Farewell

This semester for my College Composition course we had to create a blog and write about one topic for sixteen weeks, instead of the usually six different types of essays and a class reading book. I admit it was a great challenge for me to pick a single topic to talk about for that many weeks but it was an achievable goal. I chose the topic of healthcare because I am an LPN striving to become a RN. I have a great interest in the medical field and this blog allowed me to share and explore parts it with my classmates and the communities I have joined along the way.

I have found a great many resources that I can come back to later on if I have any questions or concerns. Or even if I simply want a new viewpoint of an issue I am dealing with in the medical field. I was shocked that I actually enjoyed writing my blog post after a while because some of the facts I was researching were quite intriguing. Such as the post about the leeches called “Vampire Bugs?”, the post on acupuncture called “Thin Metal Needles Oh My!” and lastly my favorite post “Killer Bite”, which was on the use of snake venom in medicine. I had a lot of fun doing that post because I love snakes and find it amazing how they are used in the medical field at the same time.

This was a new experience for me because I have never been the type of person to blog before. I didn’t understand if you were supposed to talk about one thing or have just a bunch of different random blog post. I thought the people would post entries because of the mood they were in or what happened that day to them. What I have found is that blogs are used to communicate across the world about different events and to find and share your interest with people all around. Blogs make it quite easy to find people who share the same interest as you. I now have a new found respect for blogging and glad I had this experience this semester.

Olive oil is one of nature’s wonders. This natural product is used in a variety of ways in organism’s lives. For example olive oil is used by humans in cooking, as a body moisturizer, as hair moisturizer and in medicine.  Olive oil is fat from the olive on the olive tree. The oil is obtained from the olive by mechanically and chemically grinding the olive.

The source of the health benefits from Olive oil comes from the polyphenols (an antioxidant that protects the cells in your body from damage) in the oil.Health benefits of Olive oil are that it lowers the bodies “bad” cholesterol (LDL), because of this olive oil in turns lowers the risk of heart disease in humans (“Olive”).  It has been shown that olive oil reduces blood pressure in the consumer. Olive oil has a role in preventing and helping people suffering from osteoporosis (decrease in bone mass, which causes a weakness in the bones). It aids in this disease by increasing bone mineralization and calcification (“Olive”).

This oil is soothing on the gastrointestinal tract and contains valuable vitamins nutrients and antioxidants (“Olive”). These antioxidants (a substance such as vitamin C or E that removes potentially damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism) are being studied in the belief that they prevent cancer. The antioxidants also promote a healthy immune system in the consumer. Olive oil is used on the skin to lock in moisture that is otherwise lost during the day. The same goes for using oil in your hair. In your hair the oil softens and detangles your hair while proving you with a relaxing experience and adding a shining coat to your hair. This can also work on the hair of your cats however; you place it in the food of your pet not directly on them (Howard).  

 http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/02/25/health/100000002085482/the-benefits-of-olive-oil.html

Howard, Brian. "8 Surprising Uses for Olive Oil." The Daily Green. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Olive Oil Health Benefits and Nutrition." Olive Oil Times. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

Killer Bite

Snakes to me are one of the biggest fears that people of this world have.  I am personally quite fond and scared of snakes. I admit one day I would like to own one of the small pet sized python snakes. However, when I am at the zoo or watching the animal channel and see these snakes that are over five feet long (I, myself, am only 5’2) I feel a tad bit uneasy. So I don’t know if I have a true fear of snakes seeing how I’m fascinated with them, but at the same time being scared of them.

It is funny to think that this creature contributes to the world of medicine. To be more specific the venom of this creature contributes to the medical field. How in the world could a snake contribute to the world of medicine? It is hard to think they can when there are snakes that can kill you almost instantly with a single bite such as, the infamous black mamba.

Snake venom in medicine is being studied to treat high blood pressure, strokes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease (“Office”).  What is believed with snake venom is that the same proteins that can cause death and damage in the prey of the snakes can be manipulated to be beneficial to the health of a human being (“Office”). There are two medications that are made from snake venom Eptifibatide (Integrilin) and Tirofiban (Aggrastat).  These medications are used in stroke and heart disease patients to help prevent a heart attack. Snake venom causes a human to bleed out; but by manipulation of this action the venom instead of bleeding out the patient, it prevents and dissolves blood clots in the patient to prevent future heart attacks. The most important property of snake venom is the protein in it.

