Minimally Invasive Surgeries

By: Lesly Morales

Image Credit: (http://kchealthandwellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Leaders-In-Minimally-Invasive-Surgery-300x200.jpg)

             Doctors have replaced regular surgery with minimally invasive surgery. What this means, is that instead of fully cutting open the skin/ organs, doctors now make small incisions approximately 3 or more ( like the picture above) and in those incisions they insert a camera and the instruments needed to complete the surgery. The camera is so the doctor can see what they are doing, which then eliminates the need to fully cut open the skin.
               The purpose for minimally invasive surgery is to operate with less damage to the skin, reduce trauma in the body, reduce blood loss, and speed recovery by performing the surgery with small tubes tiny cameras and surgical instruments. There are a variety of invasive surgeries which include but are not limited to adrenalectomy, gallbladder surgery, gastroenterologic surgery, kidney surgery, etc.

So, You're Thinking About Being a Premed?

By: Amanda Ziminski

So you want to be a doctor? Pursuing a medical degree can be quite intimidating. Everyone knows how rigorous, and stressful the journey to becoming a physician is.  When you tell people you are a premedical student, they kind of just give you a look that says "good luck kid." Then you get into your science classes and they are suddenly a lot harder than high school, and require much more effort than your friend who is pursuing a degree in art education. You're summers aren't a time of vacationing and relaxation, but a time for research, internships, job shadowing and volunteering. You must remain a competitive candidate for medical school.

All of this is obviously extremely overwhelming, so where do you start? A good place to start is by making sure that you are dedicated and being a physician is really what you want to do. Many people begin their college careers pursuing a premedical track and end change their minds. This produces a lot of wasted time, money, and stress.  I would recommend job shadowing with local physicians and asking them questions about their journey to becoming a doctor. They can give you good advice and provide insight into their daily lives as a physicians. This process can either reinforce your ambitions, like it did for me, or will allow you to see this is not what I want to do with my life, like it did for my friend. It is also important to decide if being a doctor aligns with your lifestyle you desire. Being a doctor requires putting off having a family and settling down, as you are in school for an additional 4 years and have to complete a residency and fellowships. It induces a much more stress than most occupations because if you screw up, people die. It also requires a lifetime of continuing education.

There is also a lot of resources that can help you decide if you want to be a doctor and pursue the premedical track. 

Your academic advisor can help you determine whether or not you would be a competitive candidate for medical school, along with the requirements to get into medical school.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has a lot of resources for any questions you may have about medical school and residency. The following is a link of videos of actual medical students answering questions about medical school from the AAMC.

https://students-residents.aamc.org/choosing-medical-career/medical-school-101/what-medical-school-really/ask-med-student-video-series/

The American Medical Association is also full of great information.

https://www.ama-assn.org/

It is important to not wait. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to delve into the medical world. You will either fall in love with it or learn to hate it, and the quicker you learn which side of the spectrum you fall into, the better.



Image Credit: https://premedroad.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/20130425-164301.jpg
                       http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-04/enhanced/webdr06/26/4/enhanced-buzz-26093-1398502441-4.jpg

Prompt 6- Human's using only 10% of their brains is a misconception

By- Shivang Tripathi

     

           "The notion that we normally use only a tenth of our brain is a commonplace, but patent nonsense. Brain scans make it clear that the entire brain is activated by even fairly mundane tasks"(Breedlove, 12). This piece of information was found with the text of the book called "Biological Psychology: An Introduction to Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience." Throughout my whole life, I was always known to believe that humans only use 10% of their brains. After reading this information in this credited text book, I realized that knowledge and ideas are constantly changing within the medical field due to new research, experiments, etc. I also realized that it is very important to be open minded when learning new information about the medical field and to always check various credited sources if you are unsure about something you may think is correct or incorrect. This information is very important to anyone who is considering a career in the medical field because it shows them that ideas within this field are constantly changing.

                                                                  Work Cited 

                                                           

Rosenzweig, Mark R., S. Marc. Breedlove, and Neil V. Watson. Biological Psychology: An Introduction to Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2005. Print.

