This is what you call a waste of money research:
No need to diet AND exercise to lose weight
It's like studying whether using a sledge-hammer or dynamite will both tear down a wall. Well no duh they both work. I don't even want to actually look up the article to read - the summary already pissed me off enough that they're wasting research dollars on a study like this.
5 min later......after reading through the study design and methods......
If these scientists actually did a decent review of literature of the research coming out from the exercise physiologists they would have realized their study is akin to reporting they've just proved that the earth is not the centre of the solar system.
Click here if you want to torture yourself with the article.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
On a more serious note...
Normally on this blog, I keep things fluffy and reflective on day to day events….but this is a topic that makes me really mad. It makes me angry on a number of different levels all the way from government, corporations, the burden of health care costs, doctor shortage, physician ignorance, individual ignorance, and general laziness. Today we started covering the drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, and I could feel the old rage returning.
It’s estimated that type 2 diabetes aka non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) affects over 20% of all North Americans over the age of 65. This is the diabetes that used to be associated more with adults, but now it’s becoming increasingly common in children. NIDDM is now considered one of the fastest growing epidemics in North America. So that 20% number is growing, and we continue with our societal trends, that number will be closer to 1 in 4, or 1 in 3 by the time we reach 65.
How can you get NIDDM? Well, there are a lot of associations, but the main ones are linked with obesity along with an increasing resistance to insulin and a decreased ability of our cells to make it. And, as always there is some genetic predisposition – but in my opinion, that’s a cop-out (if we never took responsibility for our habits, and blamed everything on genetics then I’d be an obese, depressed, alcoholic with skin cancer).
Anyways, the point of all this is that type II diabetes is avoidable. The first measure of treatment for the disease is weight reduction and dietary control along with an oral therapy (not insulin). But consider this, if you're a 65 year old person, who’s used to a certain lifestyle and health habits, change at that point is almost futile. Most people fail within 5 years, and then have to face the constant blood picks to monitor glucose levels, and self injections. It really does take at least half of our life to form certain habits, so why not make good habits now so we don’t have to worry about them later.
We all know how its possible to become obese, but how do you create insulin resistance? Well, starting from basics, our body releases insulin in order to take glucose into our cells. A major source of glucose in our diet is from carbohydrates. But….I’m not saying that all carbohydrates should be restricted, I’m referring to those fast absorbing, simple digestible carbs. If your diet now has a lot of items such as white bread, bagels, white rice, muffins, cookies, pop, fruit drinks, anything with really colourful packaging, this is the stuff that really squeezes the insulin out of your cells. I could go into things like ‘glycemic index’ and ‘nutrient timing’, but the main message is just like a person can get burned out, the same thing can happen with the insulin cells (and then you’re in trouble).
Make changes now, start replacing your white bread with whole wheat, or multigrain, trade that muffin for a bowl of oatmeal (not the sugary individual packaged stuff). Making little changes now, means we don’t have to make big changes in the future. Other ways to really make our insulin cells happy is by having balanced diet. The goal is to make our blood insulin levels nice and steady instead of a spiking and dipping mess. So next time you sit down to eat (meals and snacks), look at your plate. Do you have a good source of protein to go with that multigrain bread? Are you getting good sources of fat in your diet – olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish oils (there’s a lot of great articles out on the benefits of fish oils), are there vegetables on your plate at every meal?.
Basically what I’m saying, is now’s the time to take a good look at your health habits, because the older we get the harder it will be. Even if you may appear “healthy” on the outside, doesn’t mean that you’re not slowly destroying your insides. One of my motto's is to do what you can, when you can, because you can. Be aware, be responsible for your health – just because there’s medicine or treatment for it, doesn’t mean it will make our lives better.
It’s estimated that type 2 diabetes aka non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) affects over 20% of all North Americans over the age of 65. This is the diabetes that used to be associated more with adults, but now it’s becoming increasingly common in children. NIDDM is now considered one of the fastest growing epidemics in North America. So that 20% number is growing, and we continue with our societal trends, that number will be closer to 1 in 4, or 1 in 3 by the time we reach 65.
How can you get NIDDM? Well, there are a lot of associations, but the main ones are linked with obesity along with an increasing resistance to insulin and a decreased ability of our cells to make it. And, as always there is some genetic predisposition – but in my opinion, that’s a cop-out (if we never took responsibility for our habits, and blamed everything on genetics then I’d be an obese, depressed, alcoholic with skin cancer).
Anyways, the point of all this is that type II diabetes is avoidable. The first measure of treatment for the disease is weight reduction and dietary control along with an oral therapy (not insulin). But consider this, if you're a 65 year old person, who’s used to a certain lifestyle and health habits, change at that point is almost futile. Most people fail within 5 years, and then have to face the constant blood picks to monitor glucose levels, and self injections. It really does take at least half of our life to form certain habits, so why not make good habits now so we don’t have to worry about them later.
