However, this process is only simple enough to recreate skin and blood vessels, not complex three-dimensional organs, such as the human heart.

For more than 25 years, a team of bioengineers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, led by Anthony Atala, has been researching the process of bioprinting through biospinning and 3D printing, and can now successfully create 40 different organ and tissue structures, including fingers, ears, kidneys and hearts (Kelly). There needs to be extensive research upon the subject, as a functional organ or tissue needs to be able to allow the transport of nutrients and oxygen via blood vessels and must be functional in waste excretion as well. Dr. Atala’s team of scientists and researchers have been working on this problem of the network of blood vessels, and a potential solution upon research has been to preserve the skeleton of a real donor organ in order to mimic its functionality. The first step in this process involves receiving a real donor organ and placing it in a shaker (Kelly). “After going through the shaker, you could hold the organ and it would look and feel like the organ, but it would have no cells,” Atala said. “Essentially, we’d preserved the skeleton of the organ (Kelly).” The organ skeleton, then combined with the patient cells, would allow the organ to function like it did previously; however, it would be considered the patient’s organ instead of the original donor’s organ. While this method is a good solution and would help combat the potential problem of organ rejection, it still requires a donor organ, and as mentioned previously, it is difficult to obtain one. However, the research revolving around 3D printing and bioengineering is continuing to evolve as technology evolves, and Atala and his team are still engineering printers to carry out the complex processes of solid organs. “There’s so much going on in an organ like the heart that we can’t see unless we start from scratch,” Atala said. “We’re looking at the structure from a 360-degree perspective to make sure we can replicate the functionality of the organ in every way possible, or it won’t survive (Kelly).” Likewise, although the method of 3D printing may be a possible future for organ transplantation, there are still many details to consider before a bioengineered organ is actually transferred into a patient. Through trial and error, Atala and his team have been successfully programming the printers to deposit even the tiniest blood vessels within a complex organ. The research in bioengineering organs has come far, compared to previous years, and scientists have even been successful in developing organs and tissues that function exactly like how a real organ or tissue would. Nevertheless, there is still a long and difficult journey ahead to weave the complex web of cells, tissues, and nerves into correct positions on the organ, as well as to perform additional safety tests and regulations to make them readily available to the public (Mischa).

While bioengineered organs may not be available to the public, they can still serve in other processes, such as testing drugs and medications on a synthetic organ to mimic the effects on real human organs. 3D printing has even helped further research in the current coronavirus pandemic by creating tiny replicas of human organs heavily affected by this virus to test drugs fighting against COVID-19. However, the significance of bioprinting comes from its ability to test for treatments against cancer and drug effects, and also to minimize animal experimentation, as bioprinted organs can more accurately determine effects that would occur in the human body. For example, a common drug used to treat diabetes, known as Rezulin, was recalled in 2000 for potential evidence of liver failure (Rosen). Upon testing on a bioprinted organ, test results revealed that after two weeks, liver toxicity became apparent, further emphasizing the importance of bioprinting (Rosen). This research is also partnering with other fields in the medical world, such as biotechnology and pharmacy. Dr. Atala and his team have partnered with a technology company on a project called “body on a chip” system to potentially combine data from the bioengineered organ with a chip, allowing the artificial intelligence to more accurately analyze data about the drug's effects on the organ. This involves printing living tissue on a microchip to allow drugs to be studied for toxicity and efficacy even before clinical trials begin (Rosen). “We work a lot with researchers, pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies, and we are trying to seed advances as quickly as possible, analyze data and develop new drugs,” said Rebecca Laborde, the master principal scientist in Oracle’s health sciences division (Rosen). “This is the most exciting project I’ve worked on in a long time (Rosen).”

The future for organ transplantation is definitely still uncertain. With new discoveries and advances for those working in the field, our understanding of replicating the complex and detailed processes in the human body is still evolving (Mischa). Simple organs and tissues, such as ears, skin and the nose, may be easier to replicate more than others. However, it's the process of combining these bioengineered organs and tissues with the human body, and the placement of nerves and tissues to a functional position with the organ, that makes this process of organ transplantation so difficult. Given the acceleration of technology's evolution, it may be tempting to make the first step in transplanting a bioengineered organ into a human. However, we need to take extra steps and caution, as the human body’s cast and extremely complex processes may need additional time to fully understand and replicate.

Face Mites: The Creepy Crawlers Underneath Your Skin

November 2020 | Esther Kim

If you’re reading this, raise your hand and touch your forehead. Now, press down gently. Do you feel them crawling? You do? Then push down as hard as you can. Good job. You killed one. What? Just kidding, but you might want to stop reading if you’re afraid of the creepy-crawlies.

Feel your forehead again. You probably can’t sense it, but your hands are offering shade to one of your tiny, flesh-eating roommates. Or two. If you don’t wash your face every once in a while, you might even have five.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “What on Earth is she talking about?”

What I am talking about is something that lives in both you and me. Obviously, it’s not courage. Or whatever appears in cliche motivational quotes. I’m talking about wriggling, flesh-nibbling arachnids.

Face mites are a unique species of mite that dwell inside human skin. Measuring only 0.15-0.2 millimeters long, they cannot be seen or felt with our naked senses. According to Michelle Tantwein, an entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, they look like eight-legged “stubby little worms.” These intradermal parasites feed on dead cells and sebum.

There are two types of face mites, demodex brevis and demodex folliculorum. Both mites look and function alike, but demodex brevis dig deep in the meibomian and sebaceous glands, while demodex folliculorum live in hair follicles.

A face mite’s daily routine consists of burrowing under your skin during the day, eating dermis cells and sebum, and crawling outside at night to mate right on your face. Female mites then carry out their primitive functions, laying eggs deep within the epidermis.

To the great relief of humans, face mites don’t litter their droppings all over our already-suffering pores, unlike most living creatures. Instead, they relieve themselves in a great explosion of feces at the end of their lives. It is rather horrific to imagine live waste bombs in our skin, especially considering that the average lifespan of demodex is 14 days.

So, the real question is, how do we rid ourselves of these burrowing, flesh-eating waste bombs? Prescription medications are available for purchase, and there’s always the old-school method of washing your face twice a day with a nice-smelling foaming cleanser, but why kill these compact critters? Skin mites can actually have health benefits if possessed in moderation. They act as vacuums inside our skin, eating dead tissue and harmful bacteria. They also do not cause much harm (surprisingly), unless possessed in large numbers, in which a condition named demodicosis occurs. Demodicosis can cause hair loss, itching, and inflammation.

To properly manage your petite pets, make sure to maintain basic hygiene and regularly change your bedsheets, as demodex can also dwell on dirty sheets. If you are showing symptoms of demodicosis, it might be wise to visit your local dermatologist for a face mite checkup.

Feeling a bit queasy? Don’t worry too much. If you’re one of the lucky 3% who manages to not catch a single face mite until now, congratulations, you’re bug-free! For the other 97%, your compact companions will always be there to keep you company through thick and thin… literally.

Changing the Culture of Healthcare

November 2020 | Wynn Phaychanpheng 

During this quarantine and the concurrent summer, I have been spending my time watching K-dramas and getting into K-pop groups, watching documentaries and programs about the language, food, and truly indulging in the rich culture of South Korea. However, aside from aweing over their thriving entertainment industry (meaning its products), I have also grown a respect and admiration for their healthcare system and the revolutionary culture, surrounding hospitals and medical treatment, they are creating.

To truly understand the exceptionalism of Korean healthcare, we must draw a comparison between it and our current U.S healthcare system.

Imagine this: After forgetting your umbrella on one of California’s only rainy days in the year, you wake up the next morning with a sore throat and a slight sniffle. What would you do? You would likely just down some cold medicine you have in your cabinet and be off with your day, right?

Well, in Korea, you can go to the hospital to get an IV bag for hydration and medication in order to treat that same cold the average American would do nothing about. And, you could receive the same for much quicker and cheaper than at your nearby hospital or pharmacy here. Or, perhaps, if you were feeling really sick, you could get a full body checkup, inclusive of a CT or MRI, for about 50 U.S. dollars. 50!!!

In fact, many Koreans often report going to the hospital to get an IV simply for being hungover, and, in their society, it is completely normal to make visiting the hospital a part of your day.

This is one highlight of what Koreans are able to do due to their well established National Healthcare system. The healthcare system, and its coupled National Health Insurance (NIH), rapidly became universal to Koreans in a short span of 12 years.

While a unified national healthcare system is not uncommon to the developed world, the Korean one nonetheless ranks high in comparison to other national systems, such as the UK’s NHS and other European nations. Having said that, the U.S. still staunchly pales in comparison to either nation, as it remains one of the only countries lacking one, despite being (or claiming to be) the richest country in the world.