The Bionic Arm

By: Kanedra Thaxton

(Image Credit: https://www.cnet.com/news/wearing-a-deus-ex-inspired-bionic-arm-is-the-future-of-prosthetics/)

Recently, I watched a fascinating video on YouTube about a robotic prosthetic arm. The video shows how a scientist have created a prosthetic arm that is controlled by using your brain. We are aware that there are people amongst us who live with prosthetic limbs, but the difference is how the movements are controlled. This new innovation called the Bionic Arm is able to receive and send signals from the brain to the arm as if it were your real arm. These signals allows the amputee to feel the natural movement such tingling of the fingers and holding objects. It also allows the user to feel touch when some brushes against the arm or from holding hands. Although this arm can be a useful and helpful innovation it is also very controversial. It is controversial because people are curious about how this will effect the way we evolve and what are the ethical/moral values of this innovation.
     Personally, this arm seems very futuristic. The fact that people will be able to feel like they never lost their arm is fascinating. One of my main concerns is how will this arm affect the medical field and what are some side effects that can occur. Since this invention is relatively new we will be the first generation that will experiment with the use of the Bionic Arm. This could potentially cause problems with human health mixed with technology which may not be a big positive. Overall, this arm is a wonderful idea but it brings are futuristic thoughts to conscious.

Reference

 Bloomberg. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk1NkWl_W2Y >

Prompt 8- Volunteer work at American Red Cross

By- Shivang Tripathi

                     Volunteer work at American Red Cross

        In the summer of 2015, I volunteered at the American Red Cross Donation center. With this amazing opportunity, I received a hands on approach on how to deal and work with patients that come for treatment. At this center, my primary jobs were to sign patients in, and to provide snacks and conversations with patients who just got done donating blood. This hands on experience was very different than a written source. With this experience, I learned many new perspectives and details about many of the patients' lives. I had the opportunity to converse with patients and learn their various reasons for becoming regular blood donors. This experience definitely opened my eyes up and taught me about many strong people and their various lifestyles. Overall with this experience, I learned many important social skills that will benefit in the future, and also I got to experience what life was like within the medical field.

Lung and Heart Transplants

By: Lesly Morales

 
(ImageCredit:http://www.mims.com/resources/drugs/malaysia/companylogo/Transmedic%20Healthcare3f304225-54fc-47f6-9919-9fa30153bc7e.GIF)

    Transmedics has invented the world's only portable lung perfusion system (Lung OCS). This Means the days of carrying lungs around in a cooler are over. Before this invention, in order to preserve the lungs doctors would place them inside a plastic bag inside a cooler. This would pose many problems. the doctor only has between five and 10 hours before the lungs can be used. If travel time between the donor and the recipient is too long then the lungs wont be of good use and they go to waste.

With the lung organ care systems (OCS) the lungs lungs are hooked up to a machine which keeps them ventilated and monitors them. The time of travel is also significantly extended. This invention maintains the lungs in a near physiological state, meaning they are almost as good as new. It is as if they were never taken from another person and put into a new one.

Not only is there an organ care system for the lungs, there is one for the heart as well. Unlike the lungs, the heart organ care system is still under clinical trial, and the lungs (OCS) is up for commercial sale and used in leading clinical centers.

The Heart (OCS) keeps the heart warm, pumps blood through it, and feeds it nutrients. This means the heart continues to beat outside the body and eliminates the chance of it deteriorating unlike placing it in a cooler. The heart (OCS) improves patient outcomes and reduces cost of patient care but like I stated before, it is still under clinical trial and not in commercial sale.



   
                              ( image credit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MZxRTYs-dyk/hqdefault.jpg)
(image credit: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/02/10/ocs_sq-34405387b41943e63c84f9dcbd6d483ed2742ea6.jpg?s=6)

Diabetes Without The Needles

By: Kanedra Thaxton

(Image Credit: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-innovations )

I know that there is a lot of people with diabetes who have to constantly poke themselves with needles for self- care. They always have to draw blood for testing or inserting insulin. According to ASME, a new piece of technology called the Echo Therapeutics is being developed to replace the needle poking with a patch. The device has an electric- toothbrush- like device that comes with it. The toothbrush device removes just enough skin cells off of the patient's top- layer of skin to put the patients's blood chemistry in a range where the Echo Therapeutics can collect a reading ( MacRae para.8) . This device seems like a very efficient innovation that would help a lot of people because according to a study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3 percent of Americans have diabetes and 27.8 percent of people are not diagnosed ( National Center for Chronic Disease table. 1). Personally, I know numerous people with diabetes who had to constantly poke themselves and I am sure that they would prefer to use a tool like a toothbrush rather than a needle.

