Health & Science - Senility: the second childhood

Senility is a mental disorder that disables thepatient from performing
a number of mental and rational functions properly, like thinking,
learning and memorizing. It is a progressive condition in that it
increases in time.
At first, it does not appear as seriously prohibitive of daily
activities, but later it incapacitates the patient to the point that
one becomes dependent upon another person for basic needs like a
child.
While so far senility has been linked with old age,and considered
inevitable with aging, some contemporary experts find that senility is
not inevitable, but rather like any other illness that afflicts aged
people and one that could be avoided.
Symptoms of Senility
The level of senility and intensity of its symptoms differs from
person to person, but essentially it appears as dulling of mental
functions like thinking, reasoning, understanding, memory and
language. In later stages it compounds and appears as prohibitive
disorder in behavior.
Alzheimer And Senility
In fact, senility is not one disease but of several kinds and each one
of them has its own causes. Alzheimer, for instance, isresponsible for
50% of cases of senility, thus being the most common source of it.
Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia, dementia being a
general disorder that means a loss of mental functioning.
When German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer first described the disorder
involving progressive loss of memory and other mental capacities,
there was little urgency to find a cure. The life expectancy at that
time)1906( was 47 years, and few-people lived long enough to reach the
peak period of risk. Today 10 percent of Americans over age 65 and
about half of those over 85 have Alzheimer's disease )AD(-a total of
roughly four million. With an aging population, experts say, that
figure could reach six million by the end of this decade and 14
million by mid-century.
Alois Alzheimer had studied in 1906 a strangeillness that one of his
patients, Augustine, was suffering from. The illness caused her death
after a short while. After performing autopsies of patients with
dementia, Alois Alzheimer found that their brains contained abnormal
deposits of protein clumped around nerve cells and tangles of protein
inside the cells. Now known as beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles,
these are the unique features of AD, but no one knows for sure whether
they area cause, an effect or a co-existing condition.
For the present, unfortunately, those diagnosed with Alzheimer's have
little to show from the explosion of knowledge. Doctors donot know how
to preventAlzheimer's disease or how to cure it. The drugs approved
for treatment slow the progress or lessen the severity of symptoms,
but only in some patients and only for two years at the most.The
causes of the disease are unknown, and even diagnosis is difficult.
Disorder of Brain Arteries
The brain arteries that provide nutrition to the brain may suffer from
narrowing down or evenblockage, affecting neurons by diminishing the
oxygen supply and possibly causing the cells to die. Depending on the
part of the brain that is affected, the patient may be paralyzed in
different functions of the body, like speech or movement.
The malady of brain arteries appears all of a sudden and may either
improve in time or stay the same. Senility that results from this
malady is accompanied often by other disabilities like weak movements,
paralysis of half of the body or difficulty in speech.
Parkinson Disease
Parkinson's disease results from gradual atrophy of the nervous
system. It may appear at any age, but it is uncommon in people younger
than 30, and therisk of developing it increases with age. It occurs in
all parts of the world, and men are affected slightly more often than
women. To diagnose Parkinson disease, patients must have at least two
of Parkinson's 4 main symptoms: resting tremor, slowness of movement,
stiffness, and trouble walking.
Occasionally, the disease also causes depression, personality changes,
dementia, sleep disturbances, speech impairments, or sexual
difficulties. The severity of Parkinson's symptoms tends to worsen
over time. Parkinson's disease was first formally described in "An
Essay on the Shaking Palsy," published in 1817 by a London physician
named James Parkinson, but it has probably existed for many thousands
of years.Although there are many theories about the cause of
Parkinson's disease, none has ever been proved. There is no cure for
Parkinson's disease. Many patients are only mildly affected and need
no treatment for several years after the initial diagnosis. When
symptoms grow severe, doctors usually prescribe levodopa )L-dopa(,
whichhelps replace the brain's dopamine.
There are other disordersthat may resemble senility but are not it.
What distinguishes them is the fact that they are temporary and the
patient may get better in time and return to his/ her normal life.
These conditions may be caused by dehydration, dietary disorders or
side effects of other medicines, etc.
