Vaccination and Public Health

Should parents take a more active role in designing their children's immunization schedule?

I believe that it is a good thing for parents to question what is being given to their children and to play an active role in their healthcare.  I think that a child's doctor should discuss the options with the parents and that they should be able to come up with a plan that is best suited for the child.  

Would you support vaccination plans compulsory?

I have mixed feelings about this.  At first I wanted to say that parents should have the right to choose whether or not a child should be immunized, but after our discussions in class I don't really know what to think.  It is kind of scary to think that by not vaccinating our children, we could bring back diseases that have taken years to get under control.  

Which Way Forward?

"Montana and Idaho plan open-season wolf hunt" Can we balance the issues involved?

I have a very hard time weighing in on this situation.  There is a huge part of me that is appalled by the fact that they are going to allow people to hunt these wolves.  There is also another part of me that feels that I don't know the whole story.  I find the part about inbreeding very interesting and it seems like a very very good argument against hunting the wolves.  I really liked the comment that was made in class that hunting can be allowed only if no guns are used!  

"We plan to bring out tailor-made cells for disease" What do you make of "Stem Cell Therapy"?

I think that stem cell therapy is going to become a very important part of medicine in the coming years.  In a way, it almost seems like the holy grail of medicine.  Find a cell that can become any other type of cell and use it to cure everything from paralysis to Parkinson's.  I do worry about the fact that if these diseases are cured, people will live longer and the population will go up, but if I had one of these diseases, I think I would want the cure!

Do you agree that "Laughter really is the best medicine"?

YES!  It is known in Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine that stress causes diseases.  Obviously if you are laughing more, you're not as stressed.  For some reason it makes me think about how sometimes when a doctor gives a prognosis of 2 years, the patient only lives 2 years.  It makes me wonder if a doctor tells his patient the facts, but only looks at it from a positive perspective ("We can fight this", "Don't worry this isn't the end of the world") if patients would live longer.

Restoring the American Bison to its Rightful Range

How would you prioritize the reintroduction of the American Bison?

I'm a little confused about the Bison.  We hunted them so that they were endangered, then protected them until their numbers were restored and then felt that there were too many and must be "managed".  I'm a little worried that we have taken it upon ourselves to determine how many is too many when it comes to wildlife, when some humans can't even figure out when to stop having children.    I do think that it is important to protect these animals.  I also find their cultural importance very interesting.

"Child cancer risk higher in richer rural families"

This article kind of freaks me out.  I think that families who are "better-off" tend to protect their children TOO MUCH.  I can also understand how children who live in more rural areas would have less exposure to viruses and other illnesses.  Off of the subject of cancer, I always found it very interesting to see how exposure to something can prevent you from getting sick later on.  For instance, my family has a house in Mexico and our friends would always visit.  There was always a time when everyone would get sick from eating from a street vendor except for the one person who grew up in that area.  

I think that it is important to allow your children to be exposed to things...maybe not street vendor food.

Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

What do you think about the "eight-point Deep Ecology Platform"?

I think it's great!  I just wish that people actually thought this way.  Even if everyone picked one point, we could work to make share this world with the other creatures that inhabit it.  I especially like #3 "Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs." We all have this idea that everything is there for us to use and do what we want with.  That is so not the case!

Can you explain why "Ecosystems are both strong and fragile"?

I guess what this means is that when every part of the ecosystem is working it is very strong, but when one part of it falters, the rest of the ecosystem suffers.  Each part of the ecosystem strongly relies on every other part.  I like the article's comparison of an ecosystem and a spider web.  It really helped me visualize things.

HIV and AIDS

How do you feel about Western approaches to HIV and AIDS?

I believe that the western approach has come a LONG way.  Getting a diagnosis of HIV is no longer the death sentence that it once was.  Although there is still no cure for it, it has become something that people can live with (if they can afford the medicine, which brings us to a topic for another day and time).  

Can TCM strengthen your immune system?

