Get the Crud out of Your Blood

Sadly, this is my last Unit in my favorite class, Cure. In this last unit, we learned about prevention of diseases. We didn't have very much time to complete this unit, so we did some math concepts like probability, to relate to the probability of contracting diseases and medications working. We also created a family tree for ourselves to look t any diseases that are present in our family. I liked this activity because I got to learn more about my family and what they were affected by. For our field experiences, we had a certified Yoga Nidra instructor come in and guide us through a meditation session. This was to show us alternative ways of healing other than medication or surgery which we covered in our previous unit. I thought this session was relaxing, although, I couldn't really get into the meditation but I enjoyed seeing ways of healing that I am unaware of. For this action project, we combined pretty much everything we learned in Disease and Cure. We were essentially playing doctor. We had to create a patient profile for a fictional person, that could be based on someone real. For my purposes, I chose someone fake. In this profile, we had to discuss their history, their main concerns and the reason for a consultation. We had to make recommendations to the patient about their lifestyle, their diet, and other therapies we wanted them to do. I chose to create someone with a risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms (PE) because I am very interested in vascular surgery.

In the end, I am very sad that this class is over, as it was my favorite I have ever taken at GCE, and probably will ever take. I am so grateful I got to participate and share my knowledge. I really liked this action project because it was a very nice closure to both Disease and Cure. It incorporated most things and really had us show off what we learned in these classes. I had some trouble with making up a person for this project because the original person was based off a real person who had a rare syndrome but it didn't really affect his life so it would have been hard to do. I am very sad that this class is over, but I toughly enjoyed it, and I am very proud of all the work I have done.

Put Pain in its Place

For our second unit in our STEAM class Cure, we learned about different treatments and medicines. We studied how different drugs affect the body and how medicines are different from medicaments. Medicaments refer to just the drug that is taken, but medicine can refer to the whole practice. We learned about the different categories of medicaments and how they work inside the body.

For one of our field experience days, we did a miracle berry lab. This is when we took miracle berry capsules and tried different foods. The miracle berry is a berry that blocks the sour taste receptors in your tongue, so sour food can taste sweet. We did this to study the lock and key mechanism. The berry's molecular structure fits right into the tongue's sour receptors. This helped us better understand how medicaments work, and to experience it in our own body. We tried different food like salt and vinegar chips, pickles, and even hot sauce with and without the miracle berry to compare the taste. They worked a lot better than I thought they would, and it was a very fun experience.

 For this action project, we had to choose a symptom to study. I chose post-surgical pain because I am very interested in surgery. We then had to research three treatments for the symptom, one prescription, one over the counter, and one remedy or behavior. I chose Oxycodone, Tylenol, and Bromelain. We then had to create a medicine box to show our research. We created drug facts for each of the treatments and made a comparison of the three. I really liked this action project because I got to learn more about surgical pain management which is something I have not studied very much. I love to study surgery, but this project opened my eyes to the recovery process.

CM "Surgical Pain." (2018)

CM "Oxycodone" (2018)

CM "Tylenol" (2018)

CM "Bromelain" (2018)

CM "Comparison" (2018)

CM "Ingredients" (2018)

The reason I chose to put the pictures of the molecular structure of the medicaments is to help explain the "lock and key" mechanism. The lock and key mechanism shows how well medicaments work based on their molecular structure. If a medicament has a molecular structure that fits into the body's molecular structure nicely, like a key fits into a lock, then usually, the medicament will work better. An example would be Advil, which is a pain reliever. Advil blocks the pain receptors by sending itself into the receptors and blocking their signals, stopping the body from receiving pain signals, and reducing pain.

In the end, I liked this project as it was more hands-on than most projects. I actually got to make something rather than make a digital slideshow or video like normal. I liked researching these medicaments, but it could be challenging to find good information. It was also a little challenging calculating the price per dose, as doses can be different than the price of the bottle. I am very proud of how the box came out, and I am very sad to be ending this class soon, as it was easily my favorite class of all time.