Though I wrote out hospital prescribed medication above, in other countries such as Bolivia in this video the venom of snakes are put into homeopathic medicines.

http://dalje.com/tv/en/index.php?id=9516q4d42d2f5010

Most companies and researchers get their snake venoms from places like this so they don’t have to directly deal with the snakes as they tried to milk the fangs and at the same time do their research. From this video it is easy to come to the conclusion that even though the use of snake venom in America is sort of a new concept it is not the same for the lands outside of the United States that have been using the venom for a while.

 

 

"Office of Science Education - Animals In Research - Stories of Discovery - Making Medicines from Poisonous Snakes." Office of Science Education - Animals In Research - Stories of Discovery - Making Medicines from Poisonous Snakes. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

Against Alternatives

An opposing view was hard to come up with for my blogging topic, which is contributors to medicine. In my English class we worked in groups to help each other figure out an opposing viewpoint. For mine, after me and my partner read my blog post on acupuncture multiple times she came up with the view point of people not believing in alternative forms of medicine.  Again alternative forms of medicine means there are no uses of drugs or chemicals and no invasive surgeries. Everything is mainly all natural for example the use of shark skin.

I can understand why people would not believe in some alternative forms of medicine such as acupuncture. Acupuncture cannot be scientifically explained as I stated in my previous blog post. The whole mechanism believed at work is that the body reacts to substances in the needles. A person opposing alternative medicine couldn’t help but wonder what substances is the body reacting to if there are no drugs or chemicals involved. That mechanism alone could make you wonder if acupuncture is really an alternative form or not.

Some people could choose not to believe that alternative forms of medicine work because like I said about acupuncture, there is rarely any scientific research to back up what is believed to be the result of the treatment. To be forward another reason could be that we have these medical hospital and research hospitals for a reason. In the hospitals there is better equipment and people who have studied all types of diseases and disorders to know how to control whatever health problem is going on with the patient. In these hospitals there is never one person doing all the research on a patient, there are multiple doctors, nurse, etc., who specialize in different areas of health who dedicate their time to the patient.

Follow up to "Peaceful Sleep?"

As a follow up to my Sleep Apnea post I talked with my father about how he has coped with being diagnosed with sleep apnea and his treatment with the CPAP machine. My father was diagnosed with sleep apnea about four years ago. My mother forced him to go to the doctor because at night he would snore so loudly it would wake everyone up. Sometimes he would snore so loudly that he would wake himself up. Although I found it funny the first time I saw him do it, I knew it was not good for his sleep routine.

 He would wake up in the morning tired as though he had not even slept during the night. He technically was not sleeping during the night, when he was snoring during the night he was trying to breathe. With sleep apnea you stop breathing during the night and the snoring is your body trying to restart itself. When I learned about sleep apnea I became fearful for my father because some people with sleep apnea don’t wake up or restart their breathing when they are asleep and die. At first with the CPAP machine my father was a little uncomfortable because of the face mask but he was waking up well rested in the morning.

The way my father coped with his diagnosis from what I seen was by remaining calm. I believe that do to the fact that his diagnosis was controllable. There was a solution to his sleeping problem and it was not invasive. When he first got the machine he did immediately use it, he didn’t just look at the box and set it aside. There was slight difficulty with figuring out how to use the machine but eventually he got it together. After a few days that is when we saw a change in him.

 He was actually waking up in good moods now, he wasn’t as tired as he was before. My father reminded me of Darth Vader from Star Wars because he had the whole face mask and when he would talk with the mask on he sounded just like him. The sound of the machine doesn’t disturb my mother because it is almost a soothing sound to her, kind of like the machines that make the rain forest and ocean noises. The machine doesn’t make any crazy noises like a VCR use to; it is easy to tone out. My father said sleeping with his mask now is easy because he is not a wild sleeper. He lays on either his side or back and doesn’t do much moving. The way the mask is positioned on his face if he turns around in bed the tube doesn’t coil around his neck.

I’m happy to say both my father and mother adjusted fairly well to his diagnosis of sleep apnea and the usage of the CPAP machine. They are both happy especially my mom. Her sleep is no longer disturbed by his snoring and he can now sleep peacefully through the night. I am happy my father actually uses his machine because the fact some people don’t wake up scares me.

