Wellness Day Reflection

I chose the topic of yoga because it has always been something I have been interested in. My freshman year I started doing yoga and I absolutely loved it. At first I started out doing Vinyasa or flow yoga. I found that it was a great way for me to stretch and increase my flexibility. When I did yoga in the mornings, I found that it really helped to wake me up and energize me for the day. Eventually, I started to hot yoga. I found this to be a bit more challenging due to the heated environment and quicker pace, but I really enjoyed the workout I got from it. In addition from the physical benefits that I received from yoga, it also helped me to destress and relax. Yoga is a very fun way to exercise while relaxing and clearing your mind at the same time, that is why I thought it would be the perfect for my Wellness Day.
While preparing for this presentation I discovered all the fun different types of yoga that there are. I had always known about aerial and even tried it a couple times myself. Another type of yoga that I discovered while doing research for this project was acro yoga. This is a combination of acrobatics and yoga. In order to do any of these poses a partner is needed, and a very strong one at that. Another funny type of yoga is called doga, or yoga with your dog. This has helped people to create harmony and form a greater connection with their dog.
Yoga is very important topic for health and wellness because it has so many benefits, both physical and mental. Some of it's physical benefits are increase inflexibility as well as balance. In addition, it also helps to strengthen your muscles and promotes blood flow through all the movement that is done in a yoga class. Some mental benefits include mindfulness through meditation and your breath-work. Another mental benefit is relaxation responses that are shown to help relieve stress and even reduce symptoms of depression.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate our presentation a 9. I believe that we had a good balance between lecturing and educating the class on our topic while also demonstrating different yoga poses and walking the class through a basic yoga sequence. I also believe that we were able to keep the class engaged and interested throughout our presentation. I hope that the class was able to take away something from our presentation.
Another thing about this topic that interests me is pilates. There are many type of pilates such as traditional pilates, that include the use of a special apparatus, mat pilates, that includes the exercises being done on a yoga mat, and hot mat pilates, where the exercises are done in heated room of about 104-105 degrees. Pilates incorporates many aspects of yoga, such as poses like downward dog and the importance of flexibility. I have always liked pilates because while it has some aspects of yoga in it, I find that it provides me with a more intense workout than yoga gives. I do also find that I receive a lot of same mental benefits that I receive from yoga, such as relaxation and mindfulness.

Unit 4 Reflection

In this unit, we learned all about the Integumentary system and it's basic functions. The main function of this system is to protect the body from mechanical, chemical, thermal, and bacterial damage. When I think of protection for our body, the first thing I think about is the skin. The skin is composed of three layers, the first being the epidermis. The epidermis is what everyone can see since it is the part of the skin that contains melanin, a pigment for color. However, underneath the epidermis the dermis. Made up of dense connective tissue, collagen, and elastic fibers, the dermis is what provides the skin with it's toughness. Finally, there is the hypodermis, which is the deepest layer. The hypodermis is not actually a part of the skin; however, it is an anchor of the skin to underlying organs. Although the skin might be the first physical barrier we think of for protection of our body there are many more. Others include ceruminous, which is essentially the wax found in your ears. Along with the tiny hairs found in your ears, this helps to trap foreign particles and prevents unwanted bacterial from entering the body. Another source of protection is your nails. Formed from keratin, your nails help to perform everyday tasks such as grasping and manipulation small objects but they also serves as a form of protection to keep unwanted bacteria and other foreign particles away. Similar to ceruminous, mucus membranes create linings on body cavities that are open to the exterior in order to help trap and filter invaders.
Another system of defense that our body has is chemical defense. One method of chemical defense includes sebum. Sebum is an oil that is secreted by the skin to form a protective layer. Similarly, we have sweat, or perspiration. Secreted by the sweat glands, this helps us to flush microbes from the skin's surface.
The next form of non-specific protection is through anti-microbial substances, like natural killer cells. These are white blood cells that have the ability to kill viruses infected body cells or even cancer. There are also anti-microbial processes such as inflammation. Inflammation is triggered by stress due to tissue damage. This can help to prevent the spread of pathogens and promote the repair of damaged tissue. There are three stages of inflammation, vasodilation and increased permeability of blood vessels, phagocytes migrate, and then repair. Another anti-microbial process we learned about are fevers, which inhibit microbial growth and help to stimulate the production of white blood cells.
There is also specific resistance, which is effective against a single pathogen. There is cell-mediated immunity where invaders are attacked directly by the cells and are T cell driven, and then there is antibody-mediated immunity, where invaders are destroyed by antibodies and are B cell driven. T cells help by directly attacking the infected cell and some can be memory T cells that store the memory of invading antigens for years.
The last thing we learned about was cancer. Cancer can have two types of tumors, malignant and benign. Benign tumors are noncancerous and cannot spread throughout the body, while malignant tumors are cancerous and can be very dangerous and can spread throughout the body. Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body and is the most advanced and worrisome stage of the progression of cancer. Some treatments of cancer include surgery, radiation, internal radiation, and chemotherapy. In order to prevent cancer, one should avoid tobacco, limit their sun exposure and most importantly know their family history.
In this unit, I learned a lot about what happens when we get sick or when our defense system needs to go into action. I was very surprised to see how many of the everyday processes we go through help us to keep pathogens out of our body. Something as simple as sweat can help us from getting sick or an infection.
From the debates, I learned a lot about some very interesting topics. From the Nature Deficit Debate, I learned the importance of going outside and some of the amazing benefits it has, such as helping veterans with PTSD. From my debate on the organ market, I learned about the pros and cons of being able to sell your organs and how it may help but also hurt us. I found the debates very interesting and I thought it was a good way to be engaged and learn something new.












