#10- Are you organized person?

I do not feel I am an organized person. I really strive to be but most things I do are quite unorganized. My school work, for example, is quite disorganized and creates stress for me so therefore I'm constantly trying to manage my time better in order to organize all my thoughts and work in an orderly manner. My new year's resolution is to become more organized as well as manage my time better. I do become a bit obsessive about certain things such as piano and my room. When I clean my room I become very OCD and everything needs to be a certain way other wise I spend as much time needed in order to make that thing just right.

Blog #9- News Log: Air Pollution Linked to Heart and Brain Risks

Summary- A new study has shown that collectively, people exposed to increased levels of air pollution are at greater risk of stroke, heart attacks and cognitive deterioration. One experiment found that 20,000 women over a decade of living in a highly polluted area such as a city, had accelerated declines in the measures of memory along with attention span. Another study showed that days with higher concentrations of traffic pollutants, increased the risk of stroke. Short term effects of pollution remain unclear, hoever long term effects of inhaling pollutants have shown damaging, potentially severe effects when on days when the federal air quality index states "moderate" pollution days, this can correspond to more danger than originally suspected. Not only are stroke and heart attack risks increased, but also dementia, hypertension and brain function as well which can explain the rise in diseases such as Alzheimer's in the past decade. However, some believe that this increase can be due to improved medical technologies, allowing for better methods of detecting these diseases. Researchers have found a 34% higher risk at times when pollution levels climbed from "good" to "moderate". The effects were particularly strong when researchers looked at levels of black carbon and nitrogen dioxide; two agents that infiltrate the body's tissues.

Opinion- This article provided a great awareness to everyone about pollution and how severe it's effects can be on the human body. Not only is it a serious health factor to us, but it's a serious danger to the environment and ecosystem. With the information founded by these studies, I believe we would be able to come up with preventative ways to help limit the effects of pollution on our bodies. Those who live in polluted areas such as the city, should be aware and try to manipulate their life style in order to provide the healthiest choices for their bodies considering there is not much we can do to reduce the levels of pollution within the city. This would include improving eating habits (i.e healthier foods, smaller portions, etc.), increasing levels of exercise, and reducing stress as much as possible. These can possibly help limit the damaging effects pollution has on our population until a solution is created to take care of the matter. 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/air-pollution-tied-to-heart-and-brain-risks/?ref=health

Blog #8: Happy Valentine's Day

My first crush I ever had was in second grade. I sat right next to him and we would help each other with our state capitols work we had to do. Every day we'd talk and make small conversation. We had a lot in common and even went to Tae Kwon Do together. It was an innocent crush but one non the less. When we would have show and tell, he would always ask me questions about whatever I had brought in. And even today, we are still friendly when we see each other in the hallways and will converse whenever the chance occurs.

Blog #7 News Log- What Doctors Are Telling Us Even When They're Not Talking

Summary- Studies have been done analyzing how doctor's communicate with their patients, specifically Caucasian and African American doctors. In a study the author read, published in The Journal of General Internal Medicine, non-verbal communication of doctors can portray a lot about skills, comfort level, confidence, and personality about the doctor. The author explains how he knows of this fantastic African American doctor who specializes in brain tumors, who is very young and fresh out of school, yet he seems as though he has been working in the field for years. Though the author describes this doctor as brilliant, his communication skills fall short. When he converses with patients, he does not make eye contact and speaks with a very soft voice, creating skepticism of his abilities by the patient. Because a large number of physicians and health care providers, encounter the same difficulties as this doctor, we now question what steps should medical school take in order to increase the comfort level of communication among patient and doctor. However, teaching communication skills has been mandatory for medical schools; improved physician communication can lead to improved patient satisfaction and better healthcare outcomes. Now, schools has developed communication courses and workshops that combine lectures, self assessments, video recordings and "standardized patients" (actors who play the role of patients). Another issue seems to be communication among different races, ethnicities and social backgrounds. Therefore, cultural competency classes have been included to the list, in hopes of creating better communication skills.

