Prompt #8: Practicing Your Knowledge

I was assigned to find a hands-on experience that relates to my blog topic. The closest thing I could find to a hands-on experience were some anatomy and physiology games online. Even though you’re not actually touching these games, they are helpful when it comes to learning about physiology.

On the website I found, there were many different game options that related to anatomy and physiology. There were matching games, flash cards, interactive review games, and arcade games. These multiple versions of the material are really helpful for studying and learning about physiology because you get the opportunity to view the information in many ways. I think these ways are more effective than just reading over the material or looking at it, I would say most people probably don’t learn as well this way. Below is a screenshot I took of one of the interactive matching games:

Personally, I learned more through these games than I did when just reading the information or just listening to a lecture from one of my professors. Interacting with the information was really helpful for me. Hopefully, if you are interested in learning more about physiology, you take a look and try some of these games!

The website is: http://www.millerplace.k12.ny.us/webpages/lmiller/reviewgames.cfm

Scott, Christina. "Anatomy & Physiology Review Games." Anatomy & Physiology Review Games. Christina Scott, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

Open Post #8: Can Sleep Decrease Re-balancing of Brain Activity?

It was first thought that sleeping helps better encode memories and information experienced and learned throughout the day. During sleep, there was an opportunity for brain networks to re-balance themselves. However, newer studies have indicated that this may be incorrect.

I read an article titled “Sleep suppresses homeostatic re-balancing of brain activity” and it explains that instead of sleep increasing the re-balancing of brain networks, it decreases it. It is now said that homeostatic brain activity re-balancing happens when people are awake rather than asleep.

Photo credit: freezedryguy.com

These findings suggest that things like memory consolidation and homeostatic re-balancing have to be temporally separated from each other so they don’t interfere with each other and cause problems. There is more information in the article below, I just wanted to provide a brief summary of the discovery.

This article taught me that some scientific findings can seem true, but everything can be proved wrong. There will always be advances in technology that can lead to advances and changes in scientific discoveries. Things today are always changing and developing and we can’t always believe what was once “right”. New discoveries, especially in science, can prove old theories wrong and things like this can change the world and how we perceive it. This article was a good source of information, I have used this source before. Check out the article below!

"Sleep Suppresses Homeostatic Rebalancing of Brain Activity." News-Medical.net. News Medical, 22 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

Open Post #7: Careers in Physiology

I read an article about typical careers that someone can have with a physiology degree and it was very helpful. Contrary to popular belief, along with the many careers you can choose involving the medical field, there are also many careers you can choose that aren’t in the medical field. A career in the medical field is the most common, but there are other jobs in science and pharmaceuticals and teaching and education that someone can get with a physiology degree. It is not required of someone with a physiology degree to go medical school or some type of graduate school. Here are some of the options for careers requiring a physiology degree:

Photo credit: phsl.otago.ac.nz

Careers directly related to a physiology degree:

• Biomedical scientist
• Clinical research associate
• Exercise physiologist
• Healthcare scientist, audiology
• Healthcare scientist, physiology
• Pharmacologist
• Research scientist

Careers where a physiology degree would be useful:

• Medical sales representative
• Physiotherapist
• Science writer
• Secondary school teacher
• Therapeutic radiographer

Some typical employers of people with a physiology degree are:

• Research centers
• Academic institutions
• Pharmeseutical and biotechnology companies
• The National Health Service
• Private sector hospitals, healthcare centers and healthcare organizations

Non-science employers include:

• Management consultancies
• Law and accountancy firms
• Banks and financial institutions
• Retail companies

At first, I assumed that most all of careers someone could get with a physiology degree would be in the medical field. After reading this article, I realized that there are any more options. This makes me happy because now I know I have many options and ways to do what I love to do. This article was really helpful with finding jobs requiring a physiology degree, it may be helpful in finding jobs for other degrees, too! Hopefully you check it out!

AGCAS Editors. "What Can I Do with a Physiology Degree? | Prospects.ac.uk." What Can I Do with a Physiology Degree? | Prospects.ac.uk. AGCAS, Sept. 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.

Prompt #7: Contemplating Controversy

I have found an article that talks about one of the most popular medical controversies in 2014: does a gluten-free diet really benefit people? This article argues whether or not going on a gluten-free diet actually helps people.

