The Enhanced Games Controversy

 

The Enhanced Games is the first professional sports competition that allows athletes to used pharmaceutical aids. The controversy developed when questions about bioethics, fairness, and health were discussed. The creation of the Enhanced Games was more than a debate about performance enhancing drugs. Pharmaceutical corporations are trying to promote more drug use among the public. The movement for health optimization is becoming more obsessive. Normalizing people who are healthy and fit taking various medications creates an opportunity for  more profits. One of the developers of the Enhanced Games Aron D'Souza asserts the IOC and WADA have failed in their objectives. His view is that human enhancement is inevitable and drug use in sports will never be stopped. The intention is not about pushing human athletic accomplishment. Transhumanism is being made into a venture capitalist project. Athletes are being used as test subjects for transhumanist research. Prominent billionaires are invested in the Enhanced Games such a Peter Theil. Bioethical questions are present. People enhancing their own bodies can create concerns. However, the fact biomedical science extends lives does alter nature. Athlete health is an aspect of the controversy. Professional sports are not good for a person's health depending on the competition. Concussions, repetitive motion injuries, or ACL tears can happen. The fairness in sports argument lacks cogency. Weight classes and the absence of  drugs will not make competition fair. Individuals with various physiological advantages are going to be dominant. The lowest performing athletes are never going to have a fair chance at success. The IOC and WADA condemned the Enhanced Games, yet their refutation was not convincing. Athletes might be willing to go to the Enhanced Games, because of the financial reward. Olympic athletes are not paid for competing, even though they are providing  entertainment. International sports competition is about to be changed by technological enhancement of the body and pharmacology.       

The Safety Concerns About Ozempic

 

Ozempic is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. Now it is being used for weight loss. The medication got FDA approval in 2017. Having FDA approval does not make a drug safe. Pharmaceutical corporations are able to get various products on the market that could be harmful. Deregulation and a Food and Drug Administration that flows the dictates of business allowed this. The side effects of Ozempic include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. Ozempic does not permanently eliminate weight problems. The drug has to be taken regularly to maintain a certain weight. Which means a person using it could regain the weight they lost. Exercise and a change in diet would be more effective. The effects of long term use is unknown. Ozempic could possibly cause kidney, gall bladder, and pancreas related issues. Most drugs on the market have side effects that could result in other health concerns. The dieting and weight loss industry wants a medication on the market. A weight loss drug would be profitable. The problem is corporations do not care about consumer safety. Side effects of drugs are classified as either mild or severe. A certain amount of severe side effects has to be present for a drug to be removed from the market. Ozempic has not yet met those conditions. The FDA must reconsider the use of Ozempic as a weight loss drug.   

The Effectiveness of Antidepressants Questioned

 

Medical history has instances in which theories have been discarded. The chemical imbalance theory might becoming to an end as an explanation for depression. This makes observers question the effectiveness of antidepressants. The connection between the brain's serotonin and mental health does not have substantial scientific evidence. Considerable debate has surrounded if antidepressants work at all. The first antidepressant drugs were not designed for mental health. Imipramine was an antihistamine and Iproniazid was for combating tuberculosis. Medical researchers discovered these two drugs could alter mood. During the 1950s, psychosurgery was used to treat various types of mental illness. The only reason electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy fell out of use was because more medications became available. The assumption is that medication was more reliable compared to surgeries. Pharmaceutical corporations then began getting more involved in the production of antidepressants. Drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Cipramil generated enormous profits. It appeared that profits were more important compared to scientific fact. Antidepressants might be the best option for individual with extreme manic depression. Patients with mild cases might not see vast improvements or cure to mental distress. Antidepressants are being overprescribed by doctors. Being sad is a normal human emotion that does not require medical intervention. The influence of environment on mental health is a factor. Anxiety and stress can be induced by living in poverty, war zones, or unstable societies. Individuals could be using antidepressants as a means of numbing themselves from unpleasant aspects of life. The treatment of mental illness requires more than just  a combination of medicines. Not only could this be ineffective, the possibility of harming cognitive health exists.