This new piece of technology is important because of the amount of people that it can help. As an inspiring medical student I would rather prescribe my patients the Echo Therapeutics rather than a needle. This also shows how the medical field is advancing and it shows that in the medical field the patients are the main concern. As a future medical student, observing the new inventions can allow you to see the path that the medical field is headed towards and how are they easing the lives of their patients.

References

MacRae, Michael. "Top 5 Medical Technology Innovations." The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. ASME, Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Prompt #9: Why Medicine is Imporant

By: Amanda Ziminski

We obviously know that the medical field is very important, that is why it is such a great field to go into. There will never be a time where people will not need medicine or health services. If we get sick or injured, we go to the clinic or emergency room and we usually get better. However, medicine is so much more than just handing out medicine and pain relievers. With the rapidly growing technologies and discoveries being made, doctors and other health professionals have the capabilities to perform some truly amazing things. I read an example of this tonight online on the U.S. Daily.

 

Little LynLee Boemer was destined to die while still in her mother's uterus. Her mother had gone in for a routine 16 week check up, when an ultrasound revealed a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a tumor that was attached to Lynlee's tailbone, that was growing rapidly. "The teratoma is the most common tumour we see in a newborn," said Dr. Darrell Cass, co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Centre and associate professor of surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College Medicine. "Even though it’s the most common we see, it’s still pretty rare." Sometimes doctors can delay surgery until after the birth, but in LynLee’s case the tumour was competing with the foetus for the body’s blood flow, so it becomes a competition. As the tumour grew bigger, the baby’s health deteriorated and doctors had no choice but to act. Margaret, LynLee's mother, said: ‘LynLee didn’t have much of a chance. At 23 weeks, the tumour was shutting her heart down and causing her to go into cardiac failure, so it was a choice of allowing the tumour to take over her body or giving her a chance at life.

The doctors chose to operate on the 24 week old fetus. The surgery took five hours which entailed LynLee to be lifted outside of the uterus. The surgeons removed as much of the tumor as they could and then placed LynLee back inside of her mothers uterus and sewed the uterus back together again. They allowed LynLee to grow for another 12 weeks until she was delivered again via C-section. A few days after LynLee was born she had a second operation to remove the rest of the tumor that was already growing again. After several weeks she was finally able to be brought home.

Due to modern medicine babies like LynLee are given a fighting chance at life. A chance they would not have received even a decade ago. Medicine not only saves lives, it betters them. Examples can be found all over the media, such as the little boy who received a hand transplant and is now able to hold his mommy's hand as he crosses the street, or an middle aged man whose doctors found a blockage in his heart before a heat attack had is chance of brewing, or that vaccine you received when you were little so you didn't end up paralyzed from polio like so many generations before us. Medicine has and always will be a highly important part of our lives and I cannot wait for the day I can add to it's greatness.

 



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3865188/The-baby-born-twice-Mum-s-joy-girl-taken-womb-life-saving-operation-returned-birth.html#ixzz4NxRxClbn
 

 

Can Contact Lenses Be Bad For Your Eyes?

By: Amanda Ziminski

The magical, transparent domes that bring millions of people's world into focus may be damaging the bacterial composition of your eye, according to a 2015 study.
"The eye has a normal community of bacteria expected to confer resistance to invaders," says senior investigator Maria Gloria Dominguez. She has discovered a correlation between contact lenses and the delicate balance of bacteria.

The study compared the colonies of bacteria living on the eyes of people who wore contacts and people who did not. They recruited 20 people from each group and swabbed their eyeballs. The study found a major difference between the two groups that participated in the study. The bacteria of those who wore contacts resembled more of the colonies on the skin, rather than the normal make up of the eyeball.

Could this mean that contact lenses are harmful to the eye itself? Most likely, however more studies would have to be conducted to formally draw this conclusion. Aside from the fact that contact lenses are potential terrorists to the micro biome  of your eye, many other negative side effects of contacts have been noted. Incidents that happen commonly are corneal abrasions (scratches on the eye's surface) and increased risk for eye infections. Almost 6 percent of contact wearers per year will develop a problem associated with usage.