We all know how its possible to become obese, but how do you create insulin resistance? Well, starting from basics, our body releases insulin in order to take glucose into our cells. A major source of glucose in our diet is from carbohydrates. But….I’m not saying that all carbohydrates should be restricted, I’m referring to those fast absorbing, simple digestible carbs. If your diet now has a lot of items such as white bread, bagels, white rice, muffins, cookies, pop, fruit drinks, anything with really colourful packaging, this is the stuff that really squeezes the insulin out of your cells. I could go into things like ‘glycemic index’ and ‘nutrient timing’, but the main message is just like a person can get burned out, the same thing can happen with the insulin cells (and then you’re in trouble).
Make changes now, start replacing your white bread with whole wheat, or multigrain, trade that muffin for a bowl of oatmeal (not the sugary individual packaged stuff). Making little changes now, means we don’t have to make big changes in the future. Other ways to really make our insulin cells happy is by having balanced diet. The goal is to make our blood insulin levels nice and steady instead of a spiking and dipping mess. So next time you sit down to eat (meals and snacks), look at your plate. Do you have a good source of protein to go with that multigrain bread? Are you getting good sources of fat in your diet – olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish oils (there’s a lot of great articles out on the benefits of fish oils), are there vegetables on your plate at every meal?.
Basically what I’m saying, is now’s the time to take a good look at your health habits, because the older we get the harder it will be. Even if you may appear “healthy” on the outside, doesn’t mean that you’re not slowly destroying your insides. One of my motto's is to do what you can, when you can, because you can. Be aware, be responsible for your health – just because there’s medicine or treatment for it, doesn’t mean it will make our lives better.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Please shoot me
You know things are going a little crazy when:
1. You start filling your waterbottle with coffee instead of water.
2. You start questioning what day of the week, and month of the year it is, because you just can’t remember anymore – and it doesn’t help when there are no seasonal cues.
3. Canned black beans complement any meal.
4. So does uncooked oatmeal with frozen brussel sprouts.
5. You wake up at 5am to start studying, and by 2pm its nap time, and when you wake up, you can’t believe that its only 2:30, and you have to study for 9 more hours.
6. You start cursing the annoying microscopic ants that are perpetually in the bathroom, even though you’ve taped all possible window entries.
7. You’re not freaked out by the fact that someone tried to break into the apartment and you don’t want to file a police report because it would take away from your study time.
8. You start giving yourself “would you rather?” if you had the choice questions – like “would you rather get a hook through your nasal septum, or study for this test?”
9. You don’t care that you probably smell.
10. You write stupid lists like this to procrastinate.
1. You start filling your waterbottle with coffee instead of water.
2. You start questioning what day of the week, and month of the year it is, because you just can’t remember anymore – and it doesn’t help when there are no seasonal cues.
3. Canned black beans complement any meal.
4. So does uncooked oatmeal with frozen brussel sprouts.
5. You wake up at 5am to start studying, and by 2pm its nap time, and when you wake up, you can’t believe that its only 2:30, and you have to study for 9 more hours.
6. You start cursing the annoying microscopic ants that are perpetually in the bathroom, even though you’ve taped all possible window entries.
7. You’re not freaked out by the fact that someone tried to break into the apartment and you don’t want to file a police report because it would take away from your study time.
8. You start giving yourself “would you rather?” if you had the choice questions – like “would you rather get a hook through your nasal septum, or study for this test?”
9. You don’t care that you probably smell.
10. You write stupid lists like this to procrastinate.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Dear Desk Chair,
You suck. You are the most uncomfortable, inconvenient chair for this right handed desk. It’s impossible to open any drawers without repositioning you because of your stupid arms. I can’t pull myself close enough to the desk because your malformed arms bump into the drawer. I hate you. If I had my way and there were trains in this country I would take you to the middle of a train track and laugh while I watched you being obliterated. More conveniently though, if I had a hack saw I would give you an arm-ectomy. And then I would resect 2 inches off all of your legs.
Worst of all, I’m actually thinking about this because you are undermining my concentration. Bastard.
Regards,
Dana
P.S. You are being replaced after this next exam.
Worst of all, I’m actually thinking about this because you are undermining my concentration. Bastard.
Regards,
Dana
P.S. You are being replaced after this next exam.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Colon Cleansing Quiche
The title of this recipe is appropriate for my recent review of GI system pathophysiology and my love of alliterations. Not only is it healthy for the brain, heart, and gut, it can be eaten by the celiac sufferers, as it is gluten free. If you are an irritable individual, prone to visceral hypersensitivity, make sure you do not eat this in an emotional or stressful state. For my constipated comrades (you know who you are) I hope this will bring you some next day relief. And for those mindful males who pride themselves on the quantity of matter they produce, I’m sure this recipe will not fall short.