I believe that TCM is very good at preventing illnesses.  Since Chinese medicine looks at any disease or illness as a disruption of the flow of Qi or an imbalance, by using TCM to balance your system, you are preventing illness so you are strengthening your immune system.  

What do you think of the deal that saved the whale?

I think that it is great that there are people out there who would work so hard to save wildlife.  I kind of have the feeling that I will believe it when I see it.  I think that money plays such a huge role in all of this that it is hard for many to put wildlife before human desires.  I went to college at Loyola Marymount University, which is on a bluff overlooking the Ballona wetlands.  Eight years later, the wetlands directly under LMU have become a huge development.  The money was good and the wildlife paid the price.

Cell Biology and Cancer

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?

I believe that our understanding of cancer has come a long way in the last decade, but I feel that the term "cancer" is used a bit loosely.  There are so many different forms of cancer where one doesn't seem anything like the next, yet we still label it cancer and usually use the same treatments (surgery, chemo, radiation).  I have such a hard time figuring out what is good for me and what is not.  One week, someone says Substance A is good for preventing cancer and then the next week Substance A causes cancer.

How does the TCM approach to cancer differ?

Like I said in the last question, western medicine has the same treatments for all types of cancer no matter what the cause.  These treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.  TCM looks at cancer as more of an imbalance or blockage.  Every aspect of the body and mind is then treated to fix these imbalances.

Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection?

I believe that they are, but modern technology has allowed us to circumvent it in some ways.  Years ago, someone with a certain gene may have developed a disease that would have been fatal.  These days, we are able to prevent or treat the disease using modern science which may allow that gene to be passed on to future generations.

The Nature of Life

How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?

I guess that I have always thought of living things as organisms that take from their environment and give back.  I guess I was never really forced to give a distinction before.

What do you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?

I feel that the significance is simply that we are not as smart as we thought we were (or that Chimps are smarter then we thought they were).  

Chinese Medicine gaining respect in the West?

I think that it is great that people are more accepting of this medicine.  I think that a majority of people still use Chinese Medicine as a last resort and I'm looking forward to the day that people think of Chinese Medicine first.  I'm not saying that someone should go to an acupuncturist if they break their arm, I'm just saying that it should have the same respect and understanding as western modalities.  

Complexity of Life

Can Diversification Save a Species?

I would think that the answer to this is yes.  If there are a bunch of green and blue bugs and a bird comes around who only eats the green bugs, then the fact that there were blue bugs may have saved the species.  

Do you vote for the Chicken or the Egg?

I would think that the Chicken came first.  I would think that at some time chickens gave live birth and something happened to their environment that caused them to start laying eggs instead.  Makes sense in my mind...

I always eat my broccoli...

I hate to admit that I don't always eat my broccoli.  I think it is awesome if broccoli really does help prevent cancer, but I still think that everything should be eaten in moderation and part of a well balanced diet.  It is so hard to determine the factors that cause of EVERY kind of cancer and it would be impossible to eat EVERY food that supposedly prevents it.  

Pattern of Life

Is there a drug around for just about everything?

It sure seems like there is!  It's kind of scary to think about all of the stuff that there are drugs for.  There are drugs for losing weight, to quit smoking, to avoid pregnancy, to get pregnant, to get an erection, etc.  Then, there are the drugs that counteract the side effects of all these drugs.  I think the drugs that scare me the most are the drugs that are kind of unnecessary.  For example, I saw an ad for a drug that lengthens eye lashes.  One of the side effects of this drug was a change in eye color!  If it has the ability to change your eye color...what else is it doing to your body?

Can we raise our levels of dopamine ourselves?

Since Dopamine is naturally occurring in our body, I do believe that we can raise our levels ourselves, especially if a placebo has the ability to raise levels.  I think it is unfortunate that people look at placebos so negatively.  Since starting my training in acupuncture, one of the most common question or statements I've received is "How do you know it's not just a placebo?" or even worse "I think the only reason it works is because it's a placebo."  My answer is always the same, if it works without any side effects, does it really matter whether or not it's a placebo?  If it were just a placebo(I believe there is much more to it then that), would that reduce it's effect?  

