Acupuncture and a Reflection on this Semester

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese alternative medicine that uses thin needles inserted into specific points on the body to produce healing energy. These needles are then inserted into channels, called the meridians. There are 12 meridians and this illustration below helps give us a good visual.

I have experienced the use of acupuncture. I needed to try everything possible to relieve my bladder pain and thought this would be a good alternative. As shown in the picture above, I had needles placed into my lower leg where the Urinary bladder meridian is located. I also had needles place on the top of my hand in hopes that it could relieve my intestinal problems as well. Unfortuantly, acupuncture did not help me. It was very relaxing and I always felt mentally better walking out. Even though I didn't get relief, I know many others have tried acupuncture for other various diseases and conditions. In some cases, acupuncture has helped them.

I learned even more about acupuncture from Kelly Jasinski. I learned that acupuncture could be used for weightloss. Kelly said " According to Dr. Oz, acupuncture can be used for weight loss. Acupuncture may also increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach to help people know that they are full". Due to the fact that she brought up that subject, I looked more into it. I wanted to know:

What points are used for this treatment? According to this website; here are the points used for weight loss:

• Mouth - for the impulsive eater who may also smoke a lot and talk a lot
• Stomach - for the person who eats even after they're full or who's constantly nibbling
• Hungry - for general appetite control
• Lung - for food addicts, and people who love chocolate, sweets
• Shenmen - a calming point, for the psychology overlay for anxiety, anger, frustration, insecurity
• Endocrine - for water retention that's responsible for some of the weight gain
• Adrenal and Ovary - if weight gain is due to menopause or P.M.S.
• Spleen - for sugar imbalances and hormonal disturbances
• Kidney - for water retention, and nervous system and hormonal imbalances
• Thyroid - for slow metabolism

I find this all so interesting. However, people need to realize that they need to have a healthy diet and good exercise plan along with the acupuncture, in order for it to work. The more educated we get, the better we understand.

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I did learn a lot throughout these 7 modules. I believe I will be able to use all of the information I learned from this course and apply it in the future.
My grade did suffer due to the fact that I lacked participation in the discussion forums. I have made an effort to reply to more than one person, hoping that it will improve my grade. Of course, this is something I should have done all along!
My first couple student seminar discussions that I posted were not very good. Due to your feedback, I was able to improve and get 5's instead of 2's or 3's. If I were to give myself feedback, I would say to add more information and to make it interesting. Making it interesting will increase the chances of getting multiple replies and starting an actual discussion with one another.
I did learn a lot during this semester and I hope to apply it in the future.

Breast Cancer --- What Are Risk Factors? and How Do you Catch it Early?

Breast Cancer is defined in as "A malignant (cancer) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. It is found mostly in women". So how do I make sure I don't become one of the 2.8 million who die from Breast Cancer every year? I don't want to be another statistic.


What are the risk factors of breast cancer? Well according to our textbook on page 308, it says these are the possible factors.

• Mother who had breast cancer before age 60.
• Onset of menarche before age 14.
• First child born over after age 30.
• No biological children.
• Menopause after age 55.
• Benign breast disease.
• Estrogen replacement therapy after age 55.
• Consuming more than 3 ounces of alcohol a day.
• Inheritance of BRCA1, BRCA2, and other susceptibility genes.
• Exposure to xenoestrogens.

So what is BRCA1 and BRCA2? According to this website, "The most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. In normal cells, these genes help prevent cancer by making proteins that help keep the cells from growing abnormally. If you have inherited a mutated copy of either gene from a parent, you have a high risk of developing breast cancer during your lifetime. The risk may be as high as 80% for members of some families with BRCA mutations. These cancers tend to occur in younger women and more often affect both breasts than cancers in women who are not born with one of these gene mutations. Women with these inherited mutations also have an increased risk for developing other cancers, particularly ovarian cancer.

