October's Current Issues in the Medical Field.

            As we try to figure out what careers we want to pursue, we should try to keep up with the current issues that are happening in the world. From politics to something that is not so popular, we should definitely be kept in the loop of what is going on in our field. In the field of medicine, there is not one exact problem they are working on, but there are always issues that the medical profession is currently working on. Whether it is an issue that is very complex, like cancer, or an issue that will affect our daily lives, such as the food we eat,  it potentially affects all of us in the long run.

            There is a lot going on in this month of October. One big thing that is going on this month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). NBCAM is an organization that helps promote awareness, spread knowledge, and provide great service about this type of cancer. This organization has been around for over 25 years, they have gone a long way of being successful with helping women improve their breast health and treating former patients. According to cancer.org, Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast that are able to spread to different tissues of the body.” In my biology class, I just learned about what cancer is and whether it can be inherited or not. About 90% of cancers are newly acquired from our environment, such as smoking or being in an environment with dangerous chemicals. The other 10% is inherited. Without a doubt, everyone and anyone are prone to getting cancer. There are many types of cancer that people can acquire. If you would like to read more about cancer or learn about the different types, you can go to www.cancer.org. 

Another current issue happening this month is Proposition 37. You may wonder how this proposition may have an effect in the medical field, and it actually has a lot to do with your health. As a student who is trying to pursue a career in naturopathic medicine, having the right to know what companies put in our food, whether if it is genetically modified or if companies put certain ingredients that would affect our health. People who are for this proposition say “Consumers who believe in the harmful effects of GMOs want to make sure companies are not sneaking them (GMO) into our foods. Some concerned mothers don’t want these products anywhere near their kids.” With every pro about something, there is always a con. People who oppose to this proposition say that the reason they do not want this proposition to pass is because there would be an increase of pay when grocery shopping.

 Dansereau’s has great evidence with why people should vote for proposition 37. “According to No on 37: Stop the Deceptive Food-Labeling Scheme, Prop. 37 would cost families an extra $400 per year in groceries.” I believe that this reason for opposing this law is not much an effect to how our health will be in the long run. She lastly makes a great point to finding about more information about proposition 37 by looking into the money backing each side with who financially supports or opposes this proposition.

Overall, i know those are only a couple of issues happening this month, but it is always good to be knowledgeable about what is happening in your field of study. being aware with what is going on in your field will only benefit you with what you may have to face in the future. 

Expanding Knowledge Through Literacy Activities

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            It is funny how we wonder why we learn certain things at school, such as math or English. A lot of times, we have to take classes that are not even for our major, so why even bother taking the courses? Even though we all think that there is not a point of taking certain courses, there is always a reason for everything. For me, English is not my favorite subject. It seems to me that there was not really a point of having English classes since a lot of courses look at the grammatical part of your writing. As I have learned on my fourth year of attending San Francisco State that now an actual purpose of taking an English course. When I first started out the semester, I thought that my writing was pretty good. As we started to write our blogs, I definitely realized that my writing was not as good as I thought it was. This course has taught me that writing is a continuous practice of always trying to improve. When having to reflect on certain readings, I look at how these literacy activities will benefit me in my career.

            With my previous blog, I have interviewed Dr. Autumn Drouin. I did not elaborate too much on her literacy activities because it was more of a complex subject to write about with what she does during her day. When she has mentioned that she had a lot of personal time to herself, it was not very surprising to hear that she does a lot of personal writing. Many people do not have time to write what is on his or her mind. In the current English class that I am enrolled in, every class starts with a free- write where we have free range to express what ever is on our minds for 10 whole minutes. I think when having this type of writing activity in my class helps my classmates and I clear our minds. I think the main idea my professor wants us to get out of the free- writes are seeking personal experiences and having to relieve ourselves with what we are going through personally. Who would have thought that personal writing would help someone who is in an older age range? At times, I do not like writing my feelings out just because it can be hard to reflect on exactly with what is on my minds. It comes to say that there is no limit to as what do, as long as it benefits you.  