Here, our prices are high for necessary medications, patients frequently go into debt for surgeries, and an ambulance ride just to get to the hospital costs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

This has resulted in a culture in the U.S. of only visiting the hospital “when you feel like you’re going to die,” especially in underprivileged communities and in families who lack access to healthcare insurance. Why would you go to the hospital for abdominal pain when you can’t afford it at the chance that it could simply be nothing more than a stomachache?

This predicament is one facing millions of Americans on a daily basis. It is one that not only reflects the utter incompetence of the current U.S. healthcare system, but also demonstrates the interconnectedness of healthcare and a nation’s culture surrounding the importance of health.

In the United States, health is not valued. It is valued less than a basic right or freedom, which is reflected by our broken healthcare system. It personally shocks me that some people in our country are either not given the privilege or just simply do not value health, when the health is by definition “a state of physical, mental and social well-being in which disease and infirmity are absent”, inferentially crucial to every person’s livelihood and productivity. The inefficacy of the U.S. healthcare system is a direct variable; time and time again, Americans cite their distrust and distaste for its current state. Distrust and unreliability become even greater issues because, when people lose trust in a system, they are more likely to lose value for what it offers.

There is no better demonstration that reveals the stark differences in health culture between Korea and the U.S than the current COVID-19 pandemic. Korea has recently been praised by many countries and health officials for their rapid control on cases and “flattening of the curve” early on. Now, eight months into the pandemic, life in South Korea is almost back to normal and their total deaths have yet to reach 500. They were able to accomplish this by mass, high capacity screenings and testing, coupled with increased healthcare workers and facilities being supplied. The Korean response was clear, organized, and effective due to the harmony between government, healthcare, and often forgotten, but highly important, citizen compliance. Meanwhile, the U.S. pandemic response has been ununified between government, health system and people, as citizen compliance was (and continues to be) a key flaw. While this can be attributed to many factors, I believe that a lack of compliance is another consequence of a culture that undermines the importance of health.

So, the question remains: how does the healthcare system have cultural repercussions? The key centers on the relationship is between trust and value. South Koreans see that their healthcare system has great insurance options, high quality doctors, and is backed by the government. Simply put, they can trust their system. This reliability allows them to not be afraid to go to the doctors and view it as normal to get check ups and diagnoses, creating the countrywide culture that health is important and should be regularly treated as such.

In essence, there is much we can learn from the South Korean healthcare system, but there is greater to learn in noticing the positive cultural effects of having reliable healthcare. South Korea is a perfect example in showing us how a good healthcare system can produce sociocultural effects that, in turn, assist the healthcare system in maintaining citizen health as a priority.

The Canadian Healthcare System

November 2020 | Wesley Nguyen

The most unique feature of the Canadian Healthcare System is its universal Canadian Medicare. Under this plan, all Canadian citizens have access to medical services, including hospitals and physicians, without paying out-of-pocket. This means that citizens do not directly pay for their service. Instead, this system is publicly funded, meaning that Canada’s government and provinces are responsible for funding it. The main financial source is personal and business income taxes; other sources are sales taxes and lottery proceeds. Additional funding contributions could come from provinces charging a health premium, an amount each person pays for healthcare every month.

These funding methods are met by the Canada Health Act, a legislation that sets conditions for health insurance and funding plans and provides supplementary health care to qualified people. For example, “...First Nations people living on reserves; Inuit; serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces; eligible veterans; inmates in federal penitentiaries; and some groups of refugee claimants,” are included in this service (Canada, Health). This act also discourages Extra-billing by health services, which charges substantially more than the amounts that the universal healthcare system covers. In addition to enforcing this system, the government is in charge of “...health protection and regulation, consumer safety, and disease surveillance and prevention” (Canada, Health).

Overall, Canada has a distinctive healthcare system that provides comprehensive and accessible services to all residents.

Healthcare in the Lion City

November 2020 | Lauren Gumarang

Universal healthcare: a system where a country’s government provides access to quality medical services to all citizens. While the definition of this term may slightly differ depending on who one asks, it takes centerstage in political debates regarding the medical field in the US. Time and time again, the question returns: should universal healthcare be implemented? In politics, the debate on the ratio of total privatization of healthcare to government-run health services continuously persists in the United States, and other countries may have the answer to the question, Can universal healthcare work?

Singapore, the Lion city-state, is unique among its neighbors. It’s one of the world’s last city states, the others being Monaco and Vatican city. It comprises a multitude of different ethnic groups and benefits from this diversity in culture and in its economy. In the International Monetary Fund’s 2019 estimate of GDP per capita, Singapore ranks as number eight, just behind the United States. While trailing behind the US in GDP, many argue that Singapore boasts the world’s best healthcare system. According to Bloomberg, the city-state ranked as the country with the most efficient healthcare system in 2014.

Additionally, Singaporeans reportedly had the longest total lifespan and longest span of living while in good health in 2017.

Being American and unfamiliar with the application and execution of universal healthcare, one may wonder how this is possible. In the United States, the government works on managing insurance programs. In contrast, Singapore’s government manages most, if not all, hospitals, with doctors employed by the state. However, Singaporeans still pay for healthcare much of the time, not insurance, like in other countries with universal healthcare. After all, universal healthcare doesn’t mean free medical services; it simply means universal access to quality healthcare. So, if citizens still pay, what makes it different?

In the US, the cost of the same medical procedure may drastically differ in different states, cities, and even blocks on the same street. In one hospital, appendix surgery may cost as low as $1500, and in another, it may cost more than 100 times that amount at $18000. Also, most patients are unaware of the exact price of procedures until after the fact. In contrast, Singapore works to regulate the cost of medical care to keep it low for its citizens. In addition, Lion City actively promotes a healthy lifestyle to prevent hospital visits in the first place, which is not in the US, and even further subsidizes costs; subsidies can range from 50-80% of the total bill. One could argue that the fact that Singapore places the responsibility of medical bill payments on the citizens fosters a sense of responsibility of one’s health throughout the population. Singapore is built upon their 3M system to further cover citizens’ medical costs: Medishield Life, MediSave, and MediFund. MediShield Life is the basic insurance all citizens are eligible for and is most often used to pay for large treatments. Medisave is the compulsory program citizens have that uses part of one’s income to pay for hospitalization and other healthcare needs. This program is tailored for saving money for costs associated with old age medical needs. Lastly, MediFund is set up for needy Singaporeans and is for helping those who have remaining costs after subsidies. The 3M system helps lift some of the burdens in medical care, and it works to ensure that all Singaporeans can enjoy access to medical services.

Singapore combines the conservative and liberal ideals on both sides of the US’s debates, so why can’t it be used in the US? Well---- no. Singapore is a small country with only around six million people, whereas 300 million people inhabit the US. Scaling up such a system, and overhauling the existing system, could lead to much discourse and new political and economic problems. A medicine that works well for one person could be deadly to another; a system that works well in one country could prove disastrous in others. Even so, every place yields a lesson to learn, and what lesson the US chooses to learn or ignore from Singapore is anybody’s guess.

Effects of COVID-19 on Collegiate Sports

November 2020 | Madison Lardizabal

COVID-19 has had a rough impact on all of our normal activities, including college sports. Many have taken a brief hiatus, but as we gain information every day, we are starting to see a major comeback. In order for sports to start back up again, there are specific guidelines and precautions that need to be taken to keep everyone safe. These precautions will cause major effects on each of the programs and how coaches approach the sport.

The CDC states that for all sports, players must stay home if sick, should try to bring their own equipment, keep six feet apart, wear a mask if possible, and clean hands before and after practice. Additional precautions, depending on the program, include constant testing, fewer people on teams, and little to no traveling for coaches to recruit or for players to play.

Although these precautions are set in place to keep us safe, they will cause some problems with each sporting program. Some examples are loss of playing time throughout the season, less opportunities to connect as a team, fewer scholarship opportunities and less money to travel. These effects will have an immense impact on every sport. Other than affecting how players play, it also makes it extremely difficult to build a family within a team, which is one of the biggest parts of college sports.

With these struggles in mind, coaching staff are determined to stay positive and continue to grow their programs. One of the most popular approaches is Zoom calls. An example of this is illustrated by the UCLA softball team, which has practice eight hours per week with virtual team meetings, a task proven to be difficult.

“You can’t take what we do in the gym and on the field and put it into eight hours on Zoom,” says Erin Adkins, UCLA’s Associate Athletic Director of Compliance.

Discussion of safety protocols included video workouts, tryouts and skills videos to showcase talents. This approach is used to help players get recruited, as well as tournament showcasing In addition, other approaches are to section teams so that they can be broken up into days, for a specific number of players. This allows the players to be active on the field and be safe by having a limited number of players. With this method, mandatory “off days” and more practice days are needed to ensure sufficient training time.