*The original recipe is adapted from John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, with a few alterations on my part:
¾ cup ground flax meal
½ cup ground almond meal
1 egg white
Mix together, and press into oiled, round baking dish.
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped in small pieces
1 can mushrooms
1 chopped onion
Chopped turkey breast (as much/little as you’d like)
6 Tbsp. low fat plain yogurt
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. cinammon
Dash of salt, pinch of pepper
Mix together and pour on top of the crust, sprinkle ½ cup of mixed ground flaxmeal and ground almond meal on top (I also like to add cayenne or ground hot red pepper). Bake at 400 for ~30-35 min.
*The original recipe is adapted from John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, with a few alterations on my part:
¾ cup ground flax meal
½ cup ground almond meal
1 egg white
Mix together, and press into oiled, round baking dish.
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped in small pieces
1 can mushrooms
1 chopped onion
Chopped turkey breast (as much/little as you’d like)
6 Tbsp. low fat plain yogurt
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. cinammon
Dash of salt, pinch of pepper
Mix together and pour on top of the crust, sprinkle ½ cup of mixed ground flaxmeal and ground almond meal on top (I also like to add cayenne or ground hot red pepper). Bake at 400 for ~30-35 min.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Gyney Grinch
Up until yesterday, all of our hospital visits have been positive learning experiences, and we would always leave the hospital feeling exhilarated over what we had learned. Yesterday we were on an OB/GYN rotation, with a rather formidable woman, whom I’ve affectionately nicknamed “the Gyney Grinch” (my second choice was the Obstipated Obstetrician). We were instructed to take the history of a patient that was being observed for Gestational Diabetes. At this point in our studies, we still have yet to do any course work on pregnancy….which is sort of odd…..they keep skipping over it even during embryology, physiology, and pathology.
Anyways, it was a huge turn-off to have the doctor constantly rolling her eyes at us, keeping a look of disinterest and a hint of ‘your wasting my time’ sighs. I'm prepared to be taught through humiliation – that’s one way to learn, and I’m ready for it if need be, but what set her apart from any of the other doctor-teachers that we’ve had is she did not convey the slightest interest or joy for her job. Even the comments she made about the patient we had interviewed gave me the impression that it was a waste that they were running tests on the patient at this point during her pregnancy. Once we finished our session with her and left, a fellow student commented: “at least we didn’t cry like some people in other groups” (WTF?!). Just like the Grinch who stole Christmas, the Gyney Grinch stole our dose of hospital enthusiasm for the day. Biyotch!
Anyways, it was a huge turn-off to have the doctor constantly rolling her eyes at us, keeping a look of disinterest and a hint of ‘your wasting my time’ sighs. I'm prepared to be taught through humiliation – that’s one way to learn, and I’m ready for it if need be, but what set her apart from any of the other doctor-teachers that we’ve had is she did not convey the slightest interest or joy for her job. Even the comments she made about the patient we had interviewed gave me the impression that it was a waste that they were running tests on the patient at this point during her pregnancy. Once we finished our session with her and left, a fellow student commented: “at least we didn’t cry like some people in other groups” (WTF?!). Just like the Grinch who stole Christmas, the Gyney Grinch stole our dose of hospital enthusiasm for the day. Biyotch!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The British are coming!
Every other week we have clinical skills lectures given by English doctors or misters (that’s what they call their surgeons). To use an expression of my mother’s - “it’s a hoot” to listen to them talk. The Mister opened up his lecture with a rather unPC joke:
‘How can you tell if a Chinaman is jaundiced?’
We were all laughing at the fact that he actually said it (thankfully there weren’t any ‘Chinamen’ present in the lecture). Anyways, some other great words and phrases that made me swallow my giggles during lecture were:
- calling genitalia ‘bits’, as in ‘covering the bits’
- patients coming to you with their ‘woes’
- something about ‘having the vicker over for tea’
Along with funny English expressions, I absolutely love it when I see words spelled in the English way - like foetus, anaemia, or haemoglobin (I know it's kind've of weird and nerdy, but it gets me a little excited).
We also seem to be finding out the truth about ‘percussing’ during the physical examination, which was so vehemently stressed in
Monday, January 29, 2007
House:SVG
*SVG – St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Just like they have shows like CSI: New York, and CSI: Miami, they should make another version of House. Only it should be set in a third world country, where they don’t have even half of the tests that can be run, and patients that have to be shipped to another island in another month for an MRI (if they can pay). Then we’ll see how many cases House can solve. Or maybe they should just make a show called Medical MacGyver, that would be way more interesting - he could perform open heart surgery with duct tape and a pocketknife. Now that’s a show I would watch…..
