Recap: “Health is not valued until sickness comes”
This week I had physiology and biochemistry exams, cut out and inspected a cadaveric heart, and attended Parker Seminars held at my university. Holding a heart in my hand was one of the coolest experiences I’ve done thus far at Parker. On Friday night, I attended a seminar session that was titled “The Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease” by Robynne Chutkan, a very well-known and respected gastroenterologist. What interested me most was when she discussed how 70-80% of our immune cells are found in our gut and how patient’s with Parkinson’s Disease have distinct bacterial signatures. The main takeaway was that the ability to maintain a symbiotic relationship with your gut microbiota will lead to a higher quality of life (e.g. mood, sleep, immunity, etc.). Several vitamins and hormones are synthesized in the gut and if the bacteria are not provided the proper nutrients, deficiencies can take place.
Number of human cells = 30 trillion
Number of bacterial cells (gut only) = 100 trillion
After posting this, I am attending a full day's worth of seminars. I look forward to learning more about how to adjust the foot/knee/hip, chiropractic care for healthy aging, spinal stenosis, and so much more.
School: “Failure is a success if we learn from it”
I feel like I have finally gotten in a groove for this term. Last term, I was consistently counting down the remaining weeks left in the trimester, and this term, I don’t feel like I am as much. It seems to be naturally going by quickly. I’ve been surprised not only by how much information I am provided each week, but also by how much of it I’m actually able to retain. This week I learned about ECGs, cholesterol and lipoproteins, how to palpate the thoracic spine, what anatomical [distance] ranges to look for on cervical x-ray images, and how to differentiate between various bacteria (morphology and the diseases they cause).
For this upcoming week, I have a packed schedule. I have a skills check for Chiropractic Methods on Monday, a Microbiology exam on Tuesday, a skills check for Clinical Biomechanics on Wednesday, a Chiropractic Methods exam on Thursday, and a Clinical Imaging exam on Friday. Though on paper this seems daunting, I know that I just have to make sure my preparation is up to par and take things day by day; focusing solely on the next task at hand.
Conclusion: “I may not believe in myself, but I believe in what I’m doing” — Jimmy Page
Keeping it short this week. I have been swamped with school work so my energy has been directed elsewhere.
As some of you may have seen, I sent out an abnormal bulletin post this week on Tuesday. I will likely continue this trend of sending out smaller posts throughout the week that could contain tutorials or “urgent” news.
These videos are much shorter than the podcast videos I’ve done in the past (< 20 min). I encourage you to watch them to 1) get a grasp of where the future may take us, and 2) give me any feedback that you may offer.
As always, I appreciate the support and what y’all have to say.
— tovey.eth