Works Cited:

Oaklander, Mandy. "New Intel Into How Clean YOur Contact Lenses Are." TIME 100 New Health     Discoveries 2015: 49. Print. 

Image Credit: http://newwesteyeclinic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/contact_lens_green.jpg

Prompt #2- Medical Professionals Ethics

By: Kanedra Thaxton

(Image credit:http://www.biohackerlabs.com/podcasts/mythbusting-mondays/trusting-your-doctor/)

  One of the most important factors that you need to consider when deciding on if working in the medical field is right for you is the medical field code of ethics. A code of ethics from my understanding, is a list of rules that an organization creates that you must follow in order to be apart of that group or organization. According to the American Medical Association, there are nine principles that a physician must follow that are mainly for the benefit of the patient ( American Medical Association para.1). The fourth code of ethic states that, " A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law" ( American Medical Association). This code is saying that all physicians should respect the privacy of their patients and not share or discuss their patients personal health information because in is against the law. The only time their information should be shared is if it is in a professional manner for the well- being of the patient.

 
 The fourth code is also saying that a physician should respect their patients, colleagues, and other health professionals and this telling physicians to represent themselves in a professional manner at all times. I understand why this is a code because if doctors started to tell people about other people's health conditions it could cause confrontations. Also it could create trust issues between a physician and patient and generally a patient needs to be able to trust his/ her doctor so that they can be open about any problems that they are having. If I had any problems with my body I would not want my doctor to discuss that with any of my neighbors. If that was to happen I would not want to tell my doctor about  health conditions that I am embarrassed about because I would not want that information shared with people around me. Therefore not trusting my doctor could put my health at risk.

 
 I know that I have never had any experiences with my physician discussing my health conditions with anyone. I think that physicians follow this code very well because of the experiences that I have had and my friends as well. When I was in high school, the doctors always had to ask personal health related questions. My friends told me that their doctor would ask their parents to leave the room and then they would discuss personal questions that a teenager may not be comfortable with sharing with their parents. My doctor would turn her back towards my mom and talk low and ask me health related questions. I really liked when my doctor did that because it gave me a sense of security because my doctor would not discuss my business with my mother unless she had to. This shows how in society this principle is true and being used. As a professional I know that I will make sure that my patients feel the same security that I felt with my doctor. I see how effective and important this principle is and I will definitely be willing to work while following the fourth ethics code. If you are planning on going into the medical field this could help you to be a better physician. From knowing the ethics that will be required of you  hopefully this post has helped you to understand why the principle  used and the actual importance of the well-being of patients in the medical field.

References

American Medical Association. AMA Principles Of Medical Ethics. N.p.: American Medical Association, June 2016. PDF.<http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics.page> Accessed 16 Oct. 2016

prompt #7 Contemplating Controversy

By: Lesly Morales

Physician Assisted Suicide an Evil or a Good?





(Image Credit: http://citizengo.org/sites/default/files/euthanasia_1.jpg)

Imagine you were diagnosed with a terminally ill disease and the doctors said you only had six months to live. Two months have passed since the doctors gave you the news, and the pain has slowly started creeping in. For each day that passes the pain gets stronger and stronger until you have to be on so many pain killers you cant even count, but you still feel the pain. This is the case for many unfortunate Americans who are diagnosed with terminally ill diseases. Many patients alike have wanted to just end their life then and there instead of living with the pain until the last second they breathe. They don't want their families to watch them suffer with each passing day. For some patients their requests are met but for others they spend their last days in pain until they finally pass.

Many doctors have been tried and charged with murder for helping their patients end their lives, but is what theyre doing right or wrong? In the United States alone, physician assisted suicide is legan in 5 states (California, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Montana.) For the rest of the states it causes a huge controversy. Religion poses a huge contribution for the reason of controversy. Religion is respected in the medical field but it is not governed by it.

What do you think? Should a terminally ill patient, suffering more and more each day have the right to end their live or not?

Meeting The Demand With Robotic Check- Ups

By: Kanedra Thaxton

Image Credit (https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-innovations)

     Recently, an idea was created to help meet the high demand of health- care needed. According to ASME, there are only a few doctors available to meet the growing health- care needs (  MacRae para 1).  After knowing this, hospitals and health care systems started to invest in robotic systems. The systems can patrol the hallways, check on patients in different rooms, and manage individual charts (MacRae). In Touch Health is the first "autonomous navigation remote- presence robot" to receive FDA approval for hospital use.
 