Works Cited:

“Bromelain.” Health Line.com. Health Line Media. N.d. https://www.healthline.com/health/bromelain

Cintron, Lynn M.D. M.S. “Persistent Postsurgical Pain.” Practical Pain Management.com. Vertical Heath. 19, June 2017. https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/persistent-postsurgical-pain?page=0,1

Erikson, Kim. “Natural Healing After Surgery.” Mother Earth Living.com. Ogden Publications Inc. January, 2003. https://www.motherearthliving.com/Health-and-Wellness/Operation-Recovery

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Pain Medication After Surgery.” Mayo Clinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 30, June 2017. https://www.mayoclinic.org/pain-medications/art-20046452

“Oxycontin.” Good Rx.com. Good Rx Inc. 2018. https://www.goodrx.com/oxycontin

“Oxycontin.” RxList.com. Rxlist Inc. 6, January 2017. https://www.rxlist.com/oxycontin-drug.htm#clinpharm

“Regular Strength Tylenol.” Tylenol.com. Johnson & Johnson Inc. n.d. https://www.tylenol.com/products/tylenol-regular-strength-tablets#directions

“Tylenol.” Rxlist.com. Rxlist Inc. 4, December 2017. https://www.rxlist.com/tylenol-side-effects-drug-center.htm

What is a Carotid Endarterectomy?

In the first unit of our 3rd sophomore STEAM class called "Cure," we learned about surgery, kind of. I have been looking forward to this class since the beginning of freshman year. I could not wait to flaunt my extensive surgical knowledge. To my disappointment, we did not really talk about surgery in the first unit. We still have to do this action project though. In our first unit, we learned about cells and cell reproduction and division, as well as conic sections, which I am not sure how that relates to the class, but they are very fun. We took an FE to the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago. I love this museum. It is in a beautiful old house on Lake Shore Drive. We got a tour of the museum and then got to explore it on our own. For this project, we had to pick a surgery and analyze it. I went all out and actually did the surgery which I am very proud of. We had to make a slideshow and explain all the organs, tissues, and cells affected by the surgery. I had a really hard time deciding which surgery to do. I choose a carotid endarterectomy because it is a cool procedure but it is not super complicated.

I really wanted to go all out for this AP, so I decided to use my surgical app called "Touch Surgery." I found this app about a year ago and it has greatly improved my skills and understanding of different procedures. I used the screen record on my phone and then recorded a voice memo and overlayed it onto the video. I think it came out really great. 

If you would like to view the script of the video, you can use this link.

In the end, this is definitely my favorite action project I have ever done. I am disappointed in the lack of surgery talk in class, but we still got to do this project. I struggled with choosing a surgery, and I did doubt myself several times throughout the process, but I am happy with the procedure. I had a lot of trouble with recording the video. I didn't realize that the screen capture on the iPhone does not record audio, so I was talking to my phone for an hour like an idiot. I also had trouble with the screen capture working, as it would keep shutting off in the middle of the procedure. In the end, I am very proud of this project, but I still wonder if I could have done more.


Works Cited:

Alberts, Bruce. “Blood Vessels and Endothelial Cells.” NCIB.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26848/

“Cell Anatomy.” Home Science Tools.com. Home Science Tools. n.d. https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/anatomy-of-a-cell-science-lesson/

Dr. Pounds, C, Lori. “Carotid Endarterectomy.” Vascular.org. Society for Vascular Surgery. n.d. https://vascular.org/patient-resources/vascular-treatments/carotid-endarterectomy#description

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Carotid Endarterectomy.” Mayo Clinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 3, April 2018. ttps://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/carotid-endarterectomy/about/pac-20393379

“What is a carotid endarterectomy?” My Cleveland Clinic.org. Cleveland Clinic. n.d. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16849-carotid-endarterectomy