The Man Eater

I love to eat seafood. I love to drive down to the wharf (seafood market) in Washington D.C and walk around getting fresh tuna, and salmon to fry up at home. The happiest moment is when we go get the fresh tiger shrimp and king/soft shell crab to boil when I get back to home. I also enjoy sushi very much, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of eating raw fish but I managed to do it and now I am addicted. One thing we never think about when we eat seafood is the health benefits that they give us.

One particular sea creature that offers us human’s health benefits is the shark. To be more specific the fin of the shark offers us medical treatments. The use of the shark fin is considered an alternative treatment. This treatment has been around for many years, mainly in the Asian culture. What makes shark fin so medically useful is when it is in soup form it promotes general well-being. Also, one of the most commonly known medical properties of shark fin is that it has anti-cancer bodies (“Traditional”). Although there is no scientific research that has proven this, it is a strong belief in some culture.

Shark fin is made up of cartilage which is a form of connective tissue. In Japan it is sold in whole, tablet and powder form by herbalist. It is sold in the West in a powdered form as a dietary supplement. This treatment has drawn not only positive but negative attention especially from environmentalist.  It was stated in the article “Traditional Medicines Continue to Thrive Globally” that the environmentalist believe that the use of fin in medicine is threatening to deplete the population of sharks. Also it was stated that people were cutting off the fin of the shark while it was a live and threw it back in to the water (“Traditional”).

I personally would like to see more experimenting done with sharks fin because the belief in its anti-cancer bodies is so strong that I believe there is something there to it. I plan on trying shark fin soup one day. I do not think physically trying tradition alternative treatments could hurt you much because if they did I hope they would not have been continually practiced over time. I actually found a restaurant not to far from here in Annandale called Duck Chang's Restaurant, which sells the soup.

 

 

"Traditional Medicines Continue to Thrive Globally." CNN. N.p., 24 June 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Bacterial Breakthrough

 Illnesses have been around on this earth for years and years. In the ancient times there was not the knowledge we have now of all the medications we have discovered and created. As many diseases present themselves over time on the unknowing population there are people who arise from the crowd and chose to take on the issue at hand. One person we have to thank for stepping up in a time of need is Selman Waksman. Mr. Waksman is the discoverer of the antibiotics we heavily use today for maintenance and cure of bacterial infections that have been discovered, researched and named.

Selman Waksman was born July 22^nd, 1888 in Priluka (“Selman”). His parents were Jacob Waksman and Fradia London. Waksman parents went about his schooling in a private manner; his education was through private tutors and school training also was with private tutors. I always wondered about the argument public versus private education, which one is better. After he completed his private schooling and received his matriculation diploma in 1910 he came to the United States. Waksman received his bachelor’s degree in science in 1915 from Rutgers College.  He obtained his master’s degree in science in 1916 from the same school while he did his graduate work at the New Jersey Agriculture Experiment Station (“Selman”). He received his PhD. in Biochemistry in 1918 from the University of California. I want to follow his path of schooling. He continually went back to school after receiving each of his degrees. I would like to do that too. No “taking a break” after I get the first degree just hard working back to back.

He returned to the college he received his first two degrees from and by 1940 he was the Professor of Microbiology and the Head of the department. Following this achievement in 1949 he was made the Director of the Institute of Microbiology of Rutgers College (“Selman”). In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered antibiotics from the Genus Streptomyces soil. He yielded over 500 antibiotics from this soil. Some are streptomycin, neomycin. Waksman retired from his life of science in 1958. After all of his contributions and hard work to the medical field and mainly science field he died August 16, 1973.  Waksman was married to Deborah Mintik. Together they started the Foundation for Microbiology which supported the research of microbiology at various institutions of the world (“Selman”). They had one son Byron Waksman who followed in is father footsteps and became the Professor of Microbiology at Yale University Medical School.

 

 

"Selman A. Waksman -Biography." .N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Vampire Bugs?

Anytime I think of leeches I think of the movie “The Amazing Panda Adventure”. There is one scene in particular when the boy and the girl in the movie fall into a pond because the panda went over the edge of a hill. They ran and fell down the hill into the water and when they got out they realized that they were covered in leeches. They stripped all the way down and realized they were naked in front of each other, screamed and ran into a clear stream of water away from each other. This one particular scene is hilarious and I recommend the movie to everyone.

