Be it Resolved that: In all medical decisions (sexual, psychiatric, cosmetic' and so on) the individual/patient should be free to choose.
Affirmative.
We had this debate in the beginning of the year and it boggles my mind that people would put all their trust in others' hands to believe that they would do what is most 'ethical'. What is 'ethical' have changed depending on what we have come to understand what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Historically, it was no question that it was ethical to sterilize women of color. Doctors who participated in this monstrous act would consider what they are doing to be 'correct' or 'ethical'.
As a woman of color, I deserve and should be able to make all my medical decisions.
There may be extreme cases, like the amputation cases we discussed earlier in this course. If a person went to the doctor and wanted their leg cut off, should the doctor do it?
Well if you think about it, if the doctor doesn't do it the safe way for them. They will do it elsewhere, or worse, by themselves. In the end, if they really want it they will get it done.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Blog Post #6
During winter break, I participated in a global health seminar in Thailand where I was introduced to the social determinants of health. In this blog post, I would like to share my observations that support the following statement from the assignment: From any 'eating / food event,' closely read, we should be able to infer just about anything about a society / culture.
The learning outcome of my study abroad experience was to make us become aware of the complex network that contributes to our level of health. During one of our assignments, our professors sent us on a scavenger hunt to look to identify how a social determinant contributes to the overall health of the community. My group and I visited a local school to see what kind of food was available to the students. We noticed that the food was not coming from a franchised restaurant chain, instead, it was coming from locals who believe it or not, use locally grown and unprocessed ingredients to cook the food they sold. Another observation was that there was not a lot of fast food vendors surrounding the school.
When we returned to the United States, our professors asked us to use the same social determinant of health and compare it to what we saw in Thailand. One drastic comparison was the availability of processed food on campus. Although there is an abundance of food available, the majority tends to be highly processed. Its no wonder why we have the freshmen 15! It's not that students choose to eat unhealthy, it more than they are placed in an environment that lacks alternative choice.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
oops
How has social media has altered the way people see themselves?
With noses constantly turned towards screens, it’s not had to see how many have
become influenced by the images that flash in front of them. In the rapid evolution
of our society today, advances in technology have dictated the course of human
interactions. Face-to-face interactions are often pushed aside for text messaging,
snapchat, etc., and it has also affected the way that people view themselves. What has been lost and sacrificed in the name of convenience and expediency?
With noses constantly turned towards screens, it’s not had to see how many have
become influenced by the images that flash in front of them. In the rapid evolution
of our society today, advances in technology have dictated the course of human
interactions. Face-to-face interactions are often pushed aside for text messaging,
snapchat, etc., and it has also affected the way that people view themselves. What has been lost and sacrificed in the name of convenience and expediency?
Although technology has provided a platform for people to connect, it is
important to recognize the potential consequences of living within a
media-saturated culture. Technology is typically the space where consumers absorb
and interpret information that influence the way that people view themselves, their
self-worth, their bodies, and others. With social media, only the highlight reels are
being broadcasted. Since we’re only getting the highlight reels, it is really easy to
compare them to our lives, even we don’t know what else is going on behind their
screen.
important to recognize the potential consequences of living within a
media-saturated culture. Technology is typically the space where consumers absorb
and interpret information that influence the way that people view themselves, their
self-worth, their bodies, and others. With social media, only the highlight reels are
being broadcasted. Since we’re only getting the highlight reels, it is really easy to
compare them to our lives, even we don’t know what else is going on behind their
screen.
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m always on some sort of social media platform,
and I’ll attest how difficult it is to not compare yourself to others.How can her
stomach be that small if she still eats like that? Why is it our makeup looks so different
even though we’re using the same products? Questions that I know that I am not alone
in asking, but how can I not. A part of my self identity is built on the social and
cultural context that I live in.
and I’ll attest how difficult it is to not compare yourself to others.How can her
stomach be that small if she still eats like that? Why is it our makeup looks so different
even though we’re using the same products? Questions that I know that I am not alone
in asking, but how can I not. A part of my self identity is built on the social and
cultural context that I live in.
There has been a shift from being internally to externally driven. Popular culture has
manifested portraits of who it wants people to be, whether people like to admit it or not.
Hitting the core of our basic need to feel good about ourselves, accepted, and attractive,
media tells us what we should believe about ourselves. Social media has cause people
to move away from expressing their own identities and towards constructing facades
based on the opinions of others. People often make decisions on where to go, what to eat,
or what to wear based on the images that they have found on the explore page of their
instagram feed. People are unconsciously shaping their lives around the actions of others.