We are starting to see some re-openings, but there are also many future plans and expectations for many sports teams and programs across our county. The NCAA announced that the 2020-2021 men’s and women's basketball season will resume on November 25th. They will be holding “transitional period” workouts From September 21st to October 13th, and after that, programs can continue full practices. Mike Hopkins, Coach of the Washington Huskies, expressed that the decision is "incredible news for college basketball." Other than basketball, some sports, such as men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, men's volleyball, and men's water polo have received the notice that their 2020 fall championships will take place in the spring of 2021.

Overall, the coronavirus pandemic has had a tremendous impact on college sports as a whole. In order to get back and stay on the fields and courts, we must follow mandatory precautions to keep everyone safe. One of the most important things we can do is to maintain general optimism. Fortunately, we are seeing great progress with athletes training together on campus as they head into their 2020-2021 seasons. We are moving in the right direction, as we are finally seeing fans at professional sporting games. Many have high hopes for a return of packed, cheering stadiums.

The 2020 Summer Autopsy Report

November 2020 | Ava Mack and Connor Gregory

There is no doubt that this past summer was completely unexpected and much different than our average summer. From the coronavirus to protests to devastating hurricanes, so much happened in such a short period of time. We had to quarantine at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we were not able to enjoy our summer with friends. There were also many hurricanes along the East Coast that caused a lot of damage. But, there were many positive things that happened this summer, too. For instance, many people banded together during peaceful Black Lives Matter protests and stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves. Another positive thing was, during August, there was a significant drop in the number of Covid-19 cases in California. There is still a lot more to unpack about the summer of 2020, so let's dive right in.

Let’s start off with the quarantine and the coronavirus. After an unexpected end to the school year, the summer was completely changed by Covid-19. In June, California ordered the mask mandate that required everybody to wear a mask when entering a public space. This was also around the time that some stores and restaurants started to open again.

Restaurants began food pick-ups and outdoor seating. Because of social distancing, many people had drive-by parties to celebrate their birthdays, having guests drive by and drop off gifts. The summer forced people to get creative and come up with new ways to stay connected with friends and family, while still being safe and respectful. It is mind blowing that, in a few years, our current experiences will be in history textbooks for future generations to learn about!

Another big component of the summer of 2020 was the Black Lives Matter protests. The death of George Floyd sparked strong feelings in many Americans, and this is one of the reasons the protests began. These protests stood up against police brutality, brought attention to the injustices that Black Americans face, and fought for equality for all people. The protests were successful in drawing attention to these injustices and truly showed the power that people hold when they come together. Also, many brands and big companies showed their support to the movement. Finally, protesters were mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, and most wore masks. Thus, this was an inspirational movement that brought many people together.

Our summer is right in the middle of hurricane season, meaning that many hurricanes caused destruction along the East Coast and other parts of the world. One of these hurricanes was Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 hurricane that tied with another hurricane for the strongest in history. Hurricane Laura caused 26 deaths across Texas, Louisiana, and the surrounding area. Many people evacuated, and even more suffered property damage and power outages. In some areas, it was even said that the level of storm surges was not survivable. Chemical companies had to burn extra chemicals and fuel in preparation for the storm, in case any pipes or storage containers break. This caused a huge release of pollution and drop in air quality in and around Texas, hurting people’s health. The hurricane also caused lots of property damage, leaving many in debt and negatively impacting their overall health, as they could not afford medicine, proper shelter, and healthy food.

There is no doubt that the summer of 2020 was not what we were expecting. Covid-19 forced people to get creative and come up with new ideas to stay connected, Black Lives Matter protests brought people together and showed just how much of an influence we can have when we come together, and some awful hurricanes devastated many people in the US.

The California wildfires and Arizona Monsoons have both devastated the states that they took place in, causing many health hazards for the citizens affected. Property and community damages took money out of the economy, and some people were injured and even killed.

One of the largest California wildfires took place on September 5th, when a couple decided to have a baby gender reveal party. The fire started when the couple set off a device on dry grass, sparking flames which eventually took hold and evolved into the massive El Dorado fire. Roughly 22,500 acres were burned as a result. The fire cost California 8 million dollars for damages to multiple communities. However, the fire wasn’t the worst of people’s worries. The ash and smoke from the fire started to spread, causing officials to urge millions of citizens to take shelter inside of their homes as the air quality declined and became too dangerous to breathe. Finally, there were 12 injuries and one death of a firefighter as a result of El Dorado’s flames.

The Arizona Monsoons have made a record with the lowest amount of rainfall during the season. The temperature peaked at 132 degrees Fahrenheit, one of the hottest in the state's history to date. Officials stated that Arizona is in the driest state it has been in for a while. This raises questions on how global warming is affecting the climates of different areas. A similar change can be observed in California’s fire season. It was reported by the CalFire organization that the fire season lasted 75 days longer than average this year. Global warming has affected both of these disasters, causing issues for both communities to deal with. It also poses a question of how much worse conditions will get in the future.

The Future of Healthcare: Trump vs. Biden 

November 2020 | Jenna Min and Safi Saleem

Trump on Healthcare

In the years of Trump’s presidential run in 2016, he promised that his fellow American citizens would be taken care of and revealed that he would get rid of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He stated that it was harming the United States’ economy. He ensured that, “‘The Republican Party will become The Party of Healthcare!’” But what exactly has Donald Trump done in regards to health care?

In March 2017, Amadeo, the writer of “Donald Trump’s Health Care Policies,” stated that, “Trump announced he wanted to allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.” At the beginning of his presidential run, the President of The United States promised to reduce drug prices. The “American Patients First” plan was pushed forward in May 2018, and in the span of 100 days, the Trump Administration successfully lowered 60% of brand-drug prices. Throughout the four years of Trump’s run, he preached that he wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Although he has been ineffective in abolishing the ACA, he has greatly destroyed it. He cut the ACA’s funding from insurance companies that offered coverage and reduced the opportunities for ACA’s insurance exchanges. In the recent presidential debates, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have stated that they, in fact, do have a plan after they successfully remove the ACA. During the debate, however, they could not explain details on how they would implement a new health care plan. As questions arise, many answers remain unclear about what the Trump Administration has in mind.

In regards to COVID-19, the Trump Administration is heavily pushing towards a vaccine by the end of this year. They implemented Operation Warp Speed, which strives for 300 million safe and effective vaccines by the end of January 2021. Anthony Fauci, an American physician and immunologist, stated, “The data is so good right now that you can say it’s safe and effective. I feel cautiously optimistic, as a scientist, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine.” Despite the words of America’s top disease experts, the Johnson & Johnson medical company has paused all trials due to an unexplained side effect. Other medical companies, such as Pzifer, BioNtech, and Moderna, are still rushing towards a vaccine by the end of 2020.

Biden on Healthcare

According to the federal government’s survey, 27.5 million Americans do not have any health insurance, and a staggering 84.2 million are underinsured. This number is made worse due to the loss of healthcare benefits tied to unemployment from the pandemic. Clearly, the pandemic has highlighted the need for a huge change in America’s healthcare system, and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, has a proposal to do just that.

Joe Biden’s healthcare plan is to expand on Obamacare, which protects people with pre-existing conditions so that they can get insurance and choose a public option, like Medicare, in which most Americans can opt into. The plan allows Americans to choose a public option or private insurance, which would be cheaper, as co-payments would be removed. Additionally, Biden would increase the value of tax credits to working Americans and make sure that no person will spend more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance. Furthermore, Biden plans to break down the monopoly over the healthcare system and use antitrust laws to free up the market and create competition. The public option also aims to negotiate lower prices and cap the price of drugs. Finally, Joe Biden would ensure equal rights to healthcare for women by expanding the right of abortion and access to contraception through Planned Parenthood.

However, Joe Biden’s healthcare plan is not without scrutiny. His plan still leaves millions of Americans not insured, as it covers only 97% of Americans. Additionally, unlike other proposals, like Vermont Senator Bernie Sander’s universal healthcare plan, known as “Medicare For All,” Biden’s plan would not be comprehensive and cover all dental, vision, and hearing charges. Plus, Biden’s plan still leaves Americans paying out-of-pocket charges, unlike Bernie’s plan. Overall, Biden’s plan is a huge step forward for affordable healthcare in America, but still, there is room for improvement in terms of coverage and cost.

Some Unique Mental Disorders

May 2020 | Esther Kim

From real-life zombies to human cows, the spectrum of mental illness is infinite. These are just some of the most bizarre neurological abnormalities known to humankind.

Walking Dead 

You’re dead. Everyone says you’re not. But you can feel it, the maggots crawling up from your rotting feet, your once-peachy skin shriveling into pine bark. Where there was once a stomach, a heart, a set of lungs, is now a gaping cavity encased by brittle ribs. The doctor keeps urging you to eat, but you’re dead. Dead people don’t eat. You question why God has kept your hallow corpse on this Earth. 

