Blog: The Miracles of Medicine
by 83 
by 83 What do you love?
There are mainly five things that my world revolves around: family, friends, Netflix, chocolate, and the field of medicine. My aspiring dream is to someday become a cardiothoracic surgeon—one who specializes in surgery on organs in the chest. I am extremely passionate about medicine. Since I am a Netflix addict, I watch a lot of TV shows and including a number medical shows like House, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scrubs.
I love learning about new medical and surgical advances, and I love the world of medicine with my “full-sized aortic pump” (Friends reference). Do you ever wonder about new medical discoveries? Well if you don’t, as Gregory House says, “Sometimes the best gift is the gift of never seeing you again.”
[divider] [/divider]POST #3: HEART DISEASE
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. About 610,000 people die of heart disease every year–that’s one in every four deaths. Heart disease is extremely common, so let’s learn the facts to prevent it.
Risk Factors: High blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors. Certain medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including: diabetes, being overweight or obese, a poor diet, lack of physical activity, and excessive alcohol use.
How to Protect Your Heart: By lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol level, you will reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Secondly, exercise and keep your body active. Even if you are the busiest person on earth, make time to protect your health. Doctors recommend at least an hour of physical activity per day. It can even be something small, such as taking a walk or riding your bike to school. Just remember to keep your body moving. More information can be found on the CDC webpage.
In my next post, we’ll be talking about “cabbage”, or CABG as known in the medical world. It stands for coronary artery bypass graft. Tune in next time to find out what it is!
[divider] [/divider]POST #2: FLU SEASON
Since the flu is going around, I found an article on the best foods to eat to help you get better. If you’re not sick, the best way to not get sick is to wash your hands (before and after you eat, and even after you touch your face). Click here to see the full article at Women’s Health Magazine’s website.
The article basically tells you to eat soup, tea, citrus fruits, popsicles, and spicy foods. You should eat broth-based soup, like chicken noodle soup because it can actually help soothe a cold. According to Cindy Shih from Women’s Health, “chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, which helps thin mucus in the lungs, and the hot broth helps to keep nasal passages moist, prevent dehydration, and fight inflammation in the throat. Plus, the other ingredients may help the body kick a cold by stopping congestion and inflammation in their tracks.”
[one_third]…tea is high in infection-fighting antioxidants, which will help support your immune system.[/one_third]
You should drink hot tea because warm liquids can soothe a sore throat and help stop congestion, which will help with your stuffy nose. Also, tea is high in infection-fighting antioxidants, which will help support your immune system. If you don’t like tea, hot water with lemon is a great substitute. Just remember to stay hydrated. Even though it’s not scientifically proven that vitamin C can cure the common cold, vitamin C does boost your immune system and it also speeds up recovery, so if you’re not sick, remember to take vitamin C supplements each day, or eat an orange.
Eating fruit popsicles are a great way to stay hydrated and is especially easy on the throat. According to the article, you should eat spicy foods like “chili peppers, wasabi, or horseradish to help relieve the symptoms of congestion.”
Here are some foods that can help an upset stomach: crackers and toast, bananas, and ginger. Try eating bland foods to speed up your recovery. “High-starch foods won’t aggravate any nausea you may have and can help stabilize digestion (which is especially helpful after vomiting),” the article advises. Bananas are very high in potassium, which is “often depleted during bouts of sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea.” They also can help replenish lost electrolytes. Research has shown that ginger has been “incredibly effective at preventing and soothing nausea and other gastric ailments such as constipation, bloating, and vomiting.” You should drink ginger tea or flat ginger ale to smooth your stomach. Hope you feel better! Come back again for more health tips.
[divider] [/divider]POST #1
I’m glad it’s just us now, the true believers of medicine. Let’s just get down to this piece of juicy news:
On January 22, The BMJ-British Medical Journal published an article about how doctors carried out the first organ transplant from a UK newborn. The newborn baby was born at term after an emergency C-section, and she while was a normal seven pounds, she was very ill. Doctors soon realized that her brain had been deprived of oxygen during the pregnancy. Doctors tried to treat her, but it made no difference; she was still unable to move or even respond to stimuli. Six days later, she passed away and her parents “gave their consent for their daughter’s kidneys and liver cells to be used for the benefit of other sick patients.” Her kidneys were transplanted into another patient with renal failure, and her liver cells were transfused into a different patient.
Even though it’s tragic that her life had to come to end, I can still appreciate the beauty and legacy that she left behind through the donation of her kidneys and liver cells. In fact, there is no bigger sacrifice in my opinion.