We saw a patient today that possibly had Guillain Barre syndrome, but they didn’t have the tests that could be done to confirm it, and they didn’t have MRI to rule out multiple sclerosis. Compound the case with no recent respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses, or any other sickeness for that matter, and cerebral spinal fluid indications of bacterial infection with no meningeal signs…..it was totally like an episode of House….House:SVG “where your guess is as good as mine”.
Just like they have shows like CSI: New York, and CSI: Miami, they should make another version of House. Only it should be set in a third world country, where they don’t have even half of the tests that can be run, and patients that have to be shipped to another island in another month for an MRI (if they can pay). Then we’ll see how many cases House can solve. Or maybe they should just make a show called Medical MacGyver, that would be way more interesting - he could perform open heart surgery with duct tape and a pocketknife. Now that’s a show I would watch…..
We saw a patient today that possibly had Guillain Barre syndrome, but they didn’t have the tests that could be done to confirm it, and they didn’t have MRI to rule out multiple sclerosis. Compound the case with no recent respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses, or any other sickeness for that matter, and cerebral spinal fluid indications of bacterial infection with no meningeal signs…..it was totally like an episode of House….House:SVG “where your guess is as good as mine”.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Random happenings
Get ready for some disjointed, unflowing reading, because these are all random thoughts and experiences of my week.
This is what is left of what I found in my bed this morning when I woke up. It was huge, gross, and totally creeped me out. I’m gonna rate this newest ‘bed bug’ finding more disturbing than the beetle incident from last summer. On the bright side, at least I know what those bizarre looking bites on my legs are from.
Anyways, the days here fly by and we have a ridiculous amount of material to keep up with. I read an article this week about the punishment of a Muslim man for drug use - it was to memorize the Koran in 6 months. Then I thought they should have just sentenced him to our pharmacology course.
……………….okay, I just chased a little gecko out of my room………..
While in Grenada on campus, there were an abundance of stray cats. Here in Vinnies, I can’t say that I’ve even seen one, but there are stray dogs everywhere! Most of them seem pretty docile, but every now and then you’ll see one growling as you walk by. In Vinnies, we have to be a lot more careful with our surroundings. There has already been an attempted assault on a student while she was out running, and a thieving incident while the person was in her home. So even though my walk to school is a mere 5 minutes, and I can see the security booth for half of the walk I do feel hyperaware of my surroundings.
The other day while walking home from school, in my hyperaware state and ready to fight any potential attackers, I saw one of the growling dogs in the distance. Because I was in human attack mode, I started off ready to stare the dog down with the best impression of my father’s ‘I will kill you’ look and then boot the damn thing into the bushes if I needed to……but then I remembered, you’re not supposed to stare animals in the eye because it will threaten them. I’m glad I avoided that fight.
This is what is left of what I found in my bed this morning when I woke up. It was huge, gross, and totally creeped me out. I’m gonna rate this newest ‘bed bug’ finding more disturbing than the beetle incident from last summer. On the bright side, at least I know what those bizarre looking bites on my legs are from.Anyways, the days here fly by and we have a ridiculous amount of material to keep up with. I read an article this week about the punishment of a Muslim man for drug use - it was to memorize the Koran in 6 months. Then I thought they should have just sentenced him to our pharmacology course.
……………….okay, I just chased a little gecko out of my room………..
While in Grenada on campus, there were an abundance of stray cats. Here in Vinnies, I can’t say that I’ve even seen one, but there are stray dogs everywhere! Most of them seem pretty docile, but every now and then you’ll see one growling as you walk by. In Vinnies, we have to be a lot more careful with our surroundings. There has already been an attempted assault on a student while she was out running, and a thieving incident while the person was in her home. So even though my walk to school is a mere 5 minutes, and I can see the security booth for half of the walk I do feel hyperaware of my surroundings.
The other day while walking home from school, in my hyperaware state and ready to fight any potential attackers, I saw one of the growling dogs in the distance. Because I was in human attack mode, I started off ready to stare the dog down with the best impression of my father’s ‘I will kill you’ look and then boot the damn thing into the bushes if I needed to……but then I remembered, you’re not supposed to stare animals in the eye because it will threaten them. I’m glad I avoided that fight.
Monday, January 22, 2007
An exhausing week
I'll be honest, I have lots of things I could write about, but frankly I'm feeling tired, and I have no witty sarcasms to add to my post. My week was extremely busy and exhausing, and it ended with a challenging and awesome hike of the island's volcano : La Soufriere. I could describe the hike for you, but I'm truly feeling lazy so here are a couple of pics from the event.
Looking down into the crater
Resting after a 4000 ft climbMy writer's juices don't seem to be flowing like they were last semester - hopefully once things get really busy and I don't have time for anything I'll feel like writing more.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Back to my reality
I’m sitting here on my balcony writing this blog. The view from the balcony is absolutely breathtaking, and my bedroom has a door that leads right onto it, so while I’m studying I can glance out to coconut trees and the sea.