Cotard delusion is a rare condition that entails preexisting medical conditions or brain injury. It often appears in patients after suicide attempts or near-death experiences. Like its nickname ‘walking corpse syndrome’, this disorder leads sufferers to believe that “parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don’t exist” (WebMD). People with this disease display symptoms such as self-mutilative/suicidal behavior, aversion to social interactions, and refusal to eat. Patients often starve themselves to death or commit suicide due to the conviction that they are dead.

Faking It 

The fancy words in the medical dictionary glare back at you in the harsh light of the recovery room as you thumb through its worn pages. A slight creak comes from the door as a group of medical personnel return with your chest X-ray. Nothing wrong, they said. No tumors or abnormalities. Perfectly healthy. Healthy. You try to contain your frustration, even though they are right. Sighing, you immerse yourself in the myriad of medical jargon you have long since memorized. They’ll be here to discharge you soon. Soon, you’d have to find another disease, another hospital. A headline in the thick, leather-bound book catches your eye. Total Hip Replacement. Three to six whole weeks in the hospital. All for just a tiny fall. Of course, it’s going to be painful. But getting to spend weeks at the hospital? More than worth it.

This seemingly bizarre situation is an obsessive compulsion for people with Factitious Disorder. These people fake illness or even self-inflict sicknesses for the sole purpose of booking an appointment at the hospital. Ironically, sufferers often have real life-threatening conditions, sometimes from the harm they inflict on themselves. This disease is believed to have stemmed from past traumatic or stressful experiences, and sometimes a strong desire to become a healthcare professional. 

Were-Cows

You stare blankly at your friend. “Moo,” is all he says as he chews placidly on a piece of grass. Something has happened to your best friend of nine years. He used to be a perfectly healthy boy who loved to swim and play football, until this nonsense happened. All because of his fixation with cows. It gives you the chills. One day, he was jogging in the park with you, completely sane. The next day, he’s a cow, grazing in the very park he was exercising in yesterday. And when you try to convince him that he’s not an animal, he charges at you. Just like a cow. At first, you thought he was just trying to be funny. But who would take a joke this far?

Believe it or not, some people believe that they are cows! These bovine humans mimic the actions of cows, and they are often seen on all fours, nibbling on grass. Boanthropy is a relative of the widely known schizophrenia. Symptoms are sometimes triggered by hypnotism, dreams about cows, and hallucination-related mental disorders, and include mooing, grazing behavior, a newly acquired taste for grass, and a sudden transition to veganism. As funny and unrealistic as this may seem, it is a real mental disorder and part of a group of disorders called lycanthropy (a disorder in which the sufferer believes that they can transform into an animal). There are no known treatment options for this condition, but hypnosis can work, although it is difficult to perform on a boanthropy patient.

Make Up Your Mind!

You’re going out with some friends and are digging through your closet to find a good outfit for the night. You rub a sleepy eye, looking a pretty cotton dress. You only had a few hours of sleep last night, because you spent much of the evening deciding when to set your alarm. And now you’re sitting in your closet at 5 a.m., staring at the two outfits you spent the most part of yesterday picking out. Would the pink blouse with the frilly miniskirt, or the jeans with a simple oversized tee, look the best? The skirt would be the prettier option, but it might be too fancy for the occasion? I wore pink last time though; maybe I should change it up this time. I’m too fat for the skirt, too. Maybe I should wear something else... 

Think about the last time you made a decision. Pancakes or waffles for breakfast? The red shirt or the blue dress? McDonalds or In-N-Out? These decisions are usually made within seconds. But what if you spent hours deciding whether to have raw or grilled onions on your burger? Aboulomania is a disorder that induces severe indecisiveness. Sufferers of this condition not only have problems related to decision-making, but also face difficulties in their social lives, depression, anxiety, stress, and mental anguish. For some, this severely impairs their ability to function in their daily lives. It is believed to be caused by overly intrusive parents or caretakers in one’s childhood. 

Strangers  

The woman is washing the dishes again. While your dad watches the evening news. While your brother fiddles with his toy cars. Both oblivious to the fact that a stranger is doing the housework. Sure, she may look exactly like your mom. She may talk like your mom, walk like your mom and take medication like your mom, but she’s not your mom. Why don’t they get it? They don’t listen to you anymore. Instead, they’re siding with the imposter, trying to convince you that she’s your mother when she clearly isn’t. Last night, you overheard her talking to your father. Something about you being psychotic. Ha, psychotic? She’s the one posing as your mom. You’re the only one rational one. You’re terrified. What’s happening? Where’s is your real mom?

The woman washing the dishes is your mother. Or is she? Could the people you love the most actually be imposters in disguise? Sufferers of Capgras delusion feel as if someone close to them is an identical masquerader pretending to be that person. This can damage sufferers’ personal relationships as well as causing severe paranoia and fear in the victims themselves. Treatment options for this condition are medications that boost neurotransmitters, antipsychotics, and surgery for possible head injuries.

Why You Don't Support Genocide: Humanity's Relationship With Morality

May 2020 | Esther Kim

Imagine that you are standing next to a switch and a forking train track. A trolley is barreling towards you at full speed. You notice five people tied to the tracks ahead, unable to move. If the trolley is not stopped, the five people will all die. You look to the sidetrack and see one person tied in the same way. If you flip the switch, the trolley will be diverted to the sidetrack, killing the person on the track but saving the five people on the main track. Would you flip the switch and sacrifice one life for the sake of five?

This conundrum, named the “Trolley Problem”, is a famous moral dilemma that has intrigued philosophers for over 50 years. Most people would choose to push the lever, since it would save more lives. However, in either outcome, you will be choosing who to kill and who to spare. This is where philosophers’ opinions collide. Is sacrificing a select few for the happiness of the majority the right thing to do? Whether you choose to kill one person or five, isn’t purposely condemning a group of people to death immoral?

First, what exactly is morality? Morality is, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, “a set of personal or social standards for good or bad behavior and character”. In other words, it is the way in which we define what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. But how? How do we know which actions are the right things to do? How did ancient civilizations across the globe, with no means of communication, develop almost identical laws and moral ideals? What makes our personal philosophies so similar?  

Surprisingly, the answer lies in our genetic makeup. Morality is not a learned trait as most people believe, but rather an inborn one, a trait that we possess since birth. Because of this, morality is a heritable trait that can be passed down from generation to generation. A key component that produces moral behaviors is a primeval chemical named serotonin. Serotonin is a widely distributed neurotransmitter (a substance that transmits nerve signals across nerve fibers) that especially affects the ‘social’ part of our brain. It affects both our prosocial and antisocial behaviors, which are likely the “precursors to human morality” (Siegel and Crockett). So how exactly do serotonin and genetics affect morality? 

As reported by a study on morality and genetics conducted by neuroscientist Jennifer Siegel and Swiss researcher Molly Crockett, most moral codes, which govern how people treat others, focus on two main aspects. “The first prescribes caring for others and prohibits harm; the second relates to the fair distribution of resources and reciprocity in social interactions” (Siegel and Crockett).  

Harm aversion is a key component of morality. Most people tend to judge harming others as morally wrong, even if the action would promote the greater good. Going back to the Trolley Problem discussed earlier, most people would rather push the lever and compromise one life to save five. But what if we added a twist? This time, there is no lever. Instead, you are standing next to an enormous man on a bridge overlooking the train track as the trolley hurtles toward the five people. As the trolley nears, you realize that you can either push the man off the bridge onto the train track, effectively stopping the trolley whilst killing the man, or spare the man and let the people on the track die.  

This time, the responses changed. People were much more likely to say that flipping the switch was morally right than pushing the man. Why is this? One significant hypothesis asserts that the varying responses are due to the varying degrees of violence of the acts. People are more likely to judge a behavior as morally wrong as the description of the scenario is more lurid. Serotonin promotes harm aversion, and people are more likely to consider violent or explicit options as wrong because of this mental process.  

For example, “Early studies in rats demonstrated that global brain serotonin depletion made them insensitive to punishment” (Siegel and Crockett). Similar insensitivities have been shown in humans with conditions related to abnormal serotonin levels, such as anxiety and depression. 

Another important facet of morality is fairness and reciprocity. Although humans are selfish creatures, we are willing to play fair even if it lands us at a disadvantage. Our laws and moral codes reward fair, kind behaviors and punish the opposite. Serotonin plays an important part in this function as well, as shown by a study involving another moral dilemma called the Prisoner’s Dilemma. After undergoing a two-week treatment of citalopram, a drug that raises serotonin levels, participants were “significantly less likely to behave in a self-interested manner in a modified version of the prisoner's dilemma that allowed participants to act selfishly, cooperatively, or charitably” (Siegel and Crockett).  

Another study found that serotonin levels are directly correlated to activity of the dorsal striatum, a part of the brain that influences negative reciprocity (repaying negative behavior with negative behavior). In the study, volunteers with high serotonin levels were less likely to reject an unfair deal than volunteers with low levels.  

