Tell me about your poo...

Well I didn't do as well as I hoped on my first mini, but i passed... barely.  Now we're on to the gastrointestinal system.  

Don't be so quick to flush the next time you have a bowel movement.  Carefully examine the texture, color, size, and smell of your bowel next time.  It may indicate more than you might expect.  The stools shown in the picture above indicates the amount of time it takes for your food to pass through your G.I. system.  Generally the food you eat is passed within a couple of days, however it can take up to 5 days for some stools to be passed, in which case your stools will likely look like type 1.  Most people with normal G.I. have type 3 or 4 looking stools.  For a test run, eat a bowl of sweet corn kernels, wait and observe.

Type 1 stools are the ones that have been sitting in the intestines the longest and generally indicate a lack of fluids or normal flora, stress or not enough fiber.  If you have this type of stool, avoid alcohol or at least drink plenty of water, as alcohol will cause dehydration and delay the passing of toxic materials out of your system.  Fiber acts as the "glue" keeping the stools together, as it is not digestible but is integral to the structure of the stools.  

The link between a decrease in dietary fiber and an increase in colonic cancer is due to the fact 

that some of the secondary products of bile acids are carcinogenic. However, by consuming 

dietary fiber, the excretion rate of bile acids increases and allows the individuals to get rid 

of them before carcinogenic products are produced. The excretion of bile acids also causes 

more cholesterol to be converted to bile acids in the liver, there by decreasing serum cholesterol 

levels.  Fiber for the win!  Some great sources are: beans, whole grains, brown rice, nuts, vegetables, fruit.

On the other end of the spectrum, are Type 7 stools.  Diarrhea is usually caused by a bacterial or virus infection from foods or water.  It is the body's way of rapid cleansing.  Once again, be sure to hydrate, as your body is losing water fast.  

Chinese Gaokao

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-06/china-girds-for-high-stress-gaokao-weekend

And I thought I studied alot...  The SAT/ ACT on steroids in China is going on this weekend.  These students spent countless hours to prepare for a test that determines which college they will be attending.  Extreme claims such as: lunch and dinner breaks limited to 3-5 minutes and a constant amino acid IV drip to ensure constant focus have been associated with preparation for this weekend marathon of a test.  These academy sessions can last from 5:30 A.M. to 10 P.M.  This test has a lot more riding on it then our SAT/ ACT because it is a determinant of which profession one will "match" into, as students go into medical school directly out of high school.  Some of the Chinese hospitals still have dormitories, causing students to earn the more literal term of being a "resident" than in the U.S.

This leads me to wonder how great the quality of life is for these students.  When you spend that much time towards one goal, it must be completely demoralizing if that goal is not obtained.  I find myself fortunate to be in a country that still finds value in having well-rounded students with various life experiences.  There's no way I would be prepared for medical school directly out of High School and am glad that I had the opportunity to defer my career plans a few more years instead of having my distant future determined by a single test.

21 day Challenge

Under the influence of Eric Thomas' T.G.I.M. series I decided to make my challenge going to the gym for 21 days straight.  I have heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit, while I don't believe this, it at least provides a concrete number to shoot for.  I completed the challenge and felt good after doing it.  I was less tired during the day after working out the morning, and it helped me wake up as my body began to become accustomed to the routine.  Some days were shorter than others, sometimes only 20 minutes, but it was more about the process than the duration.  One day I had stayed up late so slept in until 10 and planned on only staying at the gym for 10 minutes.  Fast forward that same day and I just finished my third mile on the treadmill, so I realized that the hardest part of a workout for me is just simply showing up.  Instead of developing some intricate workout program as was my first impulse, I decided to just go and figure out which exercises to do once I got there.  I like to do compound movements, such as bench press, squats, dead-lifts to work multiple muscles groups at the same time.  I would do high sets of these exercises, 5 or 6, simply to take the guesswork out of which exercise I'm going to do next.  Sometimes having too many options can become paralyzing.

That's one of the problems with our diet crazed society.  Everything becomes overcomplicated, where sometimes simplicity is the answer.  Sometimes the smallest steps, such as giving up soda, lead to slow albeit the best results.  Detox diets and workouts such as insanity are more glamorous, but take significantly more discipline, which is also a muscle that should be developed by making small successes and building self-confidence.

My next challenge is going to blog for the next 21 days straight.  I guess we'll see how that goes.