However, back to the idea of leeches. When I think of them I picture these slimy worms with circular mouth and long razor sharp teeth. Here is a picture of them. I personally get grossed out and disgusted when I look at them. It is amazing that these creepy creatures actually contribute to the world of medicine. The use of living animals in medical treatments is called biotherapy. It was believed that this practice started 3,500 years ago with the ancient Egyptians (“Maggots”).

How are leeches used in the medical field? They are placed on the body of the patient (about one to six leeches). From there they are left on from thirty to six hours (“Maggots”). This is because leeches saliva contains a compound, also called an anticoagulant, which prevents blood from clotting for hours. Leeches can take in several times its body weight in blood. This type of procedure is used in cases like reattachment of body parts such as the ear. It is currently being researched, by Andreas Michalsen, in Germany how leeches can help decrease pain and inflammation in diseases such as osteoarthritis (“Maggots”).

I personally could not imagine having a bunch of blood sucking leeches on my body for hours. I cannot imagine how that would feel or if a person would feel them at all. It could be one of the consistent pains that your brain gets use to after about fifteen minutes and then you just do not feel it. I was curious as to how to remove a leech so I looked it up. Before I did look it up I though it was like with a tick you could not just pull it off because the head would still be there in the skin and it becomes a real problem because the teeth are stuck in your arm and the head of the leech or tick will not budge. How leeches are removed is by sliding your fingernail under the smaller end up the leech then the other end quickly (“How”). I found writing this blog post was both interesting and gross because like I said leeches are disgusting to me. However, now they are becoming quite important to us humans again and I would like to know even more about them

 

"How to Remove a Leech." How to Remove a Leech. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

"Maggots and Leeches: Old Medicine Is New." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Have you taken you vitamins today?

Most people have heard of Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. Some are more popular than others like how Vitamin C is widely known because of the famous drink Sunny Delight. Now for a little background on these vitamins. Vitamin A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble. This means that these vitamins are absorbable in fats or lipids. Each vitamin has a different job in the body that is equally important as the next vitamin. These vitamins A, D, E, and K that are fat-soluble add to the flavor, texture and palatability of the food they are in (Whitney, 150). For this post I will focus on Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is also known as calciferol. Vitamin D comes in two forms ergocalciferol which comes from plant foods in the diet. Then there is cholecalciferol which comes from the animal foods in the diet. Both have to be “activated” before they can be fully used in the human body (Whitney, p.347). When I say “activated” it means, two hydroxylation reactions must occur.  The first reaction occurs when the liver adds an OH (hydroxyl) group and then the kidneys add another OH group to produce an active vitamin. The body also produces a vitamin D of its own when ultraviolent rays from the sun hit the skin and are converted twice, once in to the previtamin D and  then in to the vitamin D.

The role of vitamin D in the body is different from the other vitamins because the active form of vitamin D is actually a hormone. I was learning about this concept this week in my anatomy and physiology class. It is called a hormone because it is made in one part of the body and then travels through the blood to cause a reaction in another part of the body. For example how the hormone oxytocin is produced in the pituitary gland and is secreted in the blood but only the uterus contracts in response to the secretion of the hormone. The way the body responds to vitamin D is by making minerals needed for bone growth and maintenance available for use in the body.

There can be vitamin D deficiencies. The signs of this deficiency are not openly seen however, this deficiency is very common. According to Whitney ten percent of the US population has this deficiency and another twenty-five percent is marginal (349). Factors that contribute to this are dark skin, breastfeeding without supplementation, lack of sunlight and not using fortified milk. When using the term “fortified” it simply means that vitamins and nutrients have been added to something in this case the milk.

Very few foods have vitamin D in them naturally. Foods such as egg yolks and salmon and sardines are natural sources of vitamin D. Recommended sources of vitamin D are to take in some sunlight because the body can make vitamin D. People should drink at least two cups of vitamin D fortified milk a day which can be bought in the stores.  Vitamin D is important for the growth and maintenance of the bone in the human body making it one of the most important vitamins during childhood and adulthood. It is not an easy vitamin to come across as you have read but it is important that we do try to get it.