It is really hard for me whether this is a problem or not. Like, it is an obvious
problem, but the problem is on a spectrum of extremes. It really depends on the way
that people use the platform and how people let it influence them. There are sixteen
year olds out their flaunting their $800 shoes while sitting in their Range Rovers,
but there are also people who are using their social media to effect change in their
communities. It’s really easy for me to jeer at all of these preteens who wear revealing
or really expensive clothes, or paint their faces with more makeup than I’ll ever
where, but what gives me the right to when that is all they know.
____________________________________
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of overweight people in the United States. So much so that it is being called the obesity epidemic. A part of this problem is an increase in food intake. American’s like things bigger. Large food portions have also been glamorized by many restaurants that allow patrons to partake in wild food challenges. So the solution would seem easy, if people are eating more to gain more weight, then they should start eating less if they want to lose weight. Unfortunately we all know that it is not that easy. Despite the array of diets, health clubs, drugs, and devices out there to help facilitate weight loss, once people are done are done with their treatment, most will return to their free environments where the loss weight will most likely return.
Having free will means that people are able to choose what foods they eat and how
much they eat. I think that everyone has free will, however over time people who gain
manifested portraits of who it wants people to be, whether people like to admit it or not.
Hitting the core of our basic need to feel good about ourselves, accepted, and attractive,
media tells us what we should believe about ourselves. Social media has cause people
to move away from expressing their own identities and towards constructing facades
based on the opinions of others. People often make decisions on where to go, what to eat,
or what to wear based on the images that they have found on the explore page of their
instagram feed. People are unconsciously shaping their lives around the actions of others.
It is really hard for me whether this is a problem or not. Like, it is an obvious
problem, but the problem is on a spectrum of extremes. It really depends on the way
that people use the platform and how people let it influence them. There are sixteen
year olds out their flaunting their $800 shoes while sitting in their Range Rovers,
but there are also people who are using their social media to effect change in their
communities. It’s really easy for me to jeer at all of these preteens who wear revealing
or really expensive clothes, or paint their faces with more makeup than I’ll ever
where, but what gives me the right to when that is all they know.
____________________________________
Do we really choose what we eat?
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of overweight people in the United States. So much so that it is being called the obesity epidemic. A part of this problem is an increase in food intake. American’s like things bigger. Large food portions have also been glamorized by many restaurants that allow patrons to partake in wild food challenges. So the solution would seem easy, if people are eating more to gain more weight, then they should start eating less if they want to lose weight. Unfortunately we all know that it is not that easy. Despite the array of diets, health clubs, drugs, and devices out there to help facilitate weight loss, once people are done are done with their treatment, most will return to their free environments where the loss weight will most likely return.
Having free will means that people are able to choose what foods they eat and how
much they eat. I think that everyone has free will, however over time people who gain
excessive amounts of weight are no longer eating for survival, but they’re just eating to eat.
Their brains have become wired to their bodies. There come a point where their free
will is no longer there.
Their brains have become wired to their bodies. There come a point where their free
will is no longer there.
People will start off binge eating occasionally, when they’re bored, or have guest over, but it
eventually will manifest into something uncontrollable. They’ll no longer have control of
their hunger or what they consume, and often times it’s the fatty fried stuff that will
settle their stomachs.
eventually will manifest into something uncontrollable. They’ll no longer have control of
their hunger or what they consume, and often times it’s the fatty fried stuff that will
settle their stomachs.
Blogs On Top Of Blogs
Blog #3
I grew up in a shaman Hmong household. Shamans believe that
the body and mind are separate, but somehow connected in order for us to live.
When I was younger, I believed that when I was sick, it was because there was something
wrong with my soul and a shaman had to contact my spirit and figure out what
was wrong. I believed this was the only way to treat my sickness. As I got
older, I started to question my religious belief because of my new-found
interest in science. For something to be legit, you need facts to back it up.
Science would not be science without the evidence. To treat a sickness, there
are medications that can be taken. There are tests that can be done to figure out
what is wrong with the body. Yet, I thought the only way to cure me of my
sickness was for a stranger to come and call my spirit from another realm home.
Did I only get better because I tricked myself into believing the ritual done
by the shaman worked? Is it just the placebo affect working?