Senility, like all other conditions and states of human beings, is a
sign of Allaah. Allaah eloquently depicts the weaknesses that
accompany increasing age in the Quran, and reminds us that we are born
weak and dependent, then Allaah gives us strength in youth, and then
He takes it back and we return to the weakness and dependence of
childhood. Old age, besides bringing wisdomand mitigating desires, is
a reminder to us humans of the fact that we are mortals, weak and
dependant, and just as we return to the weak state of life that we
began with, we will eventually return to Allaah, where we came from.
Allaah says )what means(:"And We settle in the wombs whom We will for
a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then you reach
your maturity. And among you is he who is taken in )early( death,
andamong you is he who is returned to the most decrepit ]old[ age so
that he knows nothing after oncehaving knowledge"]Quran, 22:5[
Allaah says )what means(:"And he whom we grant long age, we reverse in
creation; so will they not understand?"]Quran, 36:68[

Health & Science - Intoxicants: Harms and impacts

The Muslims of today, especially the youth, are facing many problems
and temptations that were not there before. The youth are easily
distracted by activities such as addiction to TV, addiction to video
games, gambling, disco, parties, and addiction to drugs. This article
will explore the harmful effects of drugs on our youth, the family,
the society and most important , on our belief especially that drugs
)or any intoxicant( are forbidden in Islam.
Types of intoxicants:
1. An intoxicant is any substance )liquid, solid orgas( that is
voluntarily taken into the body by swallowing, injection, inhaling or
ingesting, which produces an effecton the brain resulting in a change
of the mood of the individual.
2. Examples of intoxicants are alcohol, wine, beer, spirits, home
made alcoholic brews, all forms of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, etc.
3. All intoxicants are totally forbidden)Haraam(, irrespective of
the quantity that is used; even one drop of alcohol is forbidden; it
is not the quantity that is important - the substanceitself is
forbidden.
4. Anyone who associates in any way, with any aspect of the
intoxicants )whether alcohol or drugs(, whether using it, selling it,
producing it, or delivering it, is a partner with the devil, since all
kinds of intoxicants are the handiwork of the devil.
Getting 'hooked'
Young people are very gullible and vulnerable tothe influences of
society, their friends, TV, adults, and those that appear to be
fashionable. Hence, a youth may find that all his friends have
experienced the use of drugs, and now he is feeling left out because
everyone else appears to be having a good time, and all his friends
tease him that he is "chicken". This unsuspecting youth then decides
to 'experiment' only once, 'just to try it out."
Furthermore, if he does not have money to buy the drugs, someone may
even offer it to him for free. What he does not realize, is that his
first weakness, to please his friends, is the biggest mistake that he
can ever make. The strategy of thedrug dealers is to get as many
customers as possible.
Some drug dealers are soruthless that they give out free sweets
containing drugs to school children. The trick that they use is to
give free drugs to unsuspecting people. Once a person becomes addicted
)hooked( he becomes a customer for life.
The addicted person will then beg, borrow, steal, prostitute
themselves, just to make sure that they have money to buy drugs for
their next fix. It is a vicious cycle of crime,prostitution, family
breakdown, social breakdown, community breakdown. It is for this
reason that intoxicant is known as the source of all evils, Islamicaly
termed as the 'mother ofall evils'.
Intoxicants with respect to their impact
There are many types of drugs available on the market. The general
effect of all drugs is basically very similar, though theydiffer in
their speed of action as well as the severity of the harm on the body.
All drugs directly affect the brain, since this is the only way of
causing mood changes. Some examples of drugs are as follows:
1. Heroin, )upper drug(: highly addictive opiate; gives very high
rush, followed by many hours of fogginess; the addict lives day to day
forthe next fix.
2. Marijuana, )downer drug(: affects the parts ofthe brain that
deals with emotions and memory.
3. Alcohol, )downer drug(: impairs judgements, memory lapses, blackouts.
4. Cocaine, )upper drug(: whether in powder form or crack, it is
a highly addictive stimulant; addict loses interest in school, family,
work, etc.
5. Vapor Inhalants)downer drug(: )glue, petrol, hair spray, paint
thinners, etc.( destroy theprotective layers around the brain cells.
6. Ecstasy )upper drug(: powerful amphetamine that causesproblems
in concentration and causesthe person to find difficulty in realizing
the difference between fantasy and reality.
7. LSD )upper drug(: gives a distorted view of time and space;
causes paranoia, confusion, panic attacks.
8. Steroids )upper drug(: used by 'body builders" to gain
muscles;causes mood changes and permanently impairs learning and
memory.