Every time I look out into the distance, this is what I see:
And then I think to myself – ‘this is the life’. Click here to view some apartment/balcony/walk pics, and pics from the Seven Sisters hike.
I arrived in Vinnies last Sunday evening without my luggage, and not surprised in the least. St. Vincent’s has a totally different feel from Grenada. It is such a beautiful island, and the people seem nicer here than in Grenada. There are definitely more amenities on the island, especially downtown where most of the shops and markets are located. Vinnies isn’t as touristy as Grenada is, which is nice because the downtown vendors are definitely not as pushy.
The driving here is a little daunting being on the left hand side, sometimes only in single lanes. Complex this with wind-ey, twisty roads, no traffic signs, and some unavoidable potholes, and it leads to an adventure every time you get in the car (this island would be a great location for some good cart racing). My apartment is wonderful, and is probably one of the nicest places I’ll have lived for a long time after I leave the island, so it’s too bad no one is coming to visit (ahem).
My housemates and I got up early Saturday morning to go to the fish market. The catch of the day (the only fish they had) was tuna, so I’m excited to try it tonight on our little charcoal grill. I’ve joined the local gym, which has just about everything except AC and clearly readable numbers on the outside of their dumbbells. The scanty gym on campus surprisingly has 2 Everlast bags hanging up, so I’m back in business for all of my training needs.
Well, that’s all for today – once we get internet to our apartment I’ll try to post more frequently. Plus, I’ve been busy watching the sailboats go by.
Every time I look out into the distance, this is what I see:
And then I think to myself – ‘this is the life’. Click here to view some apartment/balcony/walk pics, and pics from the Seven Sisters hike.
I arrived in Vinnies last Sunday evening without my luggage, and not surprised in the least. St. Vincent’s has a totally different feel from Grenada. It is such a beautiful island, and the people seem nicer here than in Grenada. There are definitely more amenities on the island, especially downtown where most of the shops and markets are located. Vinnies isn’t as touristy as Grenada is, which is nice because the downtown vendors are definitely not as pushy.
The driving here is a little daunting being on the left hand side, sometimes only in single lanes. Complex this with wind-ey, twisty roads, no traffic signs, and some unavoidable potholes, and it leads to an adventure every time you get in the car (this island would be a great location for some good cart racing). My apartment is wonderful, and is probably one of the nicest places I’ll have lived for a long time after I leave the island, so it’s too bad no one is coming to visit (ahem).
My housemates and I got up early Saturday morning to go to the fish market. The catch of the day (the only fish they had) was tuna, so I’m excited to try it tonight on our little charcoal grill. I’ve joined the local gym, which has just about everything except AC and clearly readable numbers on the outside of their dumbbells. The scanty gym on campus surprisingly has 2 Everlast bags hanging up, so I’m back in business for all of my training needs.
Well, that’s all for today – once we get internet to our apartment I’ll try to post more frequently. Plus, I’ve been busy watching the sailboats go by.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Goodbye Grenada
Canadian soil – there’s no place like home, and even though Toronto is a little ways from home, it still feels more comforting than landing in Detroit and having to cross the border. I was thinking about what I would miss about being in Grenada and here are my top choices:
1. Grand Anse Beach – the white sand and warm salty water cannot be beat after any midterm or final.
2. La Luna Beach – privacy, seclusion, and white sand with warm salty water.
3. True Blue point running route – seeing the sea on both sides of the trail.
4. Shower water pressure in the dorm – its so high pressure it hurts sometimes.
5. Lack of materialism – I love it, I wish it was always like this everywhere.
6. The stars - there are so many and they twinkle. The dippers, Orion, and Cassiopia were always easily found.
To be honest – this environment was ideal for studying. Other than going to the beach, there wasn’t much else to do on the island. There were no materialistic distractions, no easily accessible movie theatres, no televisions (although, by the end the internet was an addiction), and mostly everyone else was studying around you, so it was very motivating to do your best.
Here’s what I won’t miss:
1. Living in the fish bowl – God I hated the dorms – I enjoy my privacy and isolation, and being able to choose who I will see around and who I will not.
2. Getting hit on all the time whenever I left campus – they start young here….like at 10 years old.
3. Reggae music on the buses – not the good kind – the “reggae on crack” type.
That’s really all I could think of at this point – it’ not like I’m leaving the West Indies yet. I didn’t really feel any sadness or remorse leaving the island. It was sort of like a really long summer camp.
Anyways, now that I’m home I probably won’t be posting till I get to Vinnies. So to all my lurking readers: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year etc etc etc.