I have always considered myself to be a visual learner, and after taking the VARK questionnaire, I learned I was correct. These results were exactly what I would have expected. To play into my learning style in preparation for the test, I will study by drawing out diagrams and other visuals so I can see the material in a visually appealing way. My results from the questionnaire are below.
Visual 12
Aural 1
Read/Write 5
Kinesthetic 9

Heart Dissection Lab

1. The pericardium is a lubricated sac that surrounds the heart. The purpose of the pericardium is to protect the heart.
2. In their structure, arteries are thicker than veins and ridged inside.
3. The auricles are basically an extension of the atrium and allow the heart to pump more blood. They provide an extra space and fills up like a balloon with blood.
4. Between atria and ventricles, the ventricles appear to be darker in color on the outside. While the atria appears to have more surrounding fat and have the attached auricle that appear a brown color.
5. The exit of the coronary sinus is seen on the posterior side of the heart, but was unfortunately blocked my fat. The inferior vena cava would be inferior and posterior to the apex of the heart but was already cut off.
6.

 In this photo you can see the chordae tendinae, which look like long, white fibers and the papillary muscle which is inferior and appears like a lump of muscle. 

7. The heart valves being anchored by the chordae tendinae and papillary muscles is important because it prevents the valves from caving and keeps the blood from back flow. 

8.

When looking at the bicuspid valve, you can see the long white chordae tendinae as well as the papillary muscle which is inferior from the chordae tendinae. 

9. The function of the semilunar valve is to prevent the back flow of blood. 

10. a) Valve disease on the right side of the heart may result in the the swelling of the feet and ankles because the blood is being pushed out of the heart and you might be experiencing blood pooling in other parts of the body, which explain the swelling. 

b) If you experience a valve disease on the left side of the heart you would expect to see a lack of oxygen in your blood, making things such as exercise more difficult. 

11. The chordae tendindeae of the bicuspid valve resemble long, white fibers. They are attached to the posterior surface of the valve. On one side the chordae tendinae are attached to the bicuspid valve, and on the other, they are attached to the papillary muscle. 

12. The left side of the heart receives the oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins and then helps to pump throughout the body. The right side of the heart receives the deoxygenated blood from the body and then returns the blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. 

13.

Interior cross-section of the heart.

Cardiovascular Mid-unit Summary

In this unit so far, we have learned about the heart(beat), blood composition, blood vessels, and cardiovascular disease. In the hear(beat) lecture, we learned about the structure of the heart and how it beats. We learned that the heart is covered by the pericardium, which secretes a fluid that lubricates the heart and reduces friction. We also talked about the four chambers of the heart , the right atria and ventricle, and the left atria and ventricle. In addition, we learned about the valves that make the blood flow between these chambers. These valves are the tricuspid, bicuspid, and semilunar. Each help to prevent the backflow of blood. What makes the heart beat sound is the cardiac cycle. It is the relaxation and contraction of both the atriums and the ventricles. Everyone knows that heart beats, but the cardiac cycle shows what is going on as the heart is beating. In the blood vessels we learned about how blood vessels have many functions. These functions include the veins carrying blood from tissues to the heart and the arteries carrying blood from the heart to the tissues. We also learned that capillaries are the tiny vessels that connect our arterioles to our venules. When your blood pressure is too high, you are at risk for heart disease.One disease we learned about was atherosclerosis. That is when fatty material deposits on the inside of the blood vessels and the vessel in turn becomes less flexible and it is harder for blood to flow. These blood vessels can become obstructed or pieces can break off and lodge somewhere else. A blood clot can then form. In time, atherosclerosis may cause a stroke or heart attack. When talking about cardiovascular diseases, we discussed heart attacks, atherosclerosis, cholesterol, and other risk factors. A heart attack is caused when the blood supply to the myocardium is severely reduced or stopped which causes damage to the heart cells or even death to the cells. Heart attacks are usually the result of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is chronic inflammation caused by excess sugars and polyunsaturated fat (bad fat). We also learned about the two different types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. LDL is the bad cholesterol and will stick to the arteries like garbage and HDL is good and cleans up LDL like a garabge truck. We talked about the risk factors and how some of these included lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and much more. In "Strike Against Strokes" one point made is that is is necessary to keep a low blood pressure. When your blood pressure rises, it causes damage to all the blood vessels in the body, which in turn can cause strokes and heart attacks. It is also mentioned that you must keep a proper diet in order to maintain a healthy life style and reduce your risk of a stroke. In the atherosclerosis reading, one point made is that although bad cholesterol (LDL) is one factor of atherosclerosis, there are many of risk factors that contribute.