            Reading and writing is an essential part to how we communicate with others in the world. Even though many of us are not planning to become famous novelists, it is important to practice literacy activities because it helps us practice analyze what messages or morals that people are trying to convey in their arguments. When writers read their own writing, it helps them see what their readers understand the purpose of their writing. After the college life, we all never stop learning. Whether we learn something that is school related or not, we all learn something new everyday. Dr. Drouin has told me when she became a licensed naturopathic doctor (ND), that people in her field never find a way to get around reading and writing since it is essential part to research. She told me that she is required to go to conventions every couple weeks and each convention is different. During our interview, she mentioned that she was in San Diego for a couple conventions. The one she attended was about different professions, such as neurology, recent research fields, including endocrinology* (study of hormones including diseases) and cardiology* (diseases and abnormality of the heart). Another convention she attended while she was in San Diego was about the history of alternative methods and trace back to the main roots of how alternative methods have originated and compare it with new methods used today’s society. Of course when we go to meetings, we all have to do some required readings and note- taking in order to retain what we have learned. Doctors, just like Dr. Drouin, have to do the same thing.

In the words of BruceWightman, Literacy promotes “basic scientific knowledge [that] can be imperative and is able to function in an increasingly technological society. Citizens need scientific knowledge to make better decisions in their lives.” I use some evidence that literacy is important in science, but if you think about it, medical research is based on scientific research. Practicing to have good habits of literacy activities will enhance our way of learning things and being able to understand how certain things in the world works. Without reading or writing, we would not be able to learn about things in the past. In order to become better readers and writers, it takes practice just like everything in life. I believe that the younger we start literacy activities, the more they are able to engage and explore with what they are interested in. Literacy is not important just for me or people in the medical field, but it is important for everyone.

*meaning that they are not exact definitions of what these fields are but are articles with current articles about the subject.

The Day As a Naturopathic Doctor

 From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed, everyone starts and ends his or her days differently. Many people that are not in the real world, may assume that people that have careers have similar ways of starting and ending their days. For me, I would fall into that category because I thought all people who had similar career paths would all have the same daily routines.  When I interviewed a naturopathic doctor, it opened up my eyes to how every person starts and ends his or her day differently.

            Since I plan to become a naturopathic doctor, I thought it would be a good idea to initiate on establishing myself to a naturopathic clinic near my house. For my interviewee, I interviewed Dr. Autumn Drouin who is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND) and a Holistic Veterinarian. She was originally from Canada where she obtained her degrees in veterinary medicine and naturopathic medicine. She moved to Lafayette because of her four children, whom she is very close to and talk to on a daily basis. As a doctor, I would assume that a ND would not have time to themselves to do certain activities. Dr. Drouin changed my perspective on how NDs start their days.

            Dr. Drouin starts her day by waking up early in the morning and meditates for 15 minutes or longer. After her meditation, she writes in her journal. In her journal, she writes about what is on her mind that is either personal or things that apply to work. She then eats fresh fruit for breakfast and at the same time prepares her lunch and sometimes dinner for the day. When Dr. Drouin is done with eating her breakfast, she said she likes to go on long walks everyday and goes to Tai Chi or dance classes 2-3 times a week. As I was hearing her explain the start of her day, it made me realize that she actually has a lot of time to herself, which surprised me because as a doctor, when do you ever have time to yourself? Dr. Drouin then tells me about the start of her work day, which is around 12:00pm-1:00pm. She initially goes into work about half an hour to an hour early to review the patients she is seeing that day. Dr. Drouin has a pretty nice schedule because she did mention that she takes naps when she is at work. Depending on when she arrives to the office, her work days end at about 6pm-7:00pm. Because Dr. Drouin has been in the industry for so long, she works at the clinic 3 days a week and switches with being at the veterinary clinic.