1. Grand Anse Beach – the white sand and warm salty water cannot be beat after any midterm or final.
2. La Luna Beach – privacy, seclusion, and white sand with warm salty water.
3. True Blue point running route – seeing the sea on both sides of the trail.
4. Shower water pressure in the dorm – its so high pressure it hurts sometimes.
5. Lack of materialism – I love it, I wish it was always like this everywhere.
6. The stars - there are so many and they twinkle. The dippers, Orion, and Cassiopia were always easily found.
To be honest – this environment was ideal for studying. Other than going to the beach, there wasn’t much else to do on the island. There were no materialistic distractions, no easily accessible movie theatres, no televisions (although, by the end the internet was an addiction), and mostly everyone else was studying around you, so it was very motivating to do your best.
Here’s what I won’t miss:
1. Living in the fish bowl – God I hated the dorms – I enjoy my privacy and isolation, and being able to choose who I will see around and who I will not.
2. Getting hit on all the time whenever I left campus – they start young here….like at 10 years old.
3. Reggae music on the buses – not the good kind – the “reggae on crack” type.
That’s really all I could think of at this point – it’ not like I’m leaving the West Indies yet. I didn’t really feel any sadness or remorse leaving the island. It was sort of like a really long summer camp.
Anyways, now that I’m home I probably won’t be posting till I get to Vinnies. So to all my lurking readers: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year etc etc etc.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Seven Sisters
Yesterday Aziza, me, and another couple went up to the Seven Sisters in Grand Etang to do the waterfalls hike. If you decide to see all seven falls, the hike it takes about 3 hours or so, and it entails jumping 5/7 waterfalls, with the second last waterfall being about ~40 ft (12m) jump. The day was sunny and hot, and it seemed like the perfect weather for some good hiking. And it was good – in fact it was phenomenal…….except for the mud – which put a nice slick, slippery coat over everything. For the first half of the hike, it took about 25 minutes to actually get to the first waterfall. After seeing the first two, the rest of the hike was crazy (and barefooted) and it started with climbing up the steep trail while holding on to tree roots/vines and watching out for razor grass which would give some nice cat-like scratches if you brushed against it. The mud made it fun, but challenging – and once we reached the water, there was no other way to get back but down the waterfalls. The water was so crisp and refreshing, and it was such a change from the warm buoyant salt water I’ve gotten so used to down here. We swam through freshwater, climbed along the sides of boulders, and jumped the smaller falls before we got to the big one.
Everyone did great, and we all made it with only some minor cuts and bruises (there were a lot of opportune moments for a slight slip of the foot, and oops, there goes middle meningeal). The big jump was awesome…..for the most part. I didn’t have any qualms about jumping it, but I didn’t enter the water with the best possible form, because holy cow I have huge hematomas on the back of my upper thighs (the initial sting gave me some good childhood flashbacks).
Our tour guide was awesome and he even said that I climbed like a Grenadian (I hoped I didn’t look too much like a ‘city slicker’ as my father calls everyone who wasn't born in the 'old country').
Anyways, if you ever get the chance the surroundings were absolutely breathtaking. I took some pictures with a waterproof 35 mm disposable, so once I’m back in civilization I’ll get them developed and post some of them up.
Everyone did great, and we all made it with only some minor cuts and bruises (there were a lot of opportune moments for a slight slip of the foot, and oops, there goes middle meningeal). The big jump was awesome…..for the most part. I didn’t have any qualms about jumping it, but I didn’t enter the water with the best possible form, because holy cow I have huge hematomas on the back of my upper thighs (the initial sting gave me some good childhood flashbacks).
Our tour guide was awesome and he even said that I climbed like a Grenadian (I hoped I didn’t look too much like a ‘city slicker’ as my father calls everyone who wasn't born in the 'old country').
Anyways, if you ever get the chance the surroundings were absolutely breathtaking. I took some pictures with a waterproof 35 mm disposable, so once I’m back in civilization I’ll get them developed and post some of them up.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
100th Post
At the beginning of the semester I set a goal that I wanted to reach 100 posts before I left the island of Grenada. Tomorrow I have my final pathology exam, followed by my clinical skills practical on Tuesday, and the clinical skills written final on Friday. Somewhere in between I have to pack all my stuff, and I hope to go hike the Seven Sisters waterfall tour in the rainforest here. In one week from today I should be making my way home! My time in Grenada is coming to a close and I cannot believe that 1.5 years have gone by already. Terms 5 and 6 are completed at Kingstown College on the island of St. Vincent (aka Vinnies). We start hospital visits with our course work next semester, and Vinnies has better hospital facilities for us. Although I loved my time here in Grenada, I’m really excited to finally be moving to another island. St. Vincent was beautiful when I was there apartment hunting, and I’m looking forward exploring the island. I’ll finally be living in an apartment off campus which I’ve been dying to do since first semester. Everything is fully furnished, the balcony is huge and looks out to the ocean, and for the first time in my life I get to sleep in a bed bigger than uterine proportions for more than a few nights.