I went on a tangent with that question...

How do you think chimps and humans diverged as a species?

I honestly don't know how to answer this question.  I totally believe in evolution, but it's still hard to imagine humans being close enough to chimps to get it on.  I guess at some point one of them decided that the other wasn't intelligent or attractive enough.

Humans vs. Chimps:

I find the fact that we are 99.4% genetically identical to chimps to be fascinating.  I think that as humans we like to believe that we are the smartest most advanced beings on the planet.  To find out that we are so similar to chimps is humorous.  

Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, and Viruses:

The prokaryotes, eukaryotes and virus tutorial was very interesting.  I got two questions incorrect:

-Which statement best describes the golgi apparatus?

-The following organelle is found in prokaryotic cells but not eukaryotic cells of animal origin.

I haven't gone over this stuff since high school, so even with the tutorial I'm a little rusty.

Human Genetic Evolution:

I found something very interesting in the articles about Human Genetic evolution.  It said that humans are 70% genetically similar to yeast.  It really shows how much of a difference that remaining .6% makes.

I also liked the part about the Big Bang Theory.  I don't completely understand it, but I find it interesting to think about the fact that the conditions on Earth just happened perfect so that complex life could evolve.  

Evo-Devo

I have always found people's inherent desire to know where we came from fascinating.  I went to a Catholic grade school and high school and was never taught much about evolution.  I am agnostic and always thought it was funny to have adults teaching me that God decided to spend a week creating the earth and we are all descendants of the same two people, one of which was made from the rib of the other.  This all seemed pretty ridiculous to me.  

Darwinism:

The idea of Darwinism makes sense.  I'm not sure exactly what it means for me personally.  I guess if I had a certain gene that prevented me from getting cancer, and I passed it on to my children and so on, it would be Darwinism at work.  

I find it a little strange that we use this idea to our advantage sometimes.  Dog breeders will only breed 2 dogs that have certain desirable characteristics, or scientists will combine plants with certain immunities to bugs or fungus.  I guess my question is just like previous questions I've asked in this blog.  If we are going to play God, how far should we be allowed to take it?

Evolution

While clicking through the links of evolution I found the area about evolution and medicine in the UC Berkeley website.  I find this extremely interesting because in a way we can actually see the effects of evolution first hand.  

People are so quick to go to the doctor every time they get a sniffle and sometimes insist that they get antibiotics regardless of whether they have a bacterial infection, a virus or just allergies.  Very few of them realize that this could actually hurt them in the end by creating antibiotic resistant bacteria.  According to pbs.org, "Experts now estimate that as many as two dozen types of bacteria have evolved resistance to most, if not all, antibiotics available today."  To me, that is a scary thought!

Blue Brain

I honestly have mixed feelings regarding this project.  One part of me thinks that it is amazing.  It gives us an idea of how complex and powerful our brains are and the resources that it would give scientists and doctors are incredible.  The discussion we had in class about how this could be used to simulate a drug's affect on the body was very interesting and almost had me convinced that this is an invaluable tool.  

The other side of me can't get science fiction movies out of my head.  Whenever a machine was made to simulate a human brain, it always ended badly. 

I guess my main question would be how far do we take this?  Would scientists stop at creating a model of a brain or would they eventually want to put that brain into a model of a body?  Would they eventually give this brain memories and emotions?  At what point do we decide that enough is enough?

About me

As you all know, my name is Tina.  I grew up in Phoenix and moved to LA for college.  I graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Studio Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design.  I worked in visual effects until the 20 hour work days pushed me over the edge and I made a career change.  There has not been a single moment where I regretted that decision.

When I'm not going to school or studying I enjoy watching movies, tv, reading or exploring the area.  My roommate and I are currently trying to learn how to cook Chinese and Indian food...I'll let you know how that turns out.