The dorsal striatum is also associated with punishment. A study by John P. O’Doherty, a professor of psychology at the California Institute of Technology, demonstrated that “magnitude of dorsal striatal activity was correlated with the amount the subject was willing to pay to punish the violator [introduced in the study]”(Siegel and Crockett). 

As the studies show, serotonin plays an important role in our moral behaviors. As serotonin levels rise, one becomes increasingly ‘positive’, showing amiability, leniency, and willingness to cooperate. As serotonin depletes, it shifts our brains in a ‘negative’ direction, making one less cooperative and more aggressive. How is this correlated to our DNA?

There are two main genes that regulate serotonin levels in the brain: 5-HTT and MAOA. The 5-HTT gene regulates the amount of serotonin in the brain. It has two variations, short and long. People with two long 5-HTT genes have high serotonin levels, those with two short genes have low serotonin levels, and people with one long, one short are in the middle. MAOA, also called the ‘warrior gene’, codes for the enzyme Monoamine Oxidase A (MAO-A), which breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine. Low activity of the MAOA gene can lead to serotonin deficiency. These genes are inherited from parent to child, making morality heritable. There are also other factors involved such as early experiences, but genetics play an important role as well.

Morality may seem like a complex enigma, but it is merely a genetic mechanism implemented in cooperative species to help us survive. Think about it, what would happen to humanity in a world without morals? Thievery, murder, property destruction, and other atrocities would be commonplace, and our species may not be the thriving beings we are now. Surprisingly, this trait appears in other highly social animals such as apes and wolves. Apes are shown to react negatively to unfair behaviors and are willing to lend a helping hand to their peers, even if it puts them at a disadvantage. Wolves will bow their heads to apologize to their playmates if they accidentally bit too hard during a play-fight. Without morality, human and animal societies alike will be destroyed by greed. Morality, perhaps, is just nature’s sage way of keeping our species safe from our own selfish desires.   

Mechanical Angels: Medicine in the Air

May 2020 | Ryan Lo

Surrounded by family that she was not old enough to recognize yet, a one-year old is paraded around a party by her parents. As an infant, her effect on her family members is paramount. The strong, tall and stoic men of her family collapsed into a cacophony of “aww’s” as the women fawned over her round, chubby cheeks. 

At first, one-year old Angela was happy, giggling along with her family. But as the day dragged on, she began to nod off. Her mother noticed and carried the young infant into her crib for a quick nap. With a soft kiss on her head, she put Angela down into her crib, sealing a promise to always protect and love her. 

A mere minutes after her mother left the room, Angela’s boredom woke her. Taking small tentative steps, she hobbled over to her window where she peered out into the outside world, her pacifier bobbing in her mouth as she watched her neighbor’s dog. Her attention was soon captured by the blinds cascading over the window. In her quest, she found a peculiar shape in the roller shade’s chain, a loop that she could fit her small, pert hands through. It amused her. Eventually, out of curiosity, she stuck her head through.  

An alarm blared at an airbase 50 miles away. Within minutes, a crack team, consisting of a pilot, a trauma RN and a specially trained flight paramedic, lifted into the air. The winds cracked as the blue and white helicopter, adorned with the staff of caduceus, cut through the air. Within 40 minutes, they arrived in an isolated desert community. The medic winced as the dust and sand, whipped up by the helicopter’s down blast, seeped through her visor, stinging her eyes.  

Nevertheless, she and the RN made their way to a two-story house. Pushing past the birthday decorations and soiled paper plates, the medic joined a circle of firefighters and paramedics surrounding a small spot on the floor. Looking down, the medic spotted the blue, frail body of a one-year old with a blue ring around her neck where a chain had hung her.  

The other firefighters held the one-year old’s parents, consoling them and curbing their hysteria. The medic quickly assessed the one-year old and began compressions, lightly pushing down onto her chest. Her ribs cracked like kernels of popcorns as the medic tried desperately to restart her heart.

The efforts to resuscitate the child soon paid off. A weak, yet present pulse was detected. 

And, without a second to lose, the child was strapped down in the cabin of the helicopter as it sped off.  

The crew of the air ambulance quickly made the hand off to the hospital’s trauma team.  

As quickly as the call began, it ended. After restocking and cleaning the cabin, the crew was back at the airbase, waiting for the next call. 

In the staff room, the medic took a few minutes to shed some tears. 

Every year, 550,000 Americans are airlifted to hospitals in a little known part of the EMS chain. When there is an emergency that is too far for traditional ground ambulances to reach, helicopters are called in. However, this niche medical service is not without its drawbacks and risks. Weather, mechanical failure and human error can be deadly on a helicopter, as 29 air ambulances personnel lost their lives in a series of crashes in 2008. 

Air ambulance units are also expensive to maintain and operate. These costs reflect clearly, as some air ambulance rides can cost a patient and their family tens of thousands of dollars.  Luckily, Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978 in an attempt to increase competition between air medical services. 

Currently, there are more than 800 air ambulances in service in the United States.  But, even with great risk and uncertainty, the talented men and women who work on these mechanical angels will never hesitate for one second to answer the call.   

The Pandemic So Far

May 2020 | Jenna Min

The world has officially surpassed four million cases of COVID-19, with the US having the most cases. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has struck the world with fear. Its open volley has infected over four million people, leaving over 300,000 dead and over 1 million recovered. Within the US, there are over 1 million cases. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe cases (WHO). Although coronaviruses have been around for a while, COVID-19 is a new strand, which is limiting scientists to develop a vaccine that is effective enough to eliminate the multiplying, infected cells. This virus includes symptoms of the common cold and can be transmitted from person to person, animal to person, vice versa. Predominantly, adults are at a greater risk of contracting this virus and having significant negative consequences, but there are rising situations of kids and adolescents getting the virus and having major problems as a result. 

Although COVID-19 does not affect young adults, teens, etc., as much as adults, it is said to believe that these groups of people are carriers of the virus. However, rest assured; humanity will not go down without a fight. At the center of the counterattack stands Moderna, a US biotech company, which has developed a potential vaccine called mRNA- 1273. It has entered clinical trials on healthy people aged 18- 55. Although the vaccine will most likely not be deployed soon enough to save lives immediately, the company is preparing to manufacture more of their potential COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna has bypassed testing on animals because of the high demand of finding a “cure”, and, if the tests run smoothly, the vaccines will be able to be produced and distributed faster. However, just because a vaccine is developed and ready for countless testing, does not mean we should be going out. 

Can you step outside the house? Yes, because contrary to what most people believe, this is not an attempt to declare martial law or take away anyone’s rights. However, please consider if what you’re going to get is a necessity. If you need to shop for groceries, think about doing an online delivery order instead. It is important that you lower your chances of being vulnerable to this deadly virus. If you feel suffocated from staying in all day, you can walk around your neighborhood! However, if you encounter someone walking towards you, you should maintain a distance level for safety reasons. Remember, the more people that stay in, the more we flatten the curve. Be safe and healthy!

57 Days In: Reflecting on the Stay-At-Home Order

May 2020 | Wynn Phaychangpeng

Today is May 8, 2020.  It has been fifty seven days since students cleared the Chino Hills High School campus in a dazed rush that Friday, unaware that they would not return for months to come, and that their lives would soon be reduced to whatever matters they could accomplish from home.  California’s Stay-At-Home order, in response to the novel coronavirus, was officially announced on March 19. Each day, as the number of cases steadily rose, people began to realize the severity of COVID-19, as well as the importance of staying home to benefit health and safety of oneself and others. 

There are various strengths and weaknesses associated with modern American society during this global pandemic. The most obvious strength is the sheer power of modern medicine and our ability to diagnose, care for patients, test possible treatments, and quickly begin researching vaccines and cures. During a time like this, medical professionals are our leaders, and their tireless efforts spark real progress in battling COVID-19.  Well-deserved praise and support for healthcare workers and scientists are ever-present, especially in the media. 

However, the media and its questioned trustworthiness are well-known issues currently dividing Americans. Growing distrust in media outlets, coupled with varied misinformation spreading from a plethora of different sources, has created a disease assisting COVID-19 in battle.  It’s become “Coronavirus is a Fraud” versus “Why Coronavirus Will Kill Us All” at the extremes, and while most people know this is not the case, fear, or in some, the lack of fear, builds from the 24/7 spotlight on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, people persisted. Many moved to working from home, students switched to online classes, and life went on. Medical professionals and healthcare workers continued to lead courageously on the front line.  Now, being over a month into quarantine, many Americans are starting to become impatient and are anxious to return to daily life. In a show of activism named “Operation Gridlock”, Michigan protesters gathered, flooding the streets and ignoring social-distancing protocols on April 15th. This protest was aimed to convince Michigan governor to reopen the state and end the Stay-At-Home order. In Baton Rouge, Life Tabernacle Church is one of the churches who refuse to close, holding normal services where hundreds attend. When some California beaches started to reopen late April, people flocked to the warm sand and sea thirsty for normalcy, consequentially creating masses that dangerously ignoring social distancing.  This anxiety is surely understandable. For sure, businesses are struggling. Some are out of work. Kids are restless, and students are losing motivation. Over a month into quarantine, people are tiring.   