To me, it seems like all women are susceptible to breast cancer. There are so many different risk factors and any one women could get it. I also believe that most young women think breast cancer only happens to you in your older years. That is NOT the case. Every time I visit my Gynecologist, my Doctor examines my breasts to make sure that there is nothing abnormal about them. I remember that I was 17 years old when my Doctor first examined my breasts. I however, never think about examining my breasts throughout the year and that can be a matter of life or death.

How do I examine my breasts? and How do I know what to look for?
I found a great website called Breast Self Exam. They give you step by step instructions and if you turn your speakers on, you will be able to listen to the instructions. I also found out that you should do a self exam once a month! I only have it done once a year!
Here is how you feel your breasts:
There are three patterns that can be used to check your breast area.
Choose the one pattern that is the most comfortable and convenient for you.

Clock Pattern

Circle Pattern

Grid Pattern

This is what you should look and feel for:




Also, our textbook on page 309 gives a Wellness Guide for Self Breast Exam. When you are in your teens, you should get to know your breasts. You should know what your breasts feel like and what they look like. Then, you have a way to determine if something is out of the ordinary. 
So when should I contact a Doctor? In the textbook, it says to contact a health professional if you:

• Feel a hard lump or knot in or near the breast or underarm.
• Dimpling, puckering, or ridges of the skin on the breast.
• A nipple that is pushed inward rather than sticking out.
• Redness, warmth, swelling, or pain.
• Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple.
• Nipple discharge other then breast milk.
• Change in color, shape, size, or texture of a breast. 

It's even more important to make sure you do not use a BSE as a replacement over having a mammogram done. In the end, a mammogram can save your life. If you do all these things like a BSE and having a mammogram done, your success rate for treatment of a tumor can increase.

I truly believe that young women should be educated on breast cancer and the risk factors as well. All women should learn how to do a Self Breast Exam and make sure they get a mammogram once a year. In the end, examining yourself or being screened, can be a difference between life or death.

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Participation in this Module:
I feel I participated as much as possible in this module. I was kind of upset to say that least. I put a lot of time into my discussion post and only one person participated with me. I want to educate my fellow classmates and start a conversation but I feel that was tough to do during this module. I will continue to work hard and put a lot of thought into my next discussion question which happens to be the last Module of this course.
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Three New Definitions I Learned During this Module:

1. Xenoestrogens- Environmental chemicals that mimic the effects of natural estrogen; may cause cancer.
2. Cancer Susceptibility Gene- Gene responsible for familial breast cancer and genes that cause susceptibility to colon cancer; increases the risk of a person developing cancer in his or her lifetime.
3.  Ischemia- An insufficient supply of blood to the heart.

Medical Marijuana: Should it be legalized?

There has been a lot of talk recently concerning Marijuana. A lot of people want to legalize Marijuana for pleasure and California took a step towards that. Proposition 19 was included in the November 2nd ballots in California. This propostion would have legalized Marijuana for non-medical use. According to Wikipedia, 54% of Californians voted No and 46% voted Yes. Proposition 19 was ultimately defeated and I think that was a good idea. I am all for legalizing Marijuana for medical use, but not for recreational use. Fourteen states, including California, allow Marijuana to be purchased for Medical use. I decided to look more into what Marijuana can be used for medically and the challenges that can occur.

I was very surprised when I saw that the U.S Goverment had an Accountanility Office that listed the uses for medical marijuana. According to the U.S Government, these are the symptoms or diseases that marijuana can be used for:

1. Alzheimer's Disease
2. Anorexia
3. AIDS
4. Arthritis
5. Cachexia
6. Cancer
7. Crohn's Disease
8. Epilepsy
9. Glaucoma
10. HIV
11. Migraine
12. Multiple Sclerosis
13. Nausea
14. Pain
15. Spasticity
16. Wasting Syndrome

