Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Latin America - Essay Example In addition, thousands of people moved in to work on the projects, an aspect which further led to degraded environment and global warming. The subdivision of land led to reduced food, turning small holder’s farmers into peasants ( Hobbs, 2008). Mining areas degraded farming lands and destroyed the natural environment for micro-organisms. These developments were both for worse and better of the region. For worse, the natural environment had been destroyed and better, it lead to production of minerals which spurred economic growth. Initially, the entire Latin America was under colonial government which also had many interests in the region. It had an America based United Fruit company which functioned as a unifying factor in the region. The Company owned large tracts of land which covered or spilled in nearly all countries in Latin America. This means that Latin America during colonial time was actually treated like one region geographically ( Hobbs, 2008). As such, the company and thus, the United States had a lot of influence on the regional politics. However, local leaders started changing laws governing land. For instance, the president of Guatemala, Arbenz developed land reform laws that were actually seen as a threat to the existence or interests of the American Based Fruit company. The president did not stay for long; he was ousted in 1954 by a group supported by CIA. This aspect disorganized the politics of the region. In fact, some of the countries in the region have not been so stable in terms of leadership. They also play second fiddle to the US when it comes to international trade treaties. What is more, its institutions have lacked behind of because of the unstable leadership. For instance, Mexico only started maximizing its petroleum potential in 2003, despite having discovered the mineral in 1960 ( Hobbs, 2008). Personally, I think the challenges faced by the region were instigated or triggered by the colonial government. For instance, most of

The role of stress and depression in fibromyalgia Essay

The role of stress and depression in fibromyalgia - Essay Example The term ‘fibromyalgia’ means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. It is a confusing and often misdiagnosed condition. Perhaps fibromyalgia could be better explained to some by discussing the following: Fibromyalgia is defined as a â€Å"†¦chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points that occurs in precise, localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips; also may cause sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and other symptoms.† (â€Å"UK HealthCare†, 2005). It is a complex and painful condition, which occurs primarily – about 80% of the time – in women. It affects up to 5% of the entire population, including children. Many medical professionals believe that there is a connection between fibromyalgia and chronic sleep disorder, and in fact some even theorize that they are actually the same syndrome. The symptoms and signs of fibromyalgia can be minute, large, often painful, and sometimes even debilitating, but are not life threatening. Symptoms of this disorder include: aching, burning or throbbing pain, sleeping disorders, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, cramps, diarrhea, numbness or tingling sensations, chronic headaches, heightened sensitivity to such things as loud noises and bright lights, painful menstrual periods, painful sexual intercourse, frequent urination, rapid or irregular heart rate, shortness of breath, impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, and sensation of swelling in the hands and feet – just to name the most common. Pain is the primary symptom, and is reported in virtually 100% of cases, most often in areas of the following: back of the head, elbows, hips, knees, neck, upper back, and upper chest. The severity of this pain is