Blood Pressure Lab

1. Systole is when the atrium contracts and the blood is forced from the atria to the ventricles, while diastole is when the ventricles relax and blood is pumped away from the heart. The systole is also what makes the "lub" sound and the diastole is the "dub" sound when listening to the heartbeat.

2. The equipment used to measure heart rate is a stethoscope as well as your pointer and middle finger. The equipment used to measure your blood pressure is a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff, called a sphygomomanometer. 

3. Using your thumb to measure a pulse is not ideal because your thumb has a pulse of it's own and the two pulses may be confused. 

4. When using a blood pressure cuff, you first want to make sure all the air is released when you tighten it on your arm. Then make sure the air valve is closed as you increase the pressure to around 160. Then, slowly release the valve and when you start to hear the heart beat, that is when you record the first number. When you can no longer hear the heartbeat, that's when you record the second number.

Heart Chalk Walk

The flow of blood through the heart 

Blood enters from the superior vena cava and then goes into the right atrium. It then goes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. From the right ventricle it exits through the pulmonary valve to the pulmonary artery. Next it goes to the lungs to become oxygenated and then through the pulmonary veins into the left aorta. The blood then goes through the bicuspid valve into the left ventricle. It then exits through the aortic valve to the aorta, which then releases blood to the body.

                                   

                                                                     Our heart

Unit 2 Reflection

Health is the measure of our body's efficiency and over-all well-being. There are three different aspects of health, mental, physical, and social. In order to be healthy, you must make sure these aspects and your 5 pillars of health, nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social, are balanced. I would say I am fairly healthy, although there are some aspects of my health that I need to work on. The areas I need work on are sleep and stress. As a full time student I am under a lot of stress and often stay up late working on school or college applications. In turn, I am sometimes not able to get able a lot of sleep. Here at Saratoga, the majority of the students are battling the same problems I am. Just from talking to people, I know a lot of students are sleep deprived and constantly stressed by all the pressure put on us by ourselves, parents, or peers. In order to promote greater wellness and health on campus, students should try to manage their time well and make sure they are balancing their pillars equally. Some of the essential understandings for this unit had to do with understanding how nutrients effect our physiology, why sleep is important, the physiological effects of stress to name a few. In this unit I learned how important your mental and social health is. People may often neglect their mental and social health, believing that physical health is the most important. I learned that making sure you get enough sleep, engage in social activities, and try to limit and control your stress can be just as important as exercising and eating nutritiously. In the next unit, I will make sure to gather a clear understanding from each section as I learn them and will be able to relate them to real life occurrences. In the sleep TED talk, it talked about how important it was to make sure you get enough sleep. That without enough sleep, your body will not be able to function like it normally does or should be able to. This just reinforces what we learned in the sleep lecture about just how important sleep is. How without sleep, it is hard to focus and do every day activities like driving.

My health goals are to eat a well balanced and nutrient filled meal, get at least some sort of daily exercise, as well as trying to manage my stress and making sure I get enough sleep.
Action I will take are trying to walk and go on runs as much as I can. In addition, I will try to be smart with my time and manage all my school work. Really putting in the effort not to get behind.
A healthy life is important to me because I want to make sure I am in good health and and live a long life.
I know I will have reached my goals when I feel like I have balanced out my 5 pillars of health.

What Health Means to Me!

Health to me means that you are taking care of yourself and doing what is best for your body. That includes not only eating well and getting some form of daily exercise, but also making sure you are getting enough sleep every night and are managing the stress in your life as best you can. I believe it is also a very important part of health to maintain healthy, beneficial social relationships with the people in your life. In an ideal situation, all parts of the Pillars of Health would be equal, although I know that is not always the case. For me, I think I do a good job on my nutrition, exercise, and social pillars. However, my sleep and stress pillars could use a little more focus on them. With school and a busy daily life, it is easy to stay awake stressing about school or college or life in general. In regards to health, I would like to learn more about social and mental health. A lot of the time, physical health is the primary subject in regards to health, so I think it would be interesting to learn more about your mental and social health. 

Cell Specialization: Osteoclasts

The osteoclast is a multinucleated cell, human osteoclasts typically have five nuclei. These cells are also about 150-200 µm in diameter and are found in the pit of the bone’s surface, called the resorption bays or Howship’s lacunae. Osteoclasts are characterized by a cytoplasm that creates a sort of "foamy" appearance. This is due to the high concentration of vesicles and vacuoles. Another prominent characteristic is the cell's dozens of nuclei. An osteoclast has all the same organelles as a typical eukaryotic cell. The tissue type of an osteoclast is connective tissue.

In general, bone cells control the development of new bones and continual bone remodeling. They also keep the maintenance of bones as well as keeping a homeostatic regulation of minerals in the body. Specifically, osteoclasts break down bone tissue. They disassemble and digest the composite of hydrated protein and mineral at a molecular level by secreting acid and a collagenase (an enzyme that breaks the peptide bonds in collagen). In addition, they are also very critical Critical in the maintenance, repair, and remodeling of bones of the vertebral skeleton.