Whitney, Ellie, and Sharon R. Rolfes. Understanding Nutrition. 13th ed. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

The Lovely Lady of the Hour

One of the most famous female nurse in the world of medicine is Florence Nightingale.  Florence Nightingale was born was born May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. She was raised in Lea Hurst with her sibling and her mother and father Mr. and Mrs. William and Frances Nightingale. Her mother was a British socialite and her father was a wealthy landowner. Even at a young age Florence showed interest in being a nursing, by the age of sixteen she was caring for the sick people of the village close to her families land (“Florence”).

I think it is very common for young people to take interest in what they want to do early on in life. I believe this occurs so that we know later on when the time comes for us to choose a career that it is really what we want to do. Rather than go through all of life’s obstacles only to find out in the end that what we did we had no passion in it what so ever. During the Crimean War  Florence and a group of nurses improved the unsanitary conditions of the British base hospital (“Florence”). The team managed to reduce the death count by two-thirds, the writings and notes that she took during her service called for health care reform all over the world.

According to the article “Florence Nightingale Biography”, Florence Nightingale parents were not happy about the fact that she wanted to be a nurse. During the Victoria Era the life plan of a woman was not to find her own career but to find a man of wealth and status and marry him. Against her parent wishes she attended the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany as a nursing student in 1844. I believe at some point every teenager has a rebellious moment. Some may not be as extreme as some of the rebellious acts other people may commit but they get there point across.

Florence returned to London in early 1850 (“Florence”). I think every child returns home at some point in time no child can stay away forever. Well in my opinion no child can stay away forever. As I stated before Florence Nightingale was a nurse in the Crimean War that broke out October 1853. At the time there was no female nurses in the military camp, the previous nurses held a bad reputation (“Florence”). In 1854 Florence was asked by the Secretary of War Sidney Herbert to come with a group of nurses to help the understaffed hospital. She established St. Thomas Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in 1860.  Florence Nightingale died August 13, 1910 in London. I am happy to say that Florence Nightingale is one of the reasons that I am pursing to be an RN. She is a role model to me and I hope one day I can make a mark in history like she did. 

 

 

 

 Florence Nightingale Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

Thin Metal Needles Oh My!

Many people have a fear of needles. Needles have many uses from recreational use as in drugs to medical uses such as giving a simple flu vaccine. I find it hilarious when I meet people who claim to be terrified of needles but are covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings. Then I sit there and look at them like, “Are you serious?” I bring up the topic of needles because in the medical field they are no longer simply used to put in an IV or to give a shot but they are also used to relieve pain and stress in a patient.

Acupuncture is an alternative form of medicine. Alternative form of medicine means there are no uses of drugs or chemicals and no invasive surgeries. Strictly your own body, nerves, the doctors and their needles. The doctor uses hair thin metallic needles and places them in specific areas of the body. These are called trigger points or the knots in the nerves. How acupuncture works is unclear to scientist, it is believed that the body works with the metallic needles to enhance the body’s natural pain-fighting chemicals (“Acupuncture: An Introduction”). The needles are placed in either the back or front of the patient and the amount of time they are left in the body varies by the patient.  Acupuncture can also reduce nausea and vomiting after a surgery or chemotherapy. This is positive news because many people may not want to take addition medication after being put under for possibly hours and some may not want to take more medication after just having a chemotherapy session.

This practice was discovered in China over 2,000 years ago (“Acupuncture: An Introduction”). This is one of the many practices that Americans have come to use from many of the Asian countries. It was said that scientist really are not sure how acupuncture scientifically works in the body to eliminate pain. Research is continually done of course. It is a crazy thought that this hair-thin metal needle can relieve pain that has been affecting a person for a long time. Yes, the pain may return here and there but at the same time it is worth it because they are not consuming many different.

Treatment cost may vary from place to place you go because it is not readily practiced in a hospital (“Acupuncture: An Introduction”). Some insurance companies do cover the cost of acupuncture even though it can be used to relieve some health problems. I think it is a good thing. I personally have not tried acupuncture yet but I plan on trying it soon. I would like to try it mainly for the benefits of reducing stress. Work and school can be quite stressful sometimes and everyone deserves a break every once in a while to clear their minds.

 

 

"Acupuncture: An Introduction." NIH.gov. U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Aug. 2011. Web. 6 Feb. 2013.

Peaceful Sleep ?