Anyways, I’m back to my books for one more round. Hopefully these next few days get a little sunnier, because I think the wet season has been squeezed into the last two weeks around here. Although I can’t complain about the rainbows everyday….
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Q & A
Q : can you please post some resistance exercises?
A: Resistance training is any activity that makes your muscles work against a weight or force (this is why using pink dumbbells is not resistance training). I can give you some examples of resistance exercises – but it would probably be more beneficial if I knew your age, current activity level, any current health conditions/injuries, whether you’re a gym member, or exercise at home, and a few other things. There are a number of different ways to go about resistance training – and it really depends on what you enjoy – that way, you’re more likely to stick with it. Take a look through my reading links especially Krista Scott Dixon's site (directed towards females), and the exercise directory has a lot of information and demonstrations for just about any gym exercise possible.
If for example, you were a 25 year old female who engaged in some sort of cardio/aerobic activity 3-5 times a week, and has no health problems plain ‘ol squats, push-ups, lunges, dips (with leg on a chair), are great resistance exercises you can do at home using your own body weight (or with a sack of potatoes for extra resistance). But, if you were a 50 year old female, who hasn’t been exercising regularly, and has joint pain I would not give the same suggestions. Most importantly you have to figure out what you like, and what works for you. I can spew off a million different resistance exercises using dumbbells – but if you hate dumbbells (because you’ve actually tried them for a reasonable period of time) then that really won’t help.
Look around on the internet, there is a plethora of information – it can be confusing because there’s so much of it. If you know me personally I come home in two weeks, call me or shoot me an email if you’d like more specific suggestions/ideas to incorporate resistance training into your exercise.
A: Resistance training is any activity that makes your muscles work against a weight or force (this is why using pink dumbbells is not resistance training). I can give you some examples of resistance exercises – but it would probably be more beneficial if I knew your age, current activity level, any current health conditions/injuries, whether you’re a gym member, or exercise at home, and a few other things. There are a number of different ways to go about resistance training – and it really depends on what you enjoy – that way, you’re more likely to stick with it. Take a look through my reading links especially Krista Scott Dixon's site (directed towards females), and the exercise directory has a lot of information and demonstrations for just about any gym exercise possible.
If for example, you were a 25 year old female who engaged in some sort of cardio/aerobic activity 3-5 times a week, and has no health problems plain ‘ol squats, push-ups, lunges, dips (with leg on a chair), are great resistance exercises you can do at home using your own body weight (or with a sack of potatoes for extra resistance). But, if you were a 50 year old female, who hasn’t been exercising regularly, and has joint pain I would not give the same suggestions. Most importantly you have to figure out what you like, and what works for you. I can spew off a million different resistance exercises using dumbbells – but if you hate dumbbells (because you’ve actually tried them for a reasonable period of time) then that really won’t help.
Look around on the internet, there is a plethora of information – it can be confusing because there’s so much of it. If you know me personally I come home in two weeks, call me or shoot me an email if you’d like more specific suggestions/ideas to incorporate resistance training into your exercise.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Fight club
The first rule of fight club is that you do not talk about fight club.The second rule of fight club is that you DO NOT talk about fight club……
Essentially once you enter the health field, the same rules apply. We had a lecture on Tuesday morning about HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) law in the US when we begin to start our rotations. So now I’m a little confused about what is reasonable to share about my experiences and what is not. But I feel that I can convey a little of what I get to observe and see in a manner that will not disrespect the patient – hopefully things will become more clear with the experiences.
Elephant sightings
On Friday we went to the local hospital and met with a patient to interview, and do some basic physical examinations on. One thing about being in the Caribbean is that I will be able to see certain health conditions and problems here that I will probably never encounter as long as I’m in the US/Canada. So I have to say that it was truly an amazing experience to meet the patient I saw on Friday. During our first 2 semesters in clinical skills had to write a couple of papers. The first topic we wrote about was acute rheumatic fever, and the second was infective endocarditis. The first condition is rare in the US these days, but can still be seen more frequently in developing countries such as Grenada. When I researched the topic back in first semester, and found the signs, symptoms, and diagnostic criteria – I really had no clue of what they were, never mind what they would look like. The scariest part of these conditions is the damage it does to the heart valves. Many patients end up having to get heart surgery to repair/replace the damaged valve. After visiting with a patient, I felt so sad because the lack of medical resources in this country, and the history of patient compliance do not always add up to a most happy ending.
It is unfortunate that the best way to learn is through experience, but as our neuropath professor “the Emperor” said: it’s like seeing an elephant – something you will never forget.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Ladies please read!