    The In Touch Health is a cart that has a two- way video screen (MacRae para.1). It also has medical monitoring equipment and it is programmed to move through the busy halls of a hospital. In like the idea of the In Touch Health iRobot but I do not think it should become a replacement. The picture above, is supposed to be a representation of what the iRobot looks like. It looks as if the machine would still need to be supervised by a human mainly a physician. This invention could help to meet the high demand of health care needed but the only way to find out is to try it. Hopefully, the system works efficiently without side effects. The medical field is starting to advance wit technology in creative ways. I cannot wait to see how this system will be used in our future.

  I am also curious about what ways this new invention will effect physicians. It seems as if the nurses and doctors would first have to learn how to use the machine. Therefore, will physicians be required to take a class on how to use the machine? I am also curious about if patients will be able to decide if they want to be checked by a robot. This invention seems to have benefits but I think that more people should be more aware about the changes occurring in the medical field. This new innovation is extremely important because it can help you to think about questions that you may not would have thought about. From this example it appears as if the medical field if becoming very digital and medical students should be prepared for it but if you are a student pursuing the medical field do you prefer being digital? Since we are the future physicians it is important that we are informed about ways that our dream is changing.

Reference

MacRae, Michael, "Top 5 Medical Technology Innovations". ASME.org Mar. 2013 https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-innovations Accessed 9 Oct. 2016

Can Kissing Prevent Illness?

By: Amanda Ziminski


Kissing can be a great way to show your affection for someone you care about. Studies have shown that a first kiss is for "mate assessment" and every kiss afterwards is for "mediation of feelings of attachment in long term relationships" (Manoj, para. 7).

Whether you are kissing someone you just met at a party or a spouse after years of marriage, studies have found that it impacts your health in a positive way. One study published in the journal of Microbiome has found that a French kiss of 10 seconds can spread 80 million bacteria between mouths. The study took place at a zoo in the Netherlands. Researchers found 21 couples who were willing to take part in the study. They first swabbed the tongues of the couples and collected their salvia. Then then had the couples French kiss for ten seconds. After the kiss they swabbed the couple's tongues and collected their salvia again. The study found that "the bacteria on the couples tongue was much more similar to the oral bacteria than the bacteria of two strangers and kissing might act as a form of immunization (Manoj 48)."

Kissing also has several psychological benefits, including the release of neurotransmitters that improve mood, improving self esteem, and a sense of belonging. A German study also found that men who kissed their wives before leaving for work made more money.

So, yes, kissing can prevent illness and actually can improve health overall. A few notable benefits of kissing includes; reduced blood pressure, relieving cramps and headaches, fights cavities, burns calories, and assists with immunity from disease.


Note: This blog does not take into account the potential threat of STDs.

Works Cited:

Borchard, Therese J. "8 Benefits of Kissing | World of Psychology." World of Psychology. N.p., 01 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/03/8-benefits-of-kissing/>.                         

Manoj, Jain. "The Microbiology versus the Psychology of Kissing." KevinMD.com. N.p., 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/01/microbiology-versus-psychology-kissing.html>.           

(Image Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwLK4j-5KVuxncJg8OWw9yIbAaIM5Wu8CVqfEpxT9m_BVqIElBfZhFmQzdx4VuaaTwz-h7WymeFRHkRKG40JRSnRZwm4IM1-2LYnQ8bbGmbiBCpZXa3EtndIlt2NaZ-pAiP_XtEy62ZI/s1600/couple+love+kissing+sad+alone+miss+u+wallpapers+(10).jpg )             

Everyone Should Know CPR

By: Amanda Ziminski

(Image Credit: http://cdn.patch.com/users/21849573/2014/09/540b798c75b79.jpg)

   
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known as CPR, is defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) as an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions and artificial ventilations in effort to preserve intact brain function until further measure are taken to restore spontaneous circulation and breathing. In simpler terms, when a person goes into cardiac arrest, a blockage in the heart or artery, their circulation of blood and breathing stops. This means that there is no oxygen being delivered to the vital organs including the brain, kidneys, and heart.  This most often results in brain damage and death. By providing chest compressions it forces the heart to exert blood into the arteries and into the vital organs. The artificial ventilations can be in the form of mouth to mouth or using a bag valve mask. Both techniques force oxygen into the patient’s lungs. By combining these two procedures it postpones brain damage and death until more extreme measures can be taken over by first responders and emergency physicians.