Harmful effects of drugs
· Physical effects: The brain is the most delicate and powerful
computer- it is an amazing organ, with virtually limitless potential-
it is a Gift from Allaah; it has to be protected and cherished and its
full potential mustbe utilized. The moment any person takes a drug
into the body )either by nose, mouth or vein( the drug enters the
blood stream and goes directly to the brain, crosses the blood-brain
barrier)BBB( and occupies various receptor sites in the brain. This
leads to alteration in the chemicaland electrical neuronal functioning
of the brain which also leads to eventual organic damageto this
delicate, yet powerful organ.
These changes in the brain is what causes the state of 'addiction'-
eventually, the body automatically starts craving for the damagingdrug
leading to a vicious cycle of abuse and further damage.
However, other body organs that are damagedinclude the following:
damaged nasal septum; collapsed & clotted veins; kidney, liver & lung
failure to various degrees; damage to the brain; infected needles
causes Hepatitis Infectionand HIV/AIDS.
· Social effects: The person indulged in the usage of
intoxicants displays anti-social behavior such as: staying away from
home; stealing; crime; job loss; withdrawal from community;
embarrassing behavior inpublic; deterioration in relationship with
parentsor wife or children. The most harmful effect of drugs is on the
brain.
Baby addicts
Pregnant mothers sometimes take drugs. These drugs enter the brain of
their unborn baby, so that the baby becomes addicted even before
birth. When these babies are born, they show withdrawal symptoms and
will develop with various learning disabilities. This is a crime
against the innocent unborn child.
Symptoms of drug abuse
Sudden mood changes; unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite; no
interest in school, work, life or even in themselves; no longer caring
about personal hygiene, clothing and dressing; always looking
disheveled; frequent prescription medication; depression and mood
swings.
Solving the problem
If there is someone in your familyor close friend, who you suspect has
a problem with drugs, then itis our duty to assist them in any way
possible. Some suggestions in this regard are:
1. Communicate. Don't pretend that the problemwill go away or that
it cannot be happening in your own family. Parents and families must
learn the art of healthy, open communication and discuss issues in an
open, frank and friendly atmosphere.
2. Show sympathy. Evenif it is to a stranger. The addicted person
is a diseased person; so, he/she needs our help. There may have been a
family problem that led the person to drugs. Or the person may have
thought that it will be 'fun' just to try it out. No one deliberately
says: "I want to be a drug addict." What they don't realize is, that
after the first taste of the drug, 'you are hooked.' Insteadof
condemning them, offer counseling, moral support, send to drug
rehabilitation and offer words of encouragement.
3. Religious figures must speak out against this evil and discuss
the devastating effects of drugs on the individual, his family as well
as the society.
4. Muslim communities must provide alternative forms of recreation
for their youth; these could be community centers, sports, youth
camps, etc, where the youth can socialize in an Islamic environment
and are then not tempted to experiment out of boredom.
5. The addicted youth should be encouraged to turn to Islam. There
have been many examples of heavily addicted Muslim youth, who have
been rehabilitated by turning to Islam. Today, they are totally
devoted to Islam. Allaah accepts sincere repentance when one intends
to give up the way of the devil and rather follow the StraightPath.
6. Mothers have a very important role to play in the upbringing of
their children. The whole community must work actively to rid society
of drugs. Only a mother knows the pain and sorrow of seeing her
beloved child being a slave to the evils of drugs. Drugs destroy the
dreams of every mother.
We have a responsibility to look after our youth and protect themfrom
the dangers of society. Our youth are our future.

Health & Science - Arctic ice melt 'alarming'

Ice in Greenland and the rest of the Arctic is melting dramatically
faster than was earlier projected and could raise global sea levels by
as much as 1.6 meters by 2100,says a new study.
The study released on Tuesday bythe Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Program )AMAP( said there is a "need for greater urgency" in fighting
global warming as record temperatures have led to the increased rate
of melting.
The AMAP report said the corresponding rise in water levelswill
directly threaten low-lying coastal areas such as Florida and
Bangladesh, but would also affect islands and cities from London to
Shanghai. The report says it will also increase the cost of rebuilding
tsunami barriers in Japan.
"The past six years )until 2010( have been the warmest period ever
recorded in the Arctic," said the report.