And yet another article about the benefits of resistance training for women:
Long-Term Training Ups Growth Hormone Used for Stronger Bones and Muscles
I cannot stress how important it is for women to do resistance training with their exercise. And if you even think of mentioning anything about "getting too big" I will go into a blinding rage, and attack you with my 'massive' muscles. I will also sick myself on you if I catch you using pink dumbbells........yeah.
Long-Term Training Ups Growth Hormone Used for Stronger Bones and Muscles
I cannot stress how important it is for women to do resistance training with their exercise. And if you even think of mentioning anything about "getting too big" I will go into a blinding rage, and attack you with my 'massive' muscles. I will also sick myself on you if I catch you using pink dumbbells........yeah.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
In the driver's seat
Yesterday in our clinical skills lab, they actually brought in real people with real problems to interview. For our entire clinical skills course, our lab sessions have involved examining each other. Even though we had local people to do our examinations on for our midterm, we still had to do a lot of pretending. For example, my practical scenario basically read that the guy had varicosities on his legs, an an ulcer on his ankle. So when I went to see the patient there were no veins or ulcers, and I had to proceed to examine as if they were there (its kind of hard to map out a non existent varicose vein).
So yesterday, we when saw a patient with actual complaints, it was almost surreal for a moment. In addition to the patient’s chief complaints, we went through some basic physical signs. When I took the blood pressure, and found that the person nearly had malignant hypertension I sort of had an “Omigod – this person has a real problem” moment. I think I had that flash of reflective thought given the situation it was in. I’ve done health fairs here, and I’ve worked in a clinic at home, so it was not as though it was the first time I encountered a stranger with a real health problem. I think it was the fact that for the first time in this course, we were given something real, something tangible to observe and investigate for ourselves. Other than some fungus-y looking toenails, the patient appeared completely fine, when in actuality they were a ticking time bomb to a number of other problems (and that wasn't even what they were coming in for!).
So I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I’m excited to do some more of this stuff (sort the same feeling you get when you’re10 16, and your dad lets you try driving for the first time).
So yesterday, we when saw a patient with actual complaints, it was almost surreal for a moment. In addition to the patient’s chief complaints, we went through some basic physical signs. When I took the blood pressure, and found that the person nearly had malignant hypertension I sort of had an “Omigod – this person has a real problem” moment. I think I had that flash of reflective thought given the situation it was in. I’ve done health fairs here, and I’ve worked in a clinic at home, so it was not as though it was the first time I encountered a stranger with a real health problem. I think it was the fact that for the first time in this course, we were given something real, something tangible to observe and investigate for ourselves. Other than some fungus-y looking toenails, the patient appeared completely fine, when in actuality they were a ticking time bomb to a number of other problems (and that wasn't even what they were coming in for!).
So I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I’m excited to do some more of this stuff (sort the same feeling you get when you’re
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
For the busy med student in you.
With finals coming up around the corner, and a semester of eating chicken twice a day, it was time for a little change (and not with tuna fish). These are quick and easy to make, and offer a great workout for your masseter and temporalis muscles.
8 scoops chocolate protein powder
5 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1.5. c uncooked rolled oats
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 eggs whites
1 whole egg
Tinfoil and spray 6x9 baking pan. Mix ingredients together, and press into pan. Bake at 300 F for 15-20 min.
Makes 8 bars. Nutrition per bar:
Cal – 295 Carb – 18 g Protein – 33g Fat - 11g Fibre – 3.6g
They’re a little low on the fibre, but if you’re living by a grocery store that sells flaxseed (that hasn't been on the shelf for 2 years), substitute 1/2 cup of the oatmeal for 1/2 cup flaxseed, and only put in 1/3 cup peanut butter, then throw in 1 more egg white. This will give you roughly the same macros, but with 6g of fibre per serving, and some really healthy fats!
As you can tell, I like to cook when things start to get a little stressing - it helps procrastinate from studying, and I don't have to think about anything.
8 scoops chocolate protein powder
5 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1.5. c uncooked rolled oats
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 eggs whites
1 whole egg
Tinfoil and spray 6x9 baking pan. Mix ingredients together, and press into pan. Bake at 300 F for 15-20 min.
Makes 8 bars. Nutrition per bar:
Cal – 295 Carb – 18 g Protein – 33g Fat - 11g Fibre – 3.6g
They’re a little low on the fibre, but if you’re living by a grocery store that sells flaxseed (that hasn't been on the shelf for 2 years), substitute 1/2 cup of the oatmeal for 1/2 cup flaxseed, and only put in 1/3 cup peanut butter, then throw in 1 more egg white. This will give you roughly the same macros, but with 6g of fibre per serving, and some really healthy fats!
As you can tell, I like to cook when things start to get a little stressing - it helps procrastinate from studying, and I don't have to think about anything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
