Reflection

While writing this blog I have learned about various things that contribute to one's health.  I didn't learn anything that could really help me with my future and goal to become a pediatrician, but I do think that some of the information is useful to daily life.  Another realization I had while writing this blog is that I may not want to become a pediatrician.  I still want to become a doctor of some sort, but I thought that maybe I would want to deal with sick patients more than healthy ones.  As a pediatrician I would have office hours when I give healthy patients check ups which seem like it could get boring after a while; it would, however, be a fairly low-stress job.  An option is to specialize in something and focus on patients who have that issue.  For example I could become a neonatologist which is a pediatrician who specializes in taking care of infants who require critical care right after birth.  The only problem is that I don't know whether I could deal with the emotional stress that comes with taking care of children who are terminally ill or are in critical condition.  Anyway, I still have many years until my 3rd year of medical school which is when I would have to decide what kind of doctor I want to be.  Until then, I'll just have to focus on school, do well in college, and make sure I ace that MCAT.

All of that is easier said than done and I would have to accomplish everything without burning myself out but I can do this!

The Truth about Vitamins (and other supplements)

When I was younger, my mom would often remind me to eat my vitamins.  Back then it was always a pain because they did not taste good and it didn't seem like they helped in my health overall since I still got sick regardless of whether I took my vitamins or not.  So do vitamins really improve people's health?

After some research, it turns out that I'm not the only one asking whether vitamins make one healthier or not. Some studies even claim that taking vitamins may actually cause one's health to decline or put one more at risk for certain diseases.

In theory, vitamins are meant to prevent diseases by supplying the body with vitamins or minerals that it may be deficient in such as calcium, Vitamin D, or Vitamin C.  Although it is true that it is good to supply your body with these nutrients, taking supplements (vitamins) will not be enough.  Supplements, such as for Vitamin D, may also have such a low dosage in them that it is not effective.  It is much better to eat food that already contains these nutrients. Also, taking more than the recommended amount of vitamins a day can lead to more health problems rather than supplying your body with more nutrients.  An overdose of vitamins can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.  Some consequences of overdosing in vitamins are much more sever, for example an overdose in Vitamin A can lead to liver damage, hair loss, blurred vision and headaches. For more information on what happens when you overdose in certain vitamins, click here.

Although it is better to eat food that already contains nutrients that your body needs, supplements can help to a certain extent.  For example, for those who do not drink milk or do not drink enough milk, a doctor may advise that they take calcium supplements so that they have an adequate amount of the mineral in their body. However overall, studies have shown that for a healthy person, taking supplements does little to nothing regarding their health.  Eating healthy is much more effective.

Medicine

When one get sick, their first instinct is to take medicine. But how exactly does medicine make one feel better? What in medicine helps cure one's illness? First, medicine can do a certain number of things to make one feel better. They can either, replace a certain substance that is missing from one's body, kill germs/bacteria that are the source of an illness, or suppress the symptoms of an illness. In general, most medicines do this by altering the cells' activity.

The body requires a certain amount of proteins (amino acids), vitamins, and minerals in order to function. If any of these substances are lacking or in overabundance, it can result in medical disorders. For example, for one who has diabetes, the body is lacking in insulin. Insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas and helps the body absorb glucose from the food we eat. For those with diabetes, they can take insulin injections which increase the amount of insulin in the body. Medicine can also be used to reduce the production of certain hormones. For women, medicine can be taken to lower estrogen levels in the body since high estrogen levels could result in endometrial cancer. These kinds of medicine either increase or decrease the activity of the cells by binding to sites found on the cells' surface.

Most of the time, medicine is taken because one is ill. In this case, the medicine is made to destroy the germs or bacteria that caused the illness. When one goes to the doctor, the doctor will try to find the cause of the illness and then prescribe medicine that will specifically kill the germ/bacteria that is causing it. There are many types of these kinds of medicine and taking the wrong one will not be effective. A common type that is taken by children are antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy harmful bacteria by either killing them directly or preventing them from multiplying. Different antibiotics kill different types of bacteria.

Even when one is taking medicine that destroys the bacteria that causes the illness, they may still feel symptoms. And so, there is medicine, pain relievers and symptom soothers, made in order to suppress those symptoms. Pain relievers, such as Advil, do not cure one's illness but only makes one feel better as they are recovering. Symptom soothers, such as cough drops or cold medicine, are meant to do the same thing as pain relievers by making one more comfortable as they recover. Since there is no cure for the cold other than to let it run its course, as explained in a previous post, the next best solution is to take medicine that will suppress the symptoms. Many people who have incurable diseases such as asthma, diabetes, or high blood pressure take medicine to avoid the symptoms associated with their illness so they can enjoy life better. Pain relievers work by stopping the production or chemical substances called mediators that are released by cells in response to damage.  The body transmits pain to the brain when the damaged cells release a chemicals so when the medicine keeps the damaged cells from doing so, your brain will not receive the "pain message" from the damaged cells.  This is probably why some people say that pain is only in your head.

Colds vs. Allergies

Colds and allergies can be very similar. So how can you tell the difference? Right now I keep sneezing and my mom thinks that it's allergies but what if I'm actually getting sick.  To start, colds occur from viruses while allergies are your immune system's reactions to being exposed to an allergen.

Colds and allergies generally have similar symptoms, but there are some important differences.  For example, if you have aches/pains or a fever then you definitely do not have allergies.  Although it is rare to have aches/pains or a fever during a cold.  If so, then it must be a very bad cold.  To better show which symptoms  are present, here's a table:

Symptom	Cold	Allergy
Cough	Usually	Sometimes
General aches and pains	Sometimes	Never
Fatigue	Sometimes	Sometimes
Itchy eyes	Rarely	Usually
Sneezing	Usually	Usually
Sore throat	Usually	Sometimes
Runny nose	Usually	Usually
Stuffy nose	Usually	Usually
Fever	Rarely	Never

Also, although colds and allergies can be seasonal, colds usually occur during fall and winter while allergies are occur during the spring and summer.

There is no cure for colds, so the only solution is to wait till it passes.  Colds usually last about 3-14 days, but you don't have to suffer through it.  Even if there is no cure, you can still take medicine that suppress the symptoms.  To get over the cold more quickly, it is important to get a lot of rest and drink a lot of water.  A warm humid environment can also help you fight off the cold more quickly and make you more comfortable. To prevent colds, one should wash their hands often and avoid people who are sick.

Like with colds, there is no cure for allergies either, except to take medicine to suppress the symptoms.  To prevent allergies, one should avoid allergens.

Colds and allergies can seem to be closely related due to similar symptoms, and although they are actually quite different, suffering through them is still an uncomfortable experience.