I always hear about cancer patients who use marijuana. Marijuna decreases the symptoms of chemotherapy which includes nausea and pain. More recently, I have read about marijuana use for the disease I have, which is Interstitial Cystitis. For those that aren't in remission, the pain is terrible. It feels like someone is cutting the inside of your bladder with a knife. I always described the burning that I got as to when you pour alcohol on an open wound. When I wasn't in remission, I was taking four hydrocodone a day. It seemed that no matter how many I took, nothing worked. The only thing it did do was made me tired which was great because I knew it would help me sleep and the pain wouldn't keep me up. Well according to this website, there is a glimmer of hope that may be on the horizon, as a recent news release shows the remarkable findings of a new synthetic analog of a metabolite of TCH, which is present in a new experimental drug called IP 751. THC is the primary component in marijuana that makes it a drug , and the factor that makes it (cannabis) a pain reliever.
The powerful new drug has been shown to suppress bladder over-activity and pain in “hypersensitive” bladder conditions such as interstitial cystitis. Although I haven't heard of any of my IC sisters who have tried this therapy, it did show that it helped a Rat that had the same bladder symptoms! I truely believe this could help so many people who do not respond to other therapies. If I were desperate enough, I probably would have tried it somehow for the pain.
Even though marijuana may help you feel better, there can be side affects. According to our textbook on page 383, regular use can lead to abuse and can cause hazardous situations. Also, 7% to 10% of users do become dependent on marijuana.
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I did talk about this issue in this modules student seminar participation. I talked about the use of medical marijuana for such illnesses like cancer. I asked these questions:

• Do you agree with the legalization of medical marijuana?
• Do you agree or disagree with legalizing non-medical marijuana?

I was lucky enough to receive a response from both Salina Canning and Allison Cislarski. Both seemed like they were for the legalization of marijuana. Allison made the point that people will smoke marijuana rather it is legal or illegal. Salina was all for the legalization of marijuana for medical and non-medical use. She provided a chart that showed different drugs and there death rates.
ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS TOBACCO …………………… 400,000
ALCOHOL …………………… 100,000
ALL LEGAL DRUGS ………….20,000
ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ……….15,000
CAFFEINE …………………….2,000
ASPIRIN ………………………500
MARIJUANA …………………. 0

I was absolutely surprised! Marijuana seems to be a decent drug that won't be bad for you or would cause death. Absolutely nobody dies from smoking marijuana. Yet, over-the-counter asprin causes 500 deaths.
No matter if you agree with the legalization or not, this topic will always remain open and there will always be different controversies.
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ParticipationI believe that I did really well when it came to posting my discussion and responding to others as well. These discussions really do teach you things that you never knew of before. I am also glad that I am improving when it comes to the discussions. I remember my first student seminar post, and it was horrible! Thanks to your feedback, I have been able to improve significatly.
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Definitions that I learned

Hashish- A resin generally smoke in a special pipe; is a highly potent derivative of marijuana plants.

Halluciogens- Physoactive substance that alter sensory processing in the brain, producing visual or auditory sensations that are not real.

LSD- A powerful halluciogenic chemical; ingestion althers brain chemistry and produces a variety of hallucinogenic and behavioral effects.

Club Drugs- Physcoactive chemicals used at parties, dances, festivals, and raves to enhance social experiences and increases sensory stimulation.

Emotional Eating: What is it? and How can I prevent this from happening?

Emotional eating is defined (yes, there is a definition!) as "the practice of consuming large quantities of food -- usually "comfort" or junk foods -- in response to feelings instead of hunger".This website also says that experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. Although our textbook doesn't really talk about this subject, I still thought it was relevant and important. On page 146, it describes a woman who eats emotionally. She has trouble paying her bills and is dealing with a bad marriage. After seeing a counselor, she was able to correct her eating habits and start exercising.
So how do you know if you are an emotional eater? Well according to this website, if you answer "yes" to any of the questions, then you "are" an emotional eater. I decided to answer these questions.