Blog #6
In the United States, over one third of adults are obese. Working
at McDonald’s all throughout high school showed me how badly society eats. McDonald’s,
along with other fast food chains in America are contributing to this high
percentage of obesity. These fast food chains are known for providing a meal
for a cheap price. McDonald’s currently has their $1, $2, and $3 menu,
containing drinks, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and nuggets. As someone who
doesn’t have money to spare, I would choose a $1 burger over going to the grocery
store and cooking my own meal. It’s cheap and convenient. These fast food
chains are aware that because they advertise something for only a few bucks,
they’re going to attract customers. Yet, they don’t provide healthier options.
Why sell a burger for a few bucks when you can offer a salad for the same?
Blog #9
Tomi Lahren… I hate that I love watching her. Tomi Lahren was
known for her segment on TheBlaze, which is a conservative network. She captures
the viewers’ attention through her angry, biting tone. Tomi doesn’t present
news in an unbiased way. She presents the news and gives her commentary, usually
criticizing liberals. In a tweet, she made the comment of the Black Lives
Matter movement was the “new KKK”. Her logic in this is that the BLM protest
and deliberately target white people, the same thing the KKK does to black
people. She equates these two groups, yet the KKK’s narrative is white supremacy
and the BLM’s narrative is equality of black people. She displays information in
a hateful way, providing only information supporting her view point. Those who
watch her segments with no prior knowledge on the issue she’s discussing side
with her because she’s a pretty, young, white millennial.
Blog #10
It's difficult to say whether YouTube is good or bad because it does allow people to showcase their talents and we can use YouTube for educational purposes, such as learning how to memorize the 20 amino acids, but there are videos out there harming the youtubers who create the content as well as the viewers. YouTube is a platform that has allowed people to make a
living. Being YouTube famous is what most kids want these days. With that, parents
are supporting and allowing their kids to create content for YouTube, whether
it’s music, skits, or tutorials. This is a great way for kids to express
themselves, but are their parents setting them up for failure? What happens
when YouTube no longer becomes available? Will kids have the skills to survive
in the real world? Are their parents embodying them with false hope? Not everyone
can be Justin Bieber who was lucky enough to be discovered on YouTube by Usher.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Patients and the right to choose
For my group's debate in this class, we had to argue for the patient's right to choose in all medical decisions. This issue is one that revolves around the dilemma of complete patient freedom or letting the doctors, who know what the best treatment would be for the patient, make the decision for them. Personally, I believe this is a very straightforward decision. The medical field is a patient-oriented field, and it has always been this way. Ultimately, it makes sense that a patient should have the rights to full freedom over their own body. Freedom is an extremely important right that is granted to every citizen of this country, and I feel that the right to freedom over your own body is one of the most sacred freedoms at all.
Before this class, I never really thought about this debate, simply because I had never considered the alternative of the doctors making the final decision. After going through the debate and writing this blog post, I can safely say that my initial belief was verified by the research we did.
Before this class, I never really thought about this debate, simply because I had never considered the alternative of the doctors making the final decision. After going through the debate and writing this blog post, I can safely say that my initial belief was verified by the research we did.
Doc, I Don't Feel So Good.
This class was gave a much needed startle to my mind, which
has been slowly inculcated into a ridgid disciplinary science thinking pattern.
Broadly, the topics that have stayed with me are the discussions on
apotemnophilia and Stigmata. As someone who loves neuroscience and likes to see
data supporting something, these topics really threw me off. My first thought
was that those conditions weren’t conditions at all, but really symptoms of a
psychiatric disorder. I must admit that I do still believe the superior right
parietal lobe has something to do with apotemnophilia and somatoparaphrenia,
however I now see the effects of semantic contagion. Semantic contagion
fascinates me. Something that may be false for the originator is adopted and
becomes real for a follower/consumer. One person's symptom may become another’s
diagnosis.
I also see how market conditioning and FDA coercion gave us
HSDD. I have always loved the idea that science is free of things like politics
and money, that discoveries and work are just unraveling the complexity of the
body or world. Now, I see the sneaking influence of outside entities, from
online chat rooms to pink washing Cindy. I can see that our work in science may
for a few minutes be pure and neutral, and that after legitimation and
commercialization happens. At that point our work may be in the hands of people
who use it for ill gain. In some ways it makes me want to pursue a degree in
law on top of things so I can deal with people like Cindy.