14 year old "mini medical student"

This past weekend, we had an event called "mini med school".  This was put on by SNMA the student national medical association.  Which I didn't know what SNMA stood for when a student had asked me (kinda embarrassing); I'll just continue to call if the Black people club.  Mini med school is an event where medical students volunteers show local high school science academy students around different facilities on campus.  I was supposed to be there for an hour from 9 to 10 showing the students around the anatomy lab, but the students didn't show up until around 9:45 so that messed with the rotation causing me to stay until 12.  As the arrived, the teachers still acted like what's the problem? We're here now.  I guess that's how the phrase "Dominican time" came about.  I ended up staying up late to finish media siting lectures, but it was worth it.

We split up into groups, one small group went to visit the simulation lab, but the majority went with me and a classmate into the anatomy lab.  A professor and anatomy lab instructor were present to give the students an overview.  Most students were very excited to see the cadavers.  One of the students peeked our from behind her teacher as she clutched her shirt vigorously in anticipation of our professor pulling the sheets off the cadaver.  They got an opportunity to touch a preserved lung and heart which made them light up.  We then went to the radiology lab where they viewed our 3d touch screen of the human body.  I'm ashamed to say that that was the first time i had been in the radiology lab, so it was as much of a surprise to me as it was for them.  Then they went off to view the physiology and microbiology lab.

We ended with lunch and a session where the students were presented a case and collectively came up with a diagnosis based on the symptoms presented.  Both groups came up with the correct answer with sound reasoning.  I was amazed at how intelligent these children were.  High school in Dominica ends at age 16, so most of the children were around 14-16.  They asked difficult questions such as the effect of racemic mixtures on drugs.  They knew more much more about science then I did at that age.  We closed with current students from Dominica sharing their story and encouraging the students to do well in their classes.  Dominican natives receive a full ride scholarship if they get accepted, but there are various hoops to jump through making it difficult but doable.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear about a couple of them getting into the school.

2nd semester mini 1

Time's almost up!  3...A, 2...no C, 1,... okay A.   That was my thought process as our first mini exam of the second semester came to a close.  Usually I finish well ahead of our allotted time, but this exam took longer for me because Physiology requires more calculations than the other subjects and this exam was mainly cardio and respiratory physio.  Granted I didn't have time to look back at some of the questions I had flagged, I felt it was a reasonable exam.  Regardless of the outcome, I've learned to place more weight on the effort I put into preparation, and I took deliberate steps to place myself in a position to do well.  I can't control the results but I can always control my effort.  I enjoyed the cardiology and respiratory block, cardiology more so than respiratory but nonetheless I appreciated the switch to studying one organ system at a time, it makes it easier for me to assimilate the information.  Afterwards me and a couple friends went to the basketball court to break in the newly assembled basketball courts.  It took me a while, but I eventually got my groove back.  Shots coming down from the sky through the net... who said there wasn't rain on the forecast?

 

Something's on Fire!

Smoke starts to ascend from the bedroom.  I breath in a harsh pollutant that immediately causes me to cough, so I quickly turn off the George Foreman grill and run to the bedroom to find the transformer smoking and covered in gray ash.  At least the chicken had just finished cooking, so I quickly threw it in the fridge and left the room after turning the transformer off.  The grill's voltage was too high, so it just knocked out my transformer.  Now I see why George Foreman is the face of the grill. Well, there goes part of my deposit.

To top it off, the week before, I arrive at my apartment looking for the essential stethoscope and bp cuff to no avail.  The previous student living there possibly took my bag as I moved it in the apartment at the end of last semester or it got misplaced during the move.  After searching the ross craigslist page, I saw a student selling a stethoscope for $5 EC (eastern caribbean currency) that looked like it came free with a doctor halloween costume.  But hey, beggars can't be choosers.  I would just have to use it.  However, the next day my prayers were answered; a friend told a friend that i needed a a stethoscope, and she happened to have a top quality one that I happily bought off her in time for our cardiovascular exam today... clutch!  I volunteered to do the heart exam and I managed to hear her aortic, tricsupid, mitral, and pulmonic valves.  Lub...dub.

New semester

This semester will be filled with new surprises: cardiology, etc.  Many students have enjoyed this semester because of the additional time to study due to not having to attend anatomy lab every week.  However, I think I’m going to miss it.  We will have neurology lab but it is optional to go into lab.  Instead of being fail/pass/high pass system as during first semester.  This semester will now be letter grades A, B, C, or fail.  My goal is to put in enough work and be consistent with my schedule enough to get an A in the upcoming semester.  It's been a struggle so far maintaining a decent schedule while getting adjusted back to the time difference and organizing my items since I moved (I seem to have lost my stethoscope), but the material seems fairly interesting so far.  I'll soon be able to read and understand an ECG (EKG).