Grand Reflection

At this very moment, over 700,00 panic stricken families have been evacuated from their homes, hundreds of people have died and more than 25 provinces have been claimed by the flood. Everyone across the country of Thailand is impacted by this natural disaster one way or the other. They have either become evacuees, running away form the water or they're either sitting, staring at the television just waiting for something to happen. Personally, my family and I have been fortunate enough to be the ones who have been sitting in front of the television for the past month with worried lines consistently appearing on our faces, and even this hasn't been easy. Phone calls were made to families and friends, receiving news of submerged work places, factories and houses, but everyone's trying their best to cope. On some level, the flood has managed bring the people of Thailand together, each of us trying our hardest to glue back the broken pieces and make things just a little bit better. Growing amount of volunteers from all over the country are doing their part by donating food, clothing and other much needed items.


The picture above is of the Grand Palace on floodwaters as Thai residents walk through a partially flooded street near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. I chose this picture out of the thousands that were available on the flood because the depiction of the Grand Palace, the national symbol of Thailand, partially submerged in water, signifies the difficult journey the country has had to overcome. Nobody ever thought that they'd witness the reflection of the most symbolic building in the country, but here it is. To have this beautiful monument drowned in water represents the hardship residents of Thailand has had to live through, but if anything, I believe that with help our country can still be saved. 


Another spectacular aspect of this picture is its sense of beauty an calmness. This is the after shot of the disaster, taken after the worst has passed and a sense of calmness has fallen upon residents. I chose this picture because it was different from all of the rest. It doesn't depict families in distress, trudging through dirty water. This picture is important to me because it lets me know that in the midst of all this disaster, something beautiful can still be found, even if it was caused by the disaster itself. And on top of it all, it gives me hope to know that in times of distress, people are willing to put aside their time in order to save their country. 

The Controversy of Homeopathic Science

Throughout the last decade, the worldwide phenomenon of using homeopathy to cure health issues such as allergies, the common cold, and headaches has remain one of the most debated topics in the scientific community. Homeopathy is a system of medicine which involves treating the individual with highly diluted substances with the aim of triggering the body's natural system of healing (The Society of Homeopaths). This concept of using homeopathic medicine is driven by the principle of "like cures like" or in other words, the belief that by taking extremely small and diluted doses of a substance that triggers patient's health issues, the symptoms of the problem can be cured. For example, homeopathist believed that symptoms of hey fever can be relieve through the dilution of onion vegetables, which under normal circumstances would produce streaming tears and itchiness of the eyes. Homeopathy remedies are normally prescribed to patients in the form of pills or tablets. In the process of "purifying" these pills, poisonous substances will have been diluted in water thousands and millions of times, over and over again until the substance can no longer be identified in the pill. This is where the controversy of this phenomenon arises. Homeopathist or individuals that believe in the concept of "like cures like" will argue that water has ability to "memorize" and "remember"  the substance that has been diluted in it and therefore, when made into the form of pills, the poisonous ingredient are still present and will trigger the body's immune system along with the natural process of healing. On the other hand, other scientists would disagree with this ideology and reason that no such thing is scientifically possible. 
In my opinion, homeopathy is a system of medical practice that has the ability to cure individuals by triggering the patient's natural process of healing and recovery. When individuals get vaccinated, a small dosage of the disease causing organism is planted into the patient's body in order to trigger the immune system. Similarly, when patients consume homeopathic pills or tablets, they are actually ingesting poisonous substances that have been diluted in water over hundreds and thousands of times. If scientist really have proven that water has the ability to "remember" substances that have been diluted in it, then I strongly believe that these properties of homeopathic medicine allows it to cure patients whom are suffering from unhealthy symptoms. 
I myself have been given a chance to personally experience homeopathic medical treatments. When I was suffering from a mild headache, I was given small sugar pills that contain extremely diluted poisonous substances. Although I was hesitant that this treatment would help make me feel better, after awhile my skeptical assumptions were proven wrong. My headache started to lessen and I felt much better after taking the homeopathy. But, on the other hand my lifted spirits could also be the result of consuming a good meal.
If given the chance to try homeopathy, I believe everyone should take up that opportunity and give it a chance. Since homeopathy contains no side-effects like most modern medicines and solves the root of the problem, there is no harm in trying out this form of treatment. Even though this form of treatment may possibly cure unhealthy symptoms, I believe that a person's ability to remain healthy is also affected by their mental thoughts. When felling ill or unhealthy, a person can become so much better solely due to their positive mental processes. 

Here is a useful video on the ideologies behind Homeopathy

Cells, A Short History of Nearly Everything: Response

Without cells, the world as we know it to be would cease to exist. Living in their own chaotic yet surprisingly organized universe, cells are responsible for every single sensation, thought, emotion, physical movement, and perception that we as humans are capable of experiencing. Basically, in the simplest term possible, cells are the fundamental component of all beings on Earth, including microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses. As small as they are, cells themselves are a product of thousands of different molecules and organelles that are bound together which work as a single unit to carry out the basic necessary functions that allow for the survival of organisms. In the 15^th century, Robert Hooke invented an ingenious instrument that would forever alter the perspective of scientists worldwide. The instrument that he created has been amended several times throughout the course of history and resulted in what we today recognize as the “microscope”. This wondrous invention aided scientists with the discovery of cells and the magnificent processes they undergo to preserve the human life. Even though cells have been the main topic of wonder in the world of biology for centuries, scientists are still confounded by the ample amount of tasks cells have the ability to perform. 

The miniature sizes of cells does not prevent them from carrying out functions that are essential for the survival of all living organisms. Even though they are the smallest unit of life, cells have the capability to perform tasks that go beyond our imagination. In other words, cells are our real, live, miniature superheroes, capable of creating, healing, strengthening, and maintaining millions of different species that can be found on this planet alone.  From our very first breath as a child to our very last as an adult, cells are constantly fighting to keep our bodies alive. Just like any fictional superhero, cells are willing courageously sacrifice themselves in order for new cells to flourish so an organism can continue living. As the article "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson states: "There isn't anything they don't do for you."