Synthesis

Synthesis Essay

            The blog project when first introduced just seemed like a waste of time, and every week when I had to write two posts I thought the same thing. Since the project has ended and it is time to reflect I now know that was not the case. The blog project has helped me in more ways then I can imagine. It has taught me more than just writing, reading and research skills, it has actually helped me achieve goals that I have for the field I am going into.

            The writing portion necessary for the project allowed me to improve my writing skills tremendously. I know how the skills to do in depth analysis on a specific topic/genre, I can now write more than just barely scratching the surface of an idea. This has allowed me to pursue more in depth topics I was not able to do in the past; exploring multiple sides to an idea/argument, new writing techniques and sources to use. I found out what sources work best for me and which ones do not. To start off with, scholarly articles were my least favorite to work with; they only had blank text of info that only people in that field could understand. You would have to translate it for the audience that would be viewing the blog. Next the source that seemed to be the best for me was the interview. This allowed me to talk to someone currently in MSU’s medical school and get their knowledge and opinions on the next steps I should take.

            This project has allowed me to find out the difficulties of getting into Med-School besides just grades. It first starts off with passion, do you really want to do this and for the right reasons? With this being said, do you have the drive for the countless hours of work and is the advancement of others health coming before the money? To keep in my how much work you have to do just to get into med-school check out my first prompt “Asking Questions and Breaking Assumptions” I talk about the grades necessary to get into med-school along with the process after med-school.

            Never did I think this project would allow me to meet new people and have opportunities to interact with them. As part of multiple prompts, I had to interview someone in my field and have hands on experience in my field. This allowed me to get a real persons side of the story about this whole process. I now know the study techniques and what schooling choices he made and why. Also when I shadowed the doctor, I found out what an every day type scenario will be as a working doctor.  The shadowing process allowed me to obtain a reference for when the time come to apply for med-school. This gives me an extra step ahead of the people I am competing against based on this inside knowledge I have acquired and the people I have met.

            With this all being said the blog project was an overall success. I came into this project with a bad attitude and left feeling accomplished. Looking back I am happy to have done this project and all the work that came with it because it not only improved my writing, but it also opened the door for future opportunities that will allow me to flourish in my long road ahead of me.

           

Prompt #10 Considering Delivery and Style

            As I compare the delivery and style between a scholarly article and a blog from my field, it is very clear on how different they are. The blog and scholarly article I am comparing are from previous posts I have within my blog: “Regenerative Medicine” and “It’s Possible to Have Fun During Medical School”. To start off with the main difference is what is contained within each source. Scholarly articles are called scholarly for a reason, they contain information that is 100% correct and is strictly facts and to the point. It is usually very bland and a lot of text, in my case it was. The article was a page long of just text and facts about stem cell research. Its purpose is to provide info in its specific field not to entertain you. It is geared towards people who already understand the terminology and phrases used. Now with the blog, the author wanted to entertain his audience while providing some information. The difference between the information given is that the scholarly article is completely true. The audience for the scholarly article would be professionals in that field needing information to further pursue their subject. For the blog the audience is anyone that has interest in that topic, you do not have to be in that field since it is easy and simple to understand.

Free post #10 Alcohol Does it Really Offer Health Benefits?

           The most common use of alcohol is to drink it to get drunk, but new studies have found that alcohol in moderation actually has health benefits. Even though it’s the number three preventable death, 88,000 deaths in the US each year are alcohol-related (MNT). Researchers from Brigham and Woman’s hospital in Boston, MA conducted a study to see if alcohol is actually beneficial.  From an analysis of almost 15,000 participants, the team found that - compared with participants who consumed no alcohol - men who drank up to seven alcoholic drinks a week had a 20% reduced risk of heart failure, while women who consumed up to seven drinks weekly were at 16% lower risk of heart failure (European Heart Journal).

            It is kind of ironic that if you drink too much alcohol it can hurt your heart, but if you drink in moderation it actually gives health benefits for your heart. This is also the case with diabetes. With this being said, alcohol will not have health benefits for everyone who consumes it in moderation.

Prompt #9 Evaluating Sources

One of the most controversial topics is stem cell research. In simple terms, stem cells come from human embryos. The cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types. This allows the cells to transform themselves into any cell you desire them to be.

The controversy comes from killing human embryos to obtain them. Lee, Park, Forget, and Gaines wrote an article titled “Induced pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine: an argument for continued research on human embryonic stem cells” where they argue for the advancement of this controversial research.

I am very on edge with this topic, I feel strong for both sides but it comes down mostly ethics for me. If I have the ability to save someone’s life but it comes at the cost of my child or someone else’s there is no way I would be able to do that. Stem cell research yet innovative is just way to controversial for me.

Han Lee, Jung Park, Bernard G Forget, and Peter Gaines, Regenerative Medicine, Vol.4, No. 5 , Pages 759-769(doi: 10.2217/rme.09.46)

Free Post #9 Steps Closer To Treating Alzheimers

            Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most devastating and emotionally painful diseases anyone can experience. The main target audience of this disease is the elderly. Common symptoms include hysteria, memory loss, and confusion. This is one of the most common diseases and one of the most puzzling for researchers.

There have been no breakthroughs for this disease until recently. Dr. Cohen and his team at St. Johns College in Cambridge research has begun to reap rewards. Their research showed “a molecule that can interrupt an important stage in the development of Alzheimer's disease. The molecule sticks to faulty proteins and stops them forming toxic clusters in the brain” (Cohen). With this discovery for the first time a specific process has been inhibited and its toxic effects can be halted (Cohen). Having the ability to have countless hours of research finally pay off must be an outstanding accomplishment and feeling. As I prepare myself for med-school I want my end goal to be having this feeling with where ever I land.

A molecular chaperone breaks the catalytic cycle that generates toxic Aβ oligomers, Samuel I.A. Cohen, et al., Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, published online 16 February 2015, doi:10.1038/nsmb.2971, abstract.