So, why should everyone know CPR? Research from JAMA shows that bystanders who offer CPR to people in need can improve survival rates and neurological problems. Brain damage usually occurs after 3-5 minutes of onset, meanwhile the average time of first responders on scene is about 10 minutes. The study also found that more people who received CPR and defibrillator use by first responders also improved. CPR can be scary, especially you’re first time preforming it, however it is a relatively simple process that almost every adult can learn because in cardiac arrest, seconds matter.

   
There are many CPR courses that an individual can take, such as courses through the American Heart Association. Many people fear that if they make a mistake while performing CPR, they can get into legal issues. However, through the Good Samaritan Law, a person who is delivering voluntary emergency aid cannot be held legally liable in court.  It also states that any individual found to be unconscious falls under implied consent. You can learn more about the laws implications and limitations here: http://definitions.uslegal.com/g/good-samaritans/

However, if you chose not to take any courses there is also “hands only CPR,” which can be performed by just about anyone which can be found here: http://cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/Programs/HandsOnlyCPR/UCM_473196_Hands-Only-CPR.jsp

You can find AHA training information here: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CPR_UCM_001118_SubHomePage

Sources:

TIME. "Why You (Yes, You) Need to LEarn CPR." TIME: 100 New Health Discoveries 2015: 42-43. Print.

"Good Samaritans Law & Legal Definition." Good Samaritans Law & Legal Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.

Stem Cells -Medical Advancement

By: Kanedra Thaxton

(Image Credit: http://www.dasilvainstitute.com/autologous-adult-stem-cell-therapy/ )

      Just how far can Stem Cell Biology go?According to CNN, the very controversial topic Stem Cells has advanced. Stem Cells are now able to be programmed to become any type of cell in the body. Scientist believe that stem cells can be used to treat a number of different diseases like heart disease, eye disease, and diabetes. The reason why this study is very controversial is because scientist are cloning human embryos. People are afraid that it will lead to the cloning of babies although that is not the purpose of the study. So far researchers have said that human embryonic stem cells have restored the sight of several nearly blind patients (CNN Library). If this study continue to advance it can lead to a lot of break through's in medicine.
 
 The main problem with this research is the ethics used. Some people are not comfortable with the manipulation of life. I think that if this research is going to continue to be used it, there should be laws and regulations made to prevent unethical outcomes. So far, the treatment is shown to be effective with improving vision but since the research is new, there is not evidence of long term effects.Ultimately this research is a break through in medicine but we will have to wait to see how it will further advance. This hot topic is something that students perusing the medical field should stay updated with. Currently, there is a lot of controversy going on about the stem cells and being apart of the conversation is important. I t will show how much you are interested in your field and you will be able to gain information about your future career path.

Reference

CNN Library. Stem Cells Fast Facts. CNN. 7 Jun.2016. Accessed 2 Oct. 2016 <http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/05/health/stem-cells-fast-facts/> 

Prompt 5- Observing Community

By: Shivang Tripathi

Personally, I have always have been interested in the medical field and curious about how the human body and brain functions. It has alway been my dream to pursue a career in the medical field. In high school, I volunteered at the American Red Cross and learned a lot of valuable knowledge and important life skills. I observed what it was like to deal with many different types of patients from different back rounds. For this prompt, I interviewed my cousin who take parts in the Pre-Physicians Association club at MSU. His name is Aditya Shah. Aditya has been in this organization for a year, and will continue to participate in its activities within the next couple years as well. In this club, Aditya said that he was provided with crucial information and resources needed to get in medical school. He learned various methods that could assist him on the MCAT exam. He also stated that various doctors and medical technicians came in and talked to the members of the organization about their first hand experiences on getting into med school, and their future careers as a doctor. Aditya said that he is very happy that he takes part in this club because it taught him many valuable lessons that could help him and the future, and it motivated him. The methods of communication used within this club were texts, E-mails, and group meetings.