• Do you ever eat without realizing you're even doing it? Yes
• Do you often feel guilty or ashamed after eating? Sometimes
• Do you often eat alone or at odd locations, such as parked in your car outside your own house? No
• After an unpleasant experience, such as an argument, do you eat even if you aren't feeling hungry? Yes
• Do you crave specific foods when you're upset, such as always desiring chocolate when you feel depressed? Definitely YES
• Do you feel the urge to eat in response to outside cues like seeing food advertised on television? No
• Do you eat because you feel there's nothing else to do? Yes
• Does eating make you feel better when you're down or less focused on problems when you're worried about something? Yes

OK, so I guess I truly am a emotional eater. It all began in 8th grade when I started to become sick. I was depressed and in pain. Junk food seemed to "save" me and make me feel better. My choice of food consisted of Doritos, and M&Ms. Within the four years that I was sick, I gained about 70 pounds. It's disgusting to even say that. Luckily, I have lost about half of that, and I am on my way to losing the other half as well.
I had a discussion with Katlynne in the Student Seminar discussion forum for this module. She provided a great website that outline the emotional issues beneath weight gain. Some roles that can play into emotional eating can be:

• Age
• Gender
• Genetics
• Environmental Factors
• Physical Activity
• Physcological Factors
• Illness
• Medications

I learned that emotional eating is more prevalent in women then in men. And I personally know what medications can do to you. Some like to have "weight gain" as a side effect and it truly is a terrible one!

So how can I prevent this from happening? I know counseling will help but is there an easier way? Well, according to the Mayo Clinic, there are several tips you should follow:

I do believe that I put in the needed time and effort when posting my discussion question and responding to others in the group. Next time, I will make the effort to reply to more people then just two.
I also thank you for your comments because it helps me to know the way you want a question posted or answered. I do believe your comments have improved my postings since my first posting in module one.

• Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.
• Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
• Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between mood and food.
• Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
• Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
• Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.
• Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
• Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
• Get enough sleep. If you're constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.
• Seek therapy. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.

"If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that'll lead to better health".

I like the fact that I need to "tame" my stress by doing yoga and relaxation methods. I actually love listening to relaxation CDs to help calm down my stress level. Am I really hungry? Most of the time, I eat for no reason and I am just eating to just eat! I also like the suggestion of keeping a food diary. I think it would help to write down what I ate, what amount I ate, and what my mood was like at that time. It will help me to understand more of why I am eating that certain food for no reason. I also think the most important tip is to have the support of your friends and family. I know my Mom and Sister decided they would lose weight with me because with that huge support system, it would help to make sure we accomplished our goals. I will continue to ask for support and I am looking forward to keeping a food diary. I believe these things could help me stop eating emotionally.
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Three New Words I Learned this Module are:

• Essential Amino Acids- Amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be provided by food.
• Lactase- Enzyme secreted by glands in the small intestine that converts lactose(milk sugar) into simple sugars.
• Female Athlete Triad- Combination of disordered eating, cessation of menstruation (amenorrhea), and weakened bones (osteoporosis).

My participation this Module:
I really do think I did better this module when it came to the postings. I believe I put the needed effort into it as well. Next module however, I will be responding to more people when they post their discussion question. I appreciate your comments as well because it gives me a better understanding of how you want things done. I truly believe your comments have improved my writing since module one.

The Life of a Pessimist

Pessimism is the thought process of imagining a low probability of attaining a goal. According to our textbook on page 69, "A pessimistic explanatory style is associated with a greater degree of illness and a shorter life expectancy".
I am a pessimist. I don't believe I have always been one, but recently, having this kind of an attitude has been horrible. When it comes to school, if I do badly on a test, I automatically say to myself that I am stupid or that I can't do this. I hate that I have that kind of an attitude but for some reason, I cannot make those "feelings" go away. According to Wikipedia, depression and pessimism seem to go hand in hand. They also say that; "Psychologists trace pessimistic attitudes to emotional pain or even biology". I would have to say that I agree with that. When I first became sick with Interstitial Cystitis, nobody knew what to do. None of the Doctors could help me or tell me what was wrong with myself. After seeing a few Doctors, I lost hope and looked at everything negatively. I said