"In the future, global sea level is projected to rise by 0.9 meters to
1.6 meters by 2100 and the loss of ice from Arctic glaciers, ice caps
and the Greenland ice sheet will make a substantial contribution," it
added.
The rises had been projected from levels recorded in 1990.
Dramatic rise from projections
In its last major study in 2007, the United Nations' Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change )IPCC( said that sea levels were likely to
rise by only between 18 and 59 centimeters by 2100, though those
numbers did not include any possible acceleration due to athaw in the
polar regions.
The new AMAP assessment says that Greenland lost ice in the 2004-2009
period four times faster than it did between 1995-2000.
The AMAP is the scientific arm of the eight-nation Arctic Council.
Foreign ministers from council nations - the United States, Russia,
Canada, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland -- are due to
meet in Greenland on May 12, and will discuss the AMAPreport's
findings.
The report is expected to be discussed by about 400 international
scientists at a conference this week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"The increase in annual average temperature since 1980 has been twice
as high over the Arctic as it has been over the rest of the world,"
the report said. Temperatures were higher than at any time in the past
2,000 years."
In its report, the IPCC had said that it was at least 90 per cent
probable that emissions of greenhouse gases by human beings, including
the burning of fossil fuels, were to blame for most of the warming in
recent decades.
"It is worrying that the most recent science points to much higher sea
level rise than we havebeen expecting until now," Connie Hedegaard,
the European Climate Commissioner, told the Reuters news agency.
"The study is yet another reminder of how pressing it has become to
tackle climate change,although this urgency is not always evident
neither in the public debate nor from the pace in the international
negotiations," she said.
UN talks on a global accord to combat climate change have been making
slow progress, and the organization says national promises to limit
greenhouse gasemissions are now insufficient to avoid possibly
catastrophic consequences of global temperature rises.
Arctic could be ice-free
The AMAP study, which drew on the work of hundreds of experts, said
that there were signs warming in the Arctic was accelerating, and that
the Arctic Ocean could be nearly free of ice in the summers within 30
or 40 years. This, too, was higher than projected by the IPCC.
While the thaw would make the Arctic more accessible for oil
exploration, mining and shipping, it would also disrupt the
livelihoods of people who livethere, as well as threaten the survival
of creatures such as polarbears.
"There is evidence that two components of the Arctic cryosphere - snow
and sea ice - are interacting with the climate system to accelerate
warming," the report said.
The IPCC estimate was based largely on the expansion of oceanwaters
from warming and the runoff from melting land glaciers elsewhere in
the world.
The AMAP report says that Arctic temperatures in the past six years
have been at their highest levels since measurements beganin 1880, and
the rises were being fed by "feedback" mechanisms in the far north.
One such mechanism involves theocean absorbing more heat as a result
of not being covered by ice,as ice reflects solar energy. While the
effect had been predicted by scientists earlier, the AMAP reportsays
that "clear evidence for it has only been observed in the past five
years".
Temperature rises expected
It projected that average fall and winter temperatures in the
Arcticwill climb by roughly 2.8 to 6.1 degrees Celsius by 2080, even
if greenhouse gas emissions are lower than in the past decade.
"The observed changes in sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, in the mass of
the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic ice caps and glaciers over the past
10 years are dramatic and represent an obvious departure from the
long-term patterns," AMAP said.
"The changes that are emerging in the Arctic are very strong, dramatic
even," said Mark Serreze, director of the US National Snow and Ice
Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, and acontributor to the report.
"But this is not entirely a surprise. We have known for decades that,
as climate change takes hold, it is the Arctic where you are going to
see it first, and where it is going to be pronounced," he said by
phone.

Ramadan Articles - Keeping Up The Good Work

InRamadan, people pray,fast, perform'Umrah)the minor pilgrimage(,
spendin charity, supplicate and recite the Quran, yet the question
remains: have any of these good deeds been accepted? Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}…Indeed Allaah only accepts from the
righteous ]who fear Him[.{]Quran 3: 27[ Fudhaalah Ibn 'Ubaydwould
say,"If I knew thatAllaah had accepted fromme )something( as minor as
a seed's weight of good deeds, then that would be more beloved to me
than possessing this world and all that it contains, because Allaah
Says: ]the above-mentioned verse[."Our
righteousSalaf)predecessors(would exert extra efforts in worship and
then rebukethemselves and doubt that their deeds were even accepted by
Allaah The Almighty. They were described by Allaah The Almighty as
)what means(:}And they who give what they give while their hearts are
fearful{]Quran23: 60[ They would be far more concerned about the
acceptance of the deeds than the amount of gooddeeds they performed.