            Originally, Dr. Drouin started Veterinary studies in 1973 obtaining her pre-vet credits. Her thesis was to apply acupuncture treatments to animals. At that time, that method of alternative medicine was not well-known, so she decided to study naturopathic medicine. I asked Dr. Drouin why she preferred being a ND instead of a MD, and she said “The reason why that I decided to become a licensed ND instead of a MD is because I had an interest of curing people through the power of nature. I feel that the MD only finds ways of manipulating biochemistry.” She also mentioned that when she was growing up, her mother would use household items to help her neighbors feel better. With the reasons why I want to pursue naturopathic medicine as a career is based on the same reasons why Dr. Drouin became a ND. I believe that most of the answers to curing one self is infront of our faces. I want to also help people overcome the challenges of what is wrong with them. 

            Just like all careers in the medical field, there are always successes and challenges that doctors have to face. For Dr. Drouin, she considered challenges as a positive impact to her job, which I would have never thought about it in that way. She believes that the challenges she faces makes her a better ND since it makes her think of each problem as a global thing, meaning there is more than just one answer to everything. Thinking in these perspectives give her patients different options to curing them as a healthy individual.

            Talking to Dr. Drouin has helped me open my eyes to how doctors do not all have the same daily routines. Depending on what field of medicine you study, they are have different ways of starting and ending their days. I always would have thought that all doctors were stressed out and never had time to themselves. Dr. Drouin has proved to me that in order to live the life that you want to live, you have to make time for yourself and you have to be passionate for the career you choose. 

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Autumn Drouin or just learn about naturopathic medicine, you can click on the link below: 

http://taranaturalmedicine.com/

Influential Blogging by Our Role Models

The idea of blogging is trying to find a way intrigue our readers by how and what we write. Blogging is a way of expressing on how you feel about a particular topic you have read or experienced. Just like anything you are writing about, you want to make sure that everything is in your own words and if you do use outside sources, make sure to credit them. When writing to your audience, you would also consider using vocabulary that they will understand. For me, if I read a blog about medicine and used vocabulary that I did not understand, it does not interest me because I believe in the idea of blogs is to be able to complicate your arguments from a rhetorical aspect rather than just using big words that people may not understand.

            People that blog have their own personal style of writing. Some bloggers like to make arguments and use legitimate sources to support their reasoning while others reflect on discoveries they have approached when reading other blogs.  Since I am new with blogging, I wanted to explore other blogs just to see how writing styles can vary based upon the subject of matter, how much knowledge they have about the subject, and if their ideas complicate their readers. Sometimes, with some blogs, they are too boring. If you are interested in getting in the path of the medical field, a lot of blogs that I have found seem to be bland. There was an article that I have found called “How A Protein Rich Diet Can Help Prevent Pre-Eclampsia in Pregnancy ”. This article was interesting to read, but I thought there could have been better ways to write it. Ideally, when someone looks up a certain medical condition, they usually want to know what the condition is, how is it caused, possibly have some statistics, and treatment. This is what the author of this article did but for me, I feel that it did not do its job as a blog. For someone who is not so use to some medical terms, it might be a useless blog.  I did not know what the medical condition was at first, but then I decided to look up the condition. Pre- Eclampsia is a medical condition 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman that have high blood pressure and excessive amount protein in their urine[i].  The idea of writing blogs is not making it informational.

           

            I have decided to explore more blogs and compare it to the first one I found. This blog I encountered was considered to be a “naturopathic blog” but when I read it, I did not see how it related to medicine or the idea of naturopath.  “First Person to Make Me Cry “ was a blog written by Krystal Plonski. This blog was a more personal blog but I did not find it to be a professional blog. She had a good moral to her “story” but it was too general with what has happened with her experience. As a person who is supposedly in the field of naturopathic medicine, I would have thought she would have talked about her experiences with using alternative medicines or that her story would have been about a bad experience with a patient who reacted to a medicine. Comparing this blog to the first blog that I have found, I felt that this blog was more personal but did not meet with what I think a blog should be.