California plans to ease restrictions starting this week, and it couldn’t come any sooner. But although restrictions are slowly easing, we should not ease our concerns or precautions when returning to the outside world.  I remember when Instagram created their “Stay Home” sticker and the “I stay home for...” trend which went around in late March. “I stay home for the health of my family and friends”, most replied. “I stay home for the healthcare workers who can’t stay home themselves.” Looking back then, people seemed more spirited, encouraged, and united together against this virus. Now, we must regain that spirit. We must continue supporting each other, and although some restrictions are being lifted, a sad reality prevails: life will not return to “normal” for much longer. Now, more than ever, we should remember the people we are staying home, to remember that this will pass only if we stay strong.

Médecins Sans Frontières:

The Doctors without Borders

December 2019 | Ryan Lo

In 1967, two ethnic groups: the Igbo and Mausa, began to divide the nation of Nigeria, an impoverished West African nation. And so, the Nigerian Civil War began. The Igbo, declared their small region of Biafra to be independent. The Mausa-dominated Nigeria government disagreed. With a thirst for vengeance, the Nigerian military pounced, blockading Biafra and stopping all food and medical supplies. Countless combatants lost their lives in this bloody slaughter. However, the real casualties of the conflict were the countless civilians who lost their lives from starvation and illness. Many tried to flee, but their efforts were thwarted by the business ends of Kalashnikov rifles. 

Nearly all stayed involuntarily. But some, stayed with intention to help.  13 French healthcare workers from the French Red Cross volunteered to dive in head-first to care for the Igbo people. Around-the-clock, they bared the horrors of war, doing what little they could to make the lives better for the civilians living through hell all while the Nigerian military routinely attacked their hospitals and assaulted their staff.  

After four long years, those 13 French healthcare workers formed the Emergency Medical and Surgical Intervention Group, to provide healthcare for those in regions engulfed by war, poverty and natural disaster. Their creed was that everyone had the right to healthcare regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, allegiance, gender or religion. After merging with another similar organization, they changed their name to Médecins Sans Frontières, anglicized as Doctors Without Borders or MSF. Their line of work was never in short demand. 

Shortly after, MSF mobilized in 1972 to the wrecked streets of Managua, Nicaragua to help mitigate the effects of a disastrous earthquake. Throughout the years, MSF has received a steady drum of operations of different calibers. In the tail end of the Vietnam war, MSF set up a refugee camp for those fleeing communist forces. Its many modern day operations include healthcare missions to South Sudan, Iraq, Syria and Sierra Leone. 

 However, its most reputable undertaking is the response to the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak and the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

 In accordance with their founding mission, MSF has worked in dangerous conditions in  times of war and extreme political instability. As a result, many of MSF’s brave men and women have succumbed to attacks by hostile entities. The most notable of these attacks was the 2015 Kunduz, Afghanistan attack where a US gunship opened fire on an MSF trauma centre. 

Regardless of the losses and the risks, MSF has proudly kept its policy of impartial care. It didn’t matter to them whether an individual was a child or a terrorist, they were only concerned they are human and if they are hurt. Because of this, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

As long as war, poverty and suffering exist in this world, MSF will as well. Anywhere, anytime and for anyone. They are the hope that shines through when all is dark for many people who are suffering in ordeals not known to the western world. And in return, they deserve our every bit of support and gratitude.

This article is dedicated to all the MSF personnel and other international aid workers who have been injured or lost their lives in unstable areas overseas. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.

Disease, Illness, Action!

December 2019 | Nimrah Saleem

Popularity is made possible by propaganda. Many of us do not realize that we choose films and shows not simply by our choice, but by an obscured factor influencing our decisions.  Hollywood utilizes this factor of illnesses and medically related problems to reel in a larger audience for their productions. However, the entertainment industry inaccurately conveys these illnesses which conjure false beliefs within the viewers.  For example, the 2019 film Joker follows Arthur Fleck, who expresses psychopathic characteristics, resorting to violence after feeling unaccepted in society.  The story continues by displaying Arthur’s unstable mental health, which eventually leads to his transition to the infamous Joker in the Batman Saga.

However, in the original Joker story, “He was a murderer, but there was no indication of his mental instability” (Foulkes 1). From this one can infer that the movie Joker was created to allure audiences who are already fond of the Batman franchise. The use of psychopathy is to add a more realistic aspect to the character Joker and expand the story. Regardless, the film portrays the character Joker as violent due to his illness of psychopathy. Dr. Cohen, a criminal psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Cornell University, asserts how “Research clearly indicates that individuals with mental illness are no more violent than the population as a whole” and “...persons with mental illness are more likely to be victims of crimes than to commit them” (Dodgson 1). The film Joker directly contradicts this idea as Arthur committed many crimes including killing his own mother because of his mental illness leading him to. This labels mentally ill people as violent which is not always the case. Thus, from the movie Joker one can observe how the film industry crudely expresses mental illness.

Moreover, many teens have been familiar with the Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why, which explores the motives of a girl named Hannah Baker committing suicide. She leaves 13 tapes that each explain a reason for her ultimate decision. The article by RollingStone asserts how “In real life, when someone commits suicide, their story ends there” but in the 13 Reasons Why series it doesn’t and “We become captivated by the drama of the suicide rather than the actual suicide itself” (Curtis 1). Instead of solely focusing on the struggles that led to the suicide, the show also features many different stories that make her death seem like an attention seeker. Furthermore, Hannah confided her guidance counselor, who turned her away, highlighting how the show doesn’t give “...any kind of message of hope, the value of therapy or trusting adults, and sensationalizing death and suicide” (Lincoln 1).  This displays a bad message to the viewers watching the show and makes the whole situation seem unrealistic.

To add on, many entertainment productions incorporate medically related humor that provides inaccurate beliefs of illnesses. To enumerate, diabetes is an illness that many people laugh upon because of misinformation they have gained from places such as the entertainment industry. An example of this is from the T.V. show, The Big Bang Theory, where the character Penny makes a comment about one of her customers:  “I convinced a lot of very large customers who should not be eating cheese cake to have more cheese cake and one of those ‘chubbsters’ had an insulin pump” (Karlya 1). This provides inaccurate information about how diabetic patients can not have any sugar which is false as diabetic patients may consume cheesecake and other sugary items in control with their insulin. The comment also notions the fact that diabetes is caused by an excessive amount of sugar. This is also false as diabetes can be caused by a variety of factors including genetics. Clearly, the entertainment industry presents inaccurate information on many illnesses.

In contrast, some may argue that the purpose of involving these illnesses is to bring awareness and not just have a box office hit. On the other hand, the way illnesses are conveyed in many movies are more extravagant and do not pertain to the truth. This perpetuates false beliefs about the medical conditions which will refute any effects on bringing awareness. A common example of this is how in many movies a nerdy or weak character usually has asthma. Kate Gardner from the webpage Self asserts how an “Inhaler shouldn’t be an object used to signify that a person or character is weak, or uncool, or unattractive” (Gardner 1), although, Hollywood creates this stereotype by ineffectively portraying asthma. This exemplifies how instead of bringing awareness for people who suffer with asthma, asthmatic people are instead ridiculed due to the incorporation of this illness in films.

Overall, health problems have been a rising factor in various films. Many viewers are attracted to the realistic aspect it provides but are not aware of how false the illnesses are portrayed. Films should focus more on effectively conveying medical problems in order to better their productions.

Summer 2019: Autopsy Report

October 2019 | Ryan Lo

On behalf on the HSA Times, we welcome you all back for the 2019-2020 school year. Here is a report of all the notable events that have occurred over the summer.  

Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo 

During the years from 2014-1016, the world was taken aback by a new outbreak of one of the deadliest diseases known to ever grace the face of Earth: Ebola hemorrhagic fever. When the dust settled, the outbreak claimed 11,000 people and infected 28,000 in four countries. Now, three years after the epidemic, it has made landfall in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization has declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest crisis declaration by WHO. So far, it has killed 1,500 individuals. 

Doctors raise health concerns over climate change 

The field of climatology and medicine are an unlikely couple. However, love is real and so are the medical consequences of global warming. Rising temperatures over the summer have caused an increase of pollen from flowering plants in the next Spring. The result is more allergies and complications for those with respiratory conditions. A coalition of over 70 medical organizations have written a collective letter to the US government to consider global warming a health emergency. 

 Researchers remove HIV from mice 

Once thought to be incurable, new research has shed light on the silent virus, leading to a team of scientists to find a chink in the viruses armor. Utilizing a new technology known as CRISPR-cas9, a gene editing tool, they came up with LASER (long-acting, slow-effective release) retroviral therapy. Before, traditional retroviral therapy only delayed the progression of HIV/AIDS. Now, the LASER therapy can be used to in conjunction with traditional retroviral therapy to completely halt the virus.  