Opinion- I found this article very interesting because many times I've heard of family members or just people in general (in person, on tv, etc.) complain of poor doctor/patient communication. Many patients seem to be displeased with their doctors because of poor communication skills, despite how brilliant of a doctor they may be. I feel this continues to be a large issue, despite medical school's efforts to improve these communication skills. There are only a hand full of doctors they are all around, good doctors (this includes knowledge and communication skills). Most doctors either have one or the other, rarely both. I agree with the author that improved social skills will improve the healthcare outcomes of many patients as well as satisfaction. This does not only apply to medical professions, but every profession out there today. Overall, people need to improve their communication skills in order for the best outcome.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/what-doctors-are-telling-us-even-when-theyre-not-talking/?ref=health

#5 News Log- Sudden Infant Deaths to be Recorded in New Database

Summary- The number of reported cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has decreased by 50 percent since 1990. That is an improvement and obviously good news, however researchers are not quite sure why this is happening. Is it actually public health improvements or is it simply a difference in how deaths are recorded by creating a new database? The CDC and the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Case Registry, will help researchers decipher the cause of these deaths in order to determine which cases are actually from SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death) or just whether the baby was being put to sleep on his/her back or stomach. SUID will be used to describe any case where there is not an immediate explanation for the death of a healthy-seeming baby. More medical data will be drawn such as medical histories of both the baby and the mother, education and criminal record of any caregivers and information about the baby's sleep position and crib. The database could allow researchers to resolve any "unknown cause" cases. 

Opinion- I believe that SIDS has been one of those cryptic things in life that are just unexplainable and no one has ever come up with a valid reason for. I believe this new database will aid in solving the mysteries of SIDS as well as determining whether sudden deaths of infants are caused by accidents or the actual syndrome. This, in my opinion, is important for parents of the babies because if the cause of death is definitely known, then it will bring a sense of peace to the parents knowing that researchers and doctors were able to find out what the cause of death was to the baby. Parents will be reassured to know if it was something they may have done wrong with the child or just the syndrome. However, there are still many remaining uncertainties with this issue therefore I believe more time should be put into determining whether SIDS rates are declining or is it just the new database. 

#6- Why is the Super Bowl so popular

I believe the Super Bowl is so important because it is an all American sport. It is one event in our nation that pulls us together whether someone is a fan of the team or not. It is a very exciting sport (in most people's opinions) and a very manly sport; therefore all the men get together and watch the game while most women get together and talk or do some other activity while their husbands watch the game. All in all, it is a uniting event for people within our country.

Blog #4- "Charity Lottery"

If I won $10,000 dollars, I would put it in a charity towards Autoimmune disease research. These diseases are typically quite severe and affect a large sum of the population in the world. Autoimmune diseases, that we know of, can not be prevented. Many develop these diseases later in life, after they believe they are completely healthy which can be extremely devastating to that person. These diseases can severely debilitate and hinder a one's everyday processes. I believe money towards an organization like this can really brighten the spirits and bring hope to those inflicted with autoimmune diseases because typically, these diseases do not receive much recognition due to all the attention focused upon cancer.

Blog #3- First memory

My very first memory is when I was at the doctor's office and I remember my mother talking to me, attempting to calm my nerves because I was told I needed to get shots. Any pain inflicting process at five years old makes it seem like it will be the end of the world. I was frightened because I have never had one before. I remember the nurse taking my pulse while the doctor was laying the needles out for the shots. I needed three: not one, three. The nurse told the doctor my pulse was through the rough and the doctor turned to me and smiled. She looked at me for a moment, then said, "There's no reason to be afraid. It will just be a small pinch." I tried to calm myself down as did my mother. I trusted the doctor, if she said it was going to be a small pinch, then that will be all. She prepared the needles and and picked the first one up. At that point, I was quite calm, so she grabbed my left arm and injected the shot. As soon as she did, I flinched and yelled out, "That wasn't a small pinch! You lied!" I was so upset at the doctor that I did not even remember the pain of the following shots. From that point on, I have always disliked my pediatrician because she lied to me. Then she goes to mention that when I'm fifteen, I will have to receive those same shots once again. At that point, I thought, well by the time I'm fifteen, I won't be able to feel the pain because that is what my mother said. She said that shots don't seem so bad once you get older. So I believed her because my mother has never given me any reason not to trust her. I suppose this isn't the most joyous of memories but it is quite amusing now that I reflect upon it.