The reason I picked the title of “Doc, I don’t feel good” is
due to how this class has changed my conception of what is “real.” What is not
real for me may be real for a patient. What is real to me and what is truth and
reality to me may not be real, truth, or reality to a patient. Sickness,
beliefs, belief of sickness, all combine to make it so I and a patient may live
in two separate worlds. Worlds that need to be bridged. I think that in some
ways this class has helped me to think in more abstract terms. I will still
love my MEG and fMRI, but I will be open to hearing about conditions I would
before have said just need DBS. I will also try not to have a notion of I know
what you need (insert brand name) when I hear that someone doesn’t feel so
good.
Warning: Unknown Side Effects
What are 'they' really selling? This has been a question that we have entertained in many different facets this semester. Whether it is animal rights, GMOs, pharmaceuticals, technology, media, or any other entity trying to sell itself to us or us to it, they all play in the game. Before this class, I knew that media and brands were obviously all trying to sell us their products for a profit. However, after a culmination of emotions from irritation to excitement and curiosity evoked during our discussions, I have finally come to terms with the dark truth. Behind every advertisement, click-bait on Facebook, and must-run on a news channel, there is an ulterior message being implied. Some are moderate views and others are doused in outdated, heteronormative ideals. Why does this concept bother me? Well, it seems self evident, but if I must...
As was one of the group debates on if media was ruining democracy, there are further implications to these platforms that we know, love, and use every day. The thing that bothers me is not that it is taking place, but rather how imbedded it is in our society and how unbelievably difficult it would be to remove these problems like advertisements from the sites we are using. Why? Well because of the society we live in of course. At the end of the day, these companies are trying to make a profit and that profit comes from their product: us. Whether on a news channel, Tinder, or the highly contested Facebook, these businesses appear to be that they are selling us a service. However, the real money making part (as we all learned and know) is the consumer and our information.
Before this class, I knew there was targeted advertising. I knew that there were some platforms that had skewed views such as Fox being hard republican or specific audiences such as Tinder and younger adults. Yet, I never realized to what extent this infiltrated our system. The problem is so interwoven into the facets of peoples lives that they are simply just a mirror of who we are and what values we deem acceptable. If they, the advertisements, click-bait, and news, are approaching things with certain values, it is because the public is accepting it and saying it is okay. To make enough people bother to change it is the difficult and quite irritating issue at hand. Again, why? Because these advertisements and other contributors aren't going to go away, but the content they are providing to us can change. The challenging part is if we, as a society, are willing to change it.
Thank you to everyone in this class who has said things to provoke me to question my surroundings and the things that I see everyday. Thank you for helping me realize that just because it is "normal" doesn't mean it is the best way, it is simply the accepted way. And thank you Robin and Brendan for taking us on this journey of, if I be so bold to say, enlightenment. This is the most memorable class I have had at the U yet. Thank you.
As was one of the group debates on if media was ruining democracy, there are further implications to these platforms that we know, love, and use every day. The thing that bothers me is not that it is taking place, but rather how imbedded it is in our society and how unbelievably difficult it would be to remove these problems like advertisements from the sites we are using. Why? Well because of the society we live in of course. At the end of the day, these companies are trying to make a profit and that profit comes from their product: us. Whether on a news channel, Tinder, or the highly contested Facebook, these businesses appear to be that they are selling us a service. However, the real money making part (as we all learned and know) is the consumer and our information.
Before this class, I knew there was targeted advertising. I knew that there were some platforms that had skewed views such as Fox being hard republican or specific audiences such as Tinder and younger adults. Yet, I never realized to what extent this infiltrated our system. The problem is so interwoven into the facets of peoples lives that they are simply just a mirror of who we are and what values we deem acceptable. If they, the advertisements, click-bait, and news, are approaching things with certain values, it is because the public is accepting it and saying it is okay. To make enough people bother to change it is the difficult and quite irritating issue at hand. Again, why? Because these advertisements and other contributors aren't going to go away, but the content they are providing to us can change. The challenging part is if we, as a society, are willing to change it.
Thank you to everyone in this class who has said things to provoke me to question my surroundings and the things that I see everyday. Thank you for helping me realize that just because it is "normal" doesn't mean it is the best way, it is simply the accepted way. And thank you Robin and Brendan for taking us on this journey of, if I be so bold to say, enlightenment. This is the most memorable class I have had at the U yet. Thank you.
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