            As I continued to search for more blogs, I finally found a blog that would help benefit me with how I should bring in my audience. All blogs should have a purpose of trying to interest your reader by what you write. How to Get Better Sleep and Treat Insomnia is a blog that explains ways of treating people who have trouble sleeping. This blog is not necessarily relatable with this author’s personal experience, but it is relatable to people whom not just only have problems with sleeping but also treating themselves without using prescribed medicine.  These author first talks about the benefits of sleep, then what are the causes of restlessness of sleep, and lastly ways of trying to get better night of rest. This blog is not too simple with words or complicated, which makes it easier to understand. I like how this blog has bullet points of the explanations and causes of not getting the sleep you need.  This blog was very relatable to me because I have a problem with sleeping and trying to make sure I have plenty of rest, and like this article mentions, a lot of it has to do with stress.

           

            There were many more blogs that I have encountered, but I chose these three articles in particular because I thought that these bloggers had different styles of blogging. From the bland and simple blogging to a sophisticated but relatable writing, we all have different tastes of how blogs draw us to be interested in their taste of interest.

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[i] Definition of Pre-Clampsia by Mayo Clinic  

Get a Career from Blogging!

It is fascinating how technologically dependent our world has become. Technology plays a role to getting a career because many businesses use the Internet to interact and research with other companies. Blogging is a great way to connect with other who has similar interests and ideas. People who have similar interests and ideas build a community where they have a safe place of sharing their opinions and being able to analyze and complicate a blogger’s writing in a professional way. Blogging is an essential way of letting people express and rewording the text in a rhetorical perspective. People that are not familiar with blogging may mistake it as an online journal. This YouTube video illustrates the ideas of why blogs are not considered as journals. 

            People that are not familiar with the rules of blogging may mistake blogging as just ways of reiterating something a blogger just read. One idea to take away from blogging is to compare ideas the blogger has taken away from what they have written about and then comment on their blog by complicating what the blogger had wrote. Thoughts of blogging supports the idea of how blogs have misconceptions about how people do not use blogs in a professional manner, meaning that the usual people replying back to their blog posts are initially just people friends with the blogger. Ideally, the main ideas this author of this blog points out is the idea of what standards should be met when writing a blog.

Blogging is a way opening doors to new opportunities based on the field a person is studying. For me, blogging would be a great way of connecting with bloggers who have similar interests with medicine and what people outside of the medicine community think about certain ideas. A lot of times, we hear the word community when it comes to blogs. The great thing about blogging is that we can create or join a community based upon personal interest. Bloggers are able to share and relate their ideas to each other.  With me, this would be a great way of exploring the world of medicine because many doctors and researchers blog about finding new methods to improve people’s lives. it is fascinating to know that we are in touch with bloggers around the world. We, as bloggers, are able to create a guide to in order to have a successful blogging career. It is not just great for people in the medical field (although I think it is very beneficial), but it great for people who want to go into the field of business, marketing, fashion, or even art. 

As a first time blogger, blogging was a difficult thing to grasp. It is hard to tell where bloggers get their sources. Since the Internet is so easily accessible, people who are new at blogging are prone to plagiarize their work. Believe it or not, plagiarism is a big deal in the cyber world. It is not the idea of just copying and pasting other people’s work, but it is the fact of having to give credit to the person who originally wrote it. It seems to be a bigger issue in international places, such as Turkey and Russia.

        The idea of blogging is very essential to the cyber world. Since our world is always changing, technology is used to help us think about how we think more deeply on certain topics. From when I was a little kid, I am sure research has changed. Blogging has helped evolved peoples thoughts into conversational engagements. Consistency is the key in order to be better bloggers and better at expanding on how we write and what we write about.

*all hyperlinked words are links to the sources I have used to write this blog.