Photo credit: geneticliteracyproject.org

One side says that a gluten-free diet benefits anyone who does it. Getting rid of all of that sugar from ones diet can always be beneficial. Some people feel better when they eliminate gluten from their diet and it give them more motivation to be healthier and exercise.  

The other side argues how becoming gluten-free only benefits 1% of our population. This is because being gluten-free does not matter unless you are that 1% that is diagnosed with celiac disease. People with celiac disease have small intestines that cannot digest gluten correctly and it affects their digestive system. They say that going gluten free does not provide any health benefits unless you have celiac disease or you are just allergic to gluten. Cutting a whole nutrient out of your diet is not helpful when you are trying to lose weight. They also say that gluten is not harmful and it doesn’t affect your weight at all. Weight loss starts with a healthy diet, not just cutting out gluten.

These arguments are both very convincing, but only one is actually true. The articles I found on this topic both did a good job of arguing from different points.

"Medical Controversies Sparking Debate in 2014." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

"Myth Buster - Does a Gluten-Free Diet Aid In Weight-Loss? - JillianMichaels.com." JillianMichaels.com. Jillian Michaels, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

Prompt #6: Evaluating Sources

I have found scholarly article from the journal “Physiology” from the American Physiological Society. It is titled “Why Physiology Matters and Medicine”. In this article, Michael J. Joyner, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic, argues about how teaching human physiology to medical students is still very important.

As time goes on, physiology courses are being changed to make them medical related rather than keeping the basics of physiology and human anatomy within these courses. He says that students learning about physiology is critical and it cannot be forgotten about. It has been said that medical educators don’t believe that knowing this information is as useful as it used to be and it will not help with new discoveries.

Photo credit: designhealth.com

I agree with Dr. Joyner, taking physiology courses is so important when it comes to the medical field. I don’t understand how anyone could go into the medical field without knowing this information. It is vital to know the human body and its functions, how else would one be able to learn and explain new discoveries? Dr. Joyner has made a valid argument and I hope in the future that he, or others, do something about this. I think physiology is so important to know, especially when someone is trying to become a doctor.

Every medical school student needs to be taught physiology correctly so they can become reliable doctors and caregivers for our society.

""Why Physiology Matters in Medicine"" American Physiological Society. American Physiological Society, 16 May 2011. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

Open Post #6: The Organ Systems of the Body

In this post, I will be talking about the organ systems of the human body. I read an article about this and I figured since my blog is about physiology, I should share some of the information!

There are 11 organ systems in the body and there are all very important. Even if you’re not a physiology major or someone interested in the medical/health field, you should know about the organ systems!

Photo credit:anatomyandphysiologyi.com

So, here they are:

• The Integumentary system: forms the external body covering and protects deeper tissues from injury. Examples: skin, hair, and nails

• The Muscular system: maintains posture and produces movement (locomotion). This system also produces heat. Examples: skeletal muscles

• The Skeletal system: supports and protects the body’s organs. It also provides a framework for muscles. Examples: bones, joints

• The Endocrine system: glands secrete hormones that regulate many processes like growth, metabolism, and reproduction. Examples: pineal gland, thymus, pancreas

• The Nervous system: the control system of the body that responds to internal and external changes and activates muscles and glands. Examples: brain, spinal cord, nerves

• The Cardiovascular system: the heart pumps blood and blood vessels transport it. Blood carries oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, waste and more through the body. Examples: heart, blood vessels

• The Lymphatic system: houses white blood cells involved in immunity. It also returns leaked fluid from the blood vessels to the bloodstream and disposes debris. Examples: spleen

• The Respiratory system: removes carbon dioxide and continuously supplies blood with oxygen. Gaseous exchanges also occur in the lungs. Examples: nasal cavity, trachea, lungs

• The Digestive system: breaks down food to be absorbed and eliminates waste. Examples: oral cavity, live, stomach, rectum, anus

• The Urinary system: eliminates nitrogenous wasted from the body and regulates acid-base, electrolyte, and water balance of blood. Examples: kidney, bladder, urethra

• The Reproductive system: produces offspring. Sex hormones and sperm are produced by the male testes and ovaries produce female sex hormones and eggs.

From this article, I learned more about the different organ systems of the body and their functions. This is useful information for everyone to know and I think it is really important. Hopefully you learned more while reading this and check out the article below for more details!

"Human Body Organ Systems: An Orientation." Anatomy & Physiology. Anatomy and Physiology, 17 May 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.