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing in their sleep for short periods of time. Some people begin to snore in their sleep, while others may startle awake from not being able to breathe. Most people will complain of feeling tired through the day because of lack of peaceful sleep and will have a very sluggish demeanor. Sleep apnea can be diagnosed in people when they participate in a sleep study. A sleep study is where people go to a sleep lab and sleep in the observation rooms. Wires are connected to the brain and body and there are cameras all around the bedroom. As you sleep there are medical personal that monitor your vital signs and you while you sleep.

Upon being diagnosed with sleep apnea some people are prescribed or given a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). This machine supply’s the user with continually flowing oxygen while the person sleeps to prevent the airway from closing as they rest. As a result, snoring that was present is now reduce thus giving the patient a good night sleep. Although this is long term treatment many users are annoyed by the machine (“Living with CPAP”). I have met patients in the hospital who had their machine with them but left it in their duffle bag because they refused to use it. It is rather a large mask that sits on your face with a hose attached from the mask to the machine. I imagine a person who sleeps very wildly may have some issues with the tubing of the machine with them moving around so much.

My father has a CPAP machine and he has been having comfortable sleep filled nights now that he has his machine. The machine does need to be care for in return for caring for the person using it. For example some machines take water and you must refill the container ever so often. Some parts may even need to be cleaned everyday or every other day (“Living with CPAP”). It just depends on what machine you receive. I believe this machine is one of the best machines created for medical use. Some people do not wake up during their sleep apnea episodes and have to be shaken awake from their sleep. People can now prevent other medical problems from occurring from lack of sleep. Couples can now have a better night sleep because one does not have to continually wake up every night to wake up the other.

 

 

"Living With CPAP." - NHLBI, NIH. U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2013.

Best plant ever or just one of many?

The contributor of the day is an object that is small in stature and, green in color. You can buy it in stores such as Home Depot and Lowes. However, when you look at it around your home you most likely won’t stand there and say, “So this is what has my skin so soft.” So may I present the contributor of the day, Aloe Vera (A.barbadensis L.), a small plant of many uses. One of Mother Nature’s most famous plants, that I personally use the most out of any other in my life and maybe yours too. Aloe Vera is a plant that has been used for over thousands of years.

 Aloe Vera is grown in warm climates, which is why it makes sense that most of the species of Aloe are native to Africa (Chopra, 576). Early records record uses of aloe as medicine for skin and other disorders in the ancient times (Iqubal, M. Khan, Z. Khan, 1). The earliest pharmaceutical use of Aloe Vera recorded was in ancient Sumeria 1750 B.C (Chopra, 575). Early Egyptians referred to this plant as, “the plant of immortality,” because of its many health healing abilities. The use of Aloe Vera today has become both cosmetic and medical. In this day and age we have found a way to turn Aloe Vera into gel. In this state the plant can be used on burns and ulcers.

Aloe Vera is widely known for its uses on the skin. Why is Aloe Vera so useful on the skin you may ask? Aloe Vera has properties that allows rapid healing of the epithelial tissue (Iqubal, M. Khan, Z. Khan, 1). As I was searching for the history and uses of the Aloe Vera plant I come across a wellness site where a woman posted a list of forty uses of Aloe Vera. To see this list will take your breath away because I for one could only name at the most three uses of Aloe Vera and the first one would obviously be the fact that it is in lotion.  Aloe Vera has had such a positive impact in the advancement of medicine. When first used by the ancient Sumerians it was used to relieve stomach aches and nausea, then as time progressed it was used as ointment on burn wounds.  

Now Aloe Vera is not only being used in medical field but now in cosmetology, because of this discovery there came my love of lotion and other skin products. Though this is a very help and giving plant we as human can cause it to harm us. As we have power plants and factories and etc. we contaminate the soil in which the plant gathers nutrients. If the plant takes in too much pollution and in turn is used for medicine in a human the beneficial nutrients become toxic to us. With that knowledge to keep the Aloe Vera plant around we must take care of the plants soil home so that in the future when we need the plant it will be able to treat us instead of poison us.