What good is left for those who miss out on the virtue ofRamadan? What
greater disaster is there for them, than being deprived of the mercy
and forgiveness ofAllaah The Almighty in this month? Moreover, the
pious people from whom Allaah The Almighty accepts righteous deeds
have one distinctive trait, which is refraining from sinning after the
end ofRamadan.
Many people think that since they have performed scores of good deeds
they can rely on these deeds, believingthat they have enough good
deeds in their record. However, the genuine pious people are those who
continue to be devout worshippers even after the conclusion of the
month. When Allaah The Almighty describes the devout believers and
worshippers, He does notrestrict their devotion and obedience to a
limited period; rather, Hedescribes them to be this way always, not
only duringRamadan.
He Says )what means(:}Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
They who areduring their prayer humbly submissive. And they who turn
away fromill speech. And they who are observant of Zakaah. And they
who guard their private parts.{]Quran 23: 1-5[
Muslims are commanded to be devout worshippers until death. Allaah The
Almighty Says)what means(:}And worship your Lord until there comes to
you the certainty ]i.e., death[.{]Quran 15: 99[ One must persevere in
worshipping Allaah The Almighty and being obedient to Him. This may be
the reason why itwas legislated for us to fast six optional days in
the month ofShawwaal)which directly follows the month ofRamadan( and
this was made equivalent in reward to fasting for the whole year,
because the rewardis multiplied tenfold. Therefore, the thirty
daysinRamadanare equal to three hundred days, while the six that
follow inShawwaalare equal to sixty more days – which constitutes a
full year, in terms of reward.
Many people are deceived by the acts of worship they perform
duringRamadan. They exert great efforts in completing the whole Quran
once inRamadan– with some even completing it several times – and
praying theTaraaweeh)voluntary night prayers(. Others might wait in
theMasjidafter the end of one prayer till the time of the next one,
and be engaged in mentioning Allaah The Almighty from theFajr)morning(
prayer until sunrise )the reward for which is like that of performing
aHajjand an'Umrah(. However, although they perform all these deeds,
they are not inwardly sincere and their intentions may become
corrupted and impure.Shaytaan)Satan( may whisper to them, making them
feel that, having performed all these good deeds, they have
accumulated mountains of rewards, and that their balance is therefore
very high. This makes them become arrogant and they may start
slackening in their worship.
However, if one recalls a single verse from the Quran,such thoughts
and feelings would immediately cease. It is the Saying of Allaah The
Almighty )which means(:}And do not confer favor to acquire
more.{]Quran 74: 6[
How can anyone possiblyconfer favors upon AllaahThe Almighty? How can
one dare feel this way, simply because they performed a good number of
deeds – as if they have bestowed a favor on Allaah The Almighty by
doing them? With this verse, Allaah The Almighty addressed the
Prophet,, warninghim from being deceivedwith the worship he was
performing, so that he would not become arrogant. If one should ever
feel that they have performed plentiful acts of worship, then they
should compare their deeds with those of the Prophet,. In order to
clarify the matter in people's minds, the Prophet,, said:"If a man was
to be dragged on his face from the day he was born until he died, for
the sake of pleasing Allaah, he wouldbelittle his deeds on the Day of
Resurrection."Thismeans that one would find all he did insignificant
and worthless in comparison to a single favor bestowed upon him
fromhis Lord, like, for example, the favor of eyesight.
Therefore, we should realize that people are not granted Paradise
dueto their own good deeds,but because of the mercyof Allaah The
Almighty. People's deeds are not the price for Paradise; they are a
means to gain the mercy of Allaah The Almighty, by which one
isadmitted into Paradise. To conclude this point, we remind the
Muslims that despite the obligation of continuing upon obedience and
the performance of good deeds afterRamadan,one should not overburden
himself by attempting to do more good deeds than he can bear.
There are great benefits for those constantly striving in obedience
andworship. One cannot necessarily be as keen in doing acts of worship
afterRamadanas they were during it, because,Ramadanis a magnificentand
unique period, and there is none other like it. However, one should
have acquired sufficient training duringRamadanto carry on the good
work.