 Measles makes star appearance in San Bernardino County 

Measles, a dangerous and extremely contagious respiratory disease has been making headlines recently, sparking a debate over vaccination. As of recent counts from the CDC, there were around 1,200 reported cases since January 2019. This is alarming when considering that measles cases in the US in the past years have never push past 700. The first confirmed measles case in San Bernardino showed up in the form of an 8-month-old unvaccinated child. However, the situation is under control according to Public Health.  

MIT researchers find way to automate AI into healthcare 

MIT researchers have incorporated AI into helping fight sepsis, breast cancer and dying in the ICU. Using machine-learning models, the AI can help provide more accurate data sets to helps healthcare workers make more informed decisions about a patient’s care. The system works by utilizing biometric scanners to monitor a patient’s gait, sleeping patterns and voice activity. Researchers have proved its usefulness by testing it on patients with vocal lesions. However, it can be used to fight other conditions as well.  

 Texas becomes latest state to fight surprise medical bills 

When a patient enters a hospital that is out of network, insurance providers and healthcare workers debate over a fair price to charge the patient. Sometimes, they don’t agree on the price and the patient ends up with a very high bill. In a new law enacted in Texas, a state official must oversee the debate and ensure no patient is cheated. After the bill was signed into law, a Texas teacher had his heart surgery bills slashed from 109,000 dollars to just 332.  

Vaping epidemic leads to a disastrous situation  

Whether used as the butt of jokes or as relief for a nicotine addiction, vaping has permeated the early 21st century, hooking teenagers and young adults alike. Ever since they first hit the market, healthcare officials have voiced concern over them. Just recently, an epidemic of respiratory illnesses related to flavored e-cigarettes have killed seven people and hospitalized 380. The state of New York has pounced on an emergency ban of flavoured e-cigs due to the epidemic while the CDC, sensing great danger, has activated its Emergency Operations Center to help coordinate national resources to combat the epidemic 

Thus concludes last summer’s autopsy report. Stay safe and healthy. We wish you all the best of luck this school year!  

The Beginner's Guide to Brain Disease:  A Brief Introduction to Neurology

October 2019 | Esther Kim

The brain is the most complex organ in the body. It is a tangle of microscopic neurons and synapses that control how we move, talk, and feel. It is arguably the most important organ we have, and also the least well-known. Many of the mysteries of the brain remain unsolved, such as how neurons communicate information. Can small pixels of data from a neuron tell us who cheated on the math test? The answer remains in the dark. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the human brain is brain damage. Different brain diseases have varying effects on a patient, such as this case from the book The Brain That Changes Itself. 

 Cheryl Schiltz is a middle-aged woman with a crippling disability. She cannot stand up for more than a few seconds on her own. Her legs are fine; in fact, they are completely functional. But when Cheryl stands up, she falls. She doesn’t fall physically, but she has a constant overwhelming sensation of losing her balance. Trying to ‘regain her footing’, she wildly waves her arms, teetering back and forth, as if she was being pushed around by an invisible mob. Even when she falls, Cheryl has no peace. She is perpetually falling into a great abyss with no bottom. What was the problem?  

Turns out, Cheryl has a problem in her vestibular system, the sensory organ of her balance system. How did she get this diagnosis? How do people with brain disease get diagnoses? The answer lies in a field of medicine called neurology. Neurology is “a branch of medicine concerned especially with the structure, function, and diseases of the nervous system”, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It is basically a medical field that deals with malfunctions of the nervous system. When people say neurology, they often think of neurosurgery or psychiatry. However, unlike neurosurgery, neurology is nonsurgical. Unlike psychiatry, neurology is more concerned with disorders of the nervous system rather than emotional, mental illness. Doctors who diagnose and treat these conditions are simply called neurologists.  

Because Cheryl’s vestibular system was damaged, she had trouble finding her balance. Each part of the brain plays an important role in bodily functions. If they get damaged, problems will occur in the area they control. For example, if your frontal lobe is damaged, you may contract a condition called verbal dysdecorum. People with verbal dysdecorum often have an extensive history of being fired from their workplace, because they cannot stop themselves from blurting out unpleasant comments (we all know people like this, but this disease takes it to an extreme). If your Broca’s area is damaged, you might have trouble speaking, but be just fine listening or writing. There are infinite varieties of neural conditions, some with treatments, some without. It is a neurologist’s job to help patients as much as possible, whether their conditions are curable or not.  

Neurologists usually start their appointments with a consultation and a physical/neurological exam, where they assess basic brain functions and assessments of each nerve group. Depending on results, they may perform additional tests such as CT scans or MRI. After they figure out a diagnosis, neurologists usually prescribe medication, treat the patient with therapy, or refer them to a psychiatrist, physiotherapist, or neurosurgeon if needed. Neurologists often have patients with chronic or long-term illnesses and may care for some patients for a lifetime. 

Sometimes, neurologists might have to figure out creative treatments for certain conditions. Some good examples of this are the cases of the acclaimed neurologist Oliver Sacks. One of Sacks’ patients, Madeleine J., a woman with cerebral palsy, had forgotten how to use her hands. Yes, literally. Although her cerebral palsy did not affect her hands, she had been so pampered and babied by others that she had completely forgotten how to move her hands. Sacks found a way to help her hands regain their function by placing her food slightly out of reach and feeding her with less enthusiasm. Eventually, she learned to reach out and grab her food herself, regaining full function of her hands shortly afterward. Another patient, Mr. MacGregor, had a peculiar condition that tilted his perception of levelness caused by Parkinson’s disease. He would perceive himself as walking normally when he was actually tilted way off to his left, almost like a walking Leaning Tower of Pisa. To fix his distorted perception, Sacks designed a special pair of glasses with a miniature horizontal level (a device often used in construction to measure how level a surface is) fixed to each side. With the glasses, Mr. MacGregor was able to re-center himself and many other patients suffering from similar conditions. 

Neurology is one of the most intriguing medical fields, yet it is not very well known to the public. It can help us understand how we function as humans, and to treat common brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. On a darker note, it makes us realize how fragile our sanity is and how easily our world can be turned upside down, literally (yes, it’s a real condition called Reversal of Vision Metamorphopsia). If you want to learn more about this topic, a great book to read is The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks on the HSA reading list.  

Needles & Pills - America's Worsening Opioid Epidemic

March 2019 | Ryan Lo

To most people, the numbers 11-41 don’t mean anything. However, in police dispatch, an 11-41 code means an ambulance is needed. Every year in America, EMT’s race to the aid of all types of medical emergencies from gunshot wounds to heart attacks. In the midwest and various cities in the east, an 11-41 is synonymous with a drug overdose.

To simply put it, an overdose is when an individual ingests too much of a drug. And to put it simply, it's happening way too often. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 130 Americans die from an overdose every day. Based on CDC statistics, states like West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania lead the nation in overdoses. In 2017, it was declared a national public health emergency; however, with no formal plan from Washington and graveyards filling with overdose victims, there seems to be no end in sight.  

History repeats itself. America has had a long history of opioids. In the 1890’s, companies like Bayer pharmaceuticals marketed drugs like morphine and heroin for pain relief. The government soon began to notice spreading dependence on these medications and implemented restrictions on their distribution. Although mostly dormant, drug addiction kept lingering on in America. Fast forward to the 90’s, Perdue pharmaceuticals markets a pain control drug called oxycontin. It was “non-addictive,” they said as they sucked up to doctors across the nation. Due to the claim of not being addictive, doctors began to over-prescribe the drug. 

Slowly but surely, the pills began to draw its victims into addiction. Once again, the government tightened the restrictions around drugs. This and other factors, like the rising cost of prescriptions, caused some to settle on a handful of illegal drugs. The most notable of these was street heroin. Without pharmaceutical regulation, street heroin users had no clue what they were injecting into themselves, which can be dangerous since a user can’t tell how much of heroin is being consumed or what’s in it. This leads to more overdoses. Recently, a synthetic opioid called fentanyl has begun to worsen the crisis. According to the CDC, It’s 50 times more potent than heroin, making a bigger headache for healthcare workers and law enforcement. As of now, the response to the crisis has not been uniform with responsibility to the epidemic delegated to individual municipalities. The light at the end of the tunnel is hazy. Many good organizations are working diligently to end the opioid crisis, but it’s not likely that they will be able to independently take down the crisis without government intervention. It’s unclear what the president would do to tackle the crisis. However, one thing is clear, the opioid crisis is going to be one of the most difficult public health problems in the 21st century.

Proposition 8

December 2018 | Shreya Arcot and Ayesha Karim

 Regulating the amount that Outpatient Kidney Dialysis Clinics charge for Dialysis Treatment

Supporting | Shreya Arcot 

Dialysis is a life-changing process that patients with kidney failure must undergo, unless they get a kidney transplant. It is a process in which a patient’s blood is taken out, put into a machine to get rid of wastes, something that their kidneys cannot do, and put back into their bodies. This must be performed around three times a week. Without dialysis, these patients can die due to large amounts of toxin build up in the body. Dialysis patients mainly undergo this process in dialysis clinics. However, some of these clinics are unsanitary, as the “employees...failed to wash their hands properly, disinfect equipment or change gloves between patients, [and there was] blood on treatment chairs,” according to the New York Times. With conditions like these, performing dialysis can be very dangerous for patients. In addition to that, dialysis patients are charged “...as much as 350% above the actual costs of providing care, or as much as $150,000 per year,” based on the CA General Election Voter Guide. Thus, they must pay high prices for poor treatment. The solution? Proposition 8. With this proposition, dialysis centers would report all their costs/revenue to the state government. Then, they would be capped at 15% profit. This means that 15% of the clinics’ profit would be used as profit and pay for managers. The remaining 85% would be directed towards more quality patient care and service. Also, clinics can only charge patients 115% of the actual cost, versus 350%. If patients are charged over 115%, then that extra money must be refunded to the patient’s insurance.  

Some people might say that Prop. 8 will close dialysis clinics, which puts dialysis patients’ lives in risk. However, their lives are already in danger due to the filthy conditions in the clinics. If sterile conditions are not provided for patients, they can acquire a deadly disease or infection. In addition, it is unfair that dialysis patients must pay so much money for their treatment, only for it to be dangerous and unhealthy. With this proposition, clinics would spend more time and money improving the conditions for dialysis patients. Furthermore, not only do high dialysis costs affect the patients, but they also affect all Californians. The Voter Guide states that since dialysis prices are so high, “insurance companies are forced to pass those costs on to policyholders, driving up healthcare costs for all Californians.” If Prop. 8 does not pass, dialysis costs will remain very expensive, and Californians will ultimately have to help pay for dialysis for. Thus, Proposition 8, supported by many organizations, like the Service Employees International Union California, is a valuable tool for putting patients and their well-being first and dialysis profit after. Vote yes for Prop. 8.

Opposing | Ayesha Karim 

Proposition 8: Regulates amounts outpatient kidney dialysis clinics charge for dialysis treatment. Sounds great, right? Well… not exactly. While some may argue that this proposition will bring lower prices for dialysis patients and benefit them, we need to look at the big picture. Patients on dialysis have kidney failure and are very sick. They require dialysis three days a week, four hours at a time to do the job of their kidneys to remove toxins from the body. These patients cannot survive without regular treatments. 

Prop. 8 dangerously reduces access to care and places vulnerable patients at serious risk. Proposition 8 severely limits what insurance companies are required to pay for dialysis care. These arbitrary limits will not cover the actual cost of providing care. In fact, an independent analysis conducted by California's former Legislative Analyst concluded Prop. 8 will result in 83% of dialysis clinics operating at a loss. That will force hundreds of clinics to reduce operations or close, endangering patients. Without access to community clinics, patients will have to travel long distances, miss treatments or end up in the emergency room. Patients may have to currently pay more, but at least they have somewhere to pay to. Without these hundreds of clinics, it will be harder for patients to even reach their appointments. Missing even one appointment can be fatal for dialysis patients. By limiting access to dialysis care, this proposition jeopardizes patient lives. 

"As emergency physicians, we regularly treat dialysis patients who end up in the ER due to missed appointments or complications from kidney failure. This proposition will increase the risk of life-threatening complications for these very vulnerable patients,” announced Dr. Aimee Moulin, President of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Additionally, California dialysis clinics are already highly regulated by federal and state regulators that provide quality reports on every facility. According to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, California clinics outperform other states in clinical quality and patient satisfaction. So if our clinics are so good, why are we trying to fix something that isn’t broken? Furthermore, supporters of this plan may argue that the proposition will lower health care costs, using less taxpayer money, but this is actually completely untrue. When clinics close, dialysis patients end up in the ER where care is more expensive. According to the former Legislative Analyst, this measure will increase taxpayer costs by nearly $300 million annually. For these reasons, doctors and nurses state wide have said no to this proposition, and you should too.

CRISPR: The Gene Editing Tool of Tomorrow

December 2018 | Courtney Price and Isabella Panagiotou

What if we lived in a world where we could change how tall we were, decide the color of our children’s eyes, or even cure disease? All this may seem like something straight out of a science fiction novel, but recent scientific revolutions have made these concepts seem closer to reality than fantasy. Due to the discoveries of Jennifer Doudna and other researchers, genetic engineering has been introduced to the power of CRISPR: Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.  

CRISPR was first identified as a bacterial defense mechanism against viruses. Bacteria use the CRISPR sequence, along with various protein complexes called Cas, in order to destroy the DNA of invading viruses and prevent infection. Jennifer Doudna discovered a way to harness this natural technology and edit the genomes of other cells with this bacterial defense. CRISPR acts as “a molecular pair of scissors,” not only able to chop up and destroy the DNA of viruses, but also able to make precise cuts in other strands of non-viral DNA (“Biologist Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty”). Researchers are attempting to apply this technology to gene therapy for inherited diseases, such as cancer, blood disorders, and cystic fibrosis (Fernandez). This can be done by cutting out genes that cause these types of illnesses and inserting healthy genes in their place. CRISPR can also be used to “activate gene expression instead of cutting the DNA,” which could be used to cure other diseases that involve faulty expression of genes rather than errors with the genome itself (“Questions and Answers About CRISPR”). There are also possibilities of editing the DNA of sperm and egg cells, as well as the editing of fetuses still in development, which would carry any genetic changes down to future generations.  

However, there are many ethical issues that are raised with the use of CRISPR. One main consideration is that editing sperm and egg cells “raises the possibility of unintended consequences for future generations,” meaning that any errors made during gene editing with CRISPR would affect and even harm more than just one individual (Vidyasagar). In addition, embryos cannot possibly consent to such editing. There are also concerns that the price of such technology would be limiting and even cause it to be unavailable to many people who need it simply because of their economic status (“Biologist Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty”). Despite these concerns, CRISPR could prove to be an excellent tool for gene therapy.

A man sits in a dark room, the glow of a computer screen reflects off his glasses, giving minimal illumination to the dark room. He rubs his eyes and blinks several times, trying to fight the fatigue of being glued to the screen for hours on end. All his attention was focused on a black box in the center of his desktop; he was carefully eyeing the hundreds of lines of code vomiting onto the terminal. Among the program running were thousands of folders of data. To an untrained eye, deciphering the mess of letters and numbers was an impossible enigma, but not for him. He typed out lines of code and then hit enter. The security dam had broken, and thousands of gigabytes of data poured in, almost crashing the program. The login screen loaded, spelling out the blue interface of Kaiser Permanente’s patient information directory. He sat back, kicking his feet up on his desk and interlocking his hands behind his head. 

Welcome to the 21st century, where the world as we know it is connected by a virtual enigma known as the internet. One click can connect you anywhere from Alaska to Australia, and this has forever changed our lives and the lives of future generations. However, the magnificence of the internet comes at a price with the risk of digital theft by anonymous individuals. We must learn to balance the risks posed by the technology and the wonderous accomplishments it can allow us to achieve. 

In the field of healthcare, a wonderous accomplishment that technology can help us realize is organized patient medical information through a shared network. This would replace the disharmonious system used by many healthcare organizations today. For instance, in Boston, over two dozen computer systems keep track of patient information. This unsynchronized gaggle of computers poses a serious efficacy issue for physicians trying to obtain patient histories for new patients that can be the matter between life and death. In addition to being inefficient, it is woefully undefended. According to the HIPAA Journal, 2015 was a record year for healthcare breaches with more than 113 million records compromised, suggesting that healthcare organizations struggle to keep their databases safe.   

Fear naught, technology always finds a way. Enter Bitcoin, the world’s first virtual, de-centralized currency. Unlike traditional legal tenders issued by governments, which are monitored by a central authority, Bitcoin’s transactions are overseen by a network of volunteers. To make sure Bitcoin stays stable, reliable and free of foul play, it utilizes a technology called blockchain. A blockchain is an ever-growing list of Bitcoin transactions. Whenever a transaction is made, the list is updated and verified by the network of volunteers. This method is safe and secure thanks to comprehensive encryption. 

Recently, health organizations have been toying with the idea of using blockchain-like systems to protect health information. A blockchain system’s security and pragmatic design could greatly benefit healthcare providers. It would create a shared network that multiple health organizations could access quickly, and it’s already come into play. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has used a blockchain to track the opioid epidemic while the pharmaceutical industry has used it to track drug effectiveness. Right now, several companies, including MediLedger and CareChain, have begun researching and testing blockchain systems for the healthcare industry. With a little work, a safe, fast and secure blockchain information system could become a reality in the near future.