A. K. Chopra, et al. "Concentration Of The Heavy Metals In Aloe Vera L. (Aloe Barbadensis Miller) Leaves Collected From Different Geographical Locations Of India." Annals Of Biological Research 2.6 (2011): 575-579. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

IQBAL, SABA, M. MASROOR A. KHAN, and ZEBA H. KHAN. "Combined Application Of Tria And Potassium Stimulates The Gel Content, Morphological And Biochemical Characteristics Of Aloe Vera." Golden Research Thoughts 2.6 (2012): 1-6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

The Main Man

To start off my blog about contributors to medicine I thought it was appropriate to begin with Hippocrates, “the Father of Medicine.”  Hippocrates was a Greek physician. He practiced medicine all around Greece. His first light of fame came from creating the medical school on the Greek island Cos. While working at the medical school Hippocrates created about seventy documents on the prevention diagnosis and treatment of diseases (Schneider, 5). This medical work was called Corpus Hippocraticum.  This is kind of like the nursing diagnosis reference manual textbook I have now. This manual has over a thousand pages of different nursing diagnosis not medical diagnosis. A nurse cannot give a patient a medical diagnosis only a physician can. It tells you the signs and symptoms that a patient can or will be exhibiting. The textbook present ways to cure or control the diagnosis the patient is given. The manual gives short term and long term goals for the diagnosis to achieve for the benefit of the patient. So, yes this work by Hippocrates has a rather large influence on the medical field all over the world. Hippocrates established the basis of a medical ethic code. The Hippocratic Oath is recited by new physicians and nurses at school graduations. Only it is a modernized version now because the original version mentions abortion and assisted in suicide. Here is the link to both the modern and original versions of the oath http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html . The teaching style of Hippocrates has been used and passed down through the years. He taught students that having detailed observations was a critical part of diagnosing a patient (Schneider, 5). This is actually very important in a physician and nurses job.  The first thing a nurse does when he or she opens the door to a patients room is make sure they are breathing and not bleeding. After which she begins the verbal communication with the patient. Hippocrates believed that the knowledge of science could be used as a resource to figure out what causes diseases. Hippocrates taught, “Proper diet, fresh air, a moderate climate, and attention to habits and living condition were necessary for healthy living (Schneider, 5).” From these teachings alone anyone can see that Hippocrates was ahead of his time. Proper diet is a continual issue of this day and age. It may have not been that much of a problem back then because Chipotle and McDonalds were not around the corner or on every corner of the roads in Greece. Although the moderate climate is a bit out of our physical abilities to control seeing how for the past two days we have woken up it has been two degrees outside. Hippocrates made a large impact in the lives of medical workers and patients. His influence and will forever be around and never forgotten.

Schneider, Dona, and David E. Lilienfeld. Public Health Volume 1, From The Age Of Hippocrates To The Progressive Era : The Development Of A Discipline. n.p.: Rutgers University Press, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

Start up/Welcome

It was very difficult coming up with a blog topic for myself. I don’t blog; I never have and probably will not after this class. Blogging is not a bad thing to me, it is just something I was never fond of. I do however use social networks. I have a Facebook and Twitter but rarely do I ever stay on one topic and I think that’s the point. I could post a picture of me watching TV and then in another status post write I am going to make French fries. The point is one post for the most part is never related to the next post. In blogging or having a blog you are focusing in on one single topic. I personally found this hard because what I have to say about a particular topic I can get it out in a two to three page essay and be done with the single topic all together because that’s what I am use to. I never really liked stretching a topic out like the high school graduation requirement of a five full page research paper. Really not fun. Through the many Google searches I did of “blog post topic” every single pulled response said the same thing, “Write about something that interest you.” From that simple and annoying advice I began to think about all the things that interest me. I thought I could write about me becoming a nurse but I knew that I could not make sixteen blog posts about that topic without repeating myself a few times throughout the many weeks. Also, I started my long track to becoming a registered nurse started in high school so the majority of what I said would be about stuff not really relevant to nursing at times. The next idea I had was to talk about four places I wanted to travel to and write four blogs about each place but I could not put any personal comments in to the posts because I have never been to any of the places. The research I did of the places and blogs I did find that I could have used as resource in the blogs had the options of other people so I said that would not work either. Finally I thought I need to just stick to something that has to do with the health field, because this is where majority of my interest lies. This is where I came up with the idea of “Contributors to Medicine.” The one post I really was anticipating writing about is the use of snake venom. Along with the research I found many other species you thought didn’t do anything for humans that actually do. I personally find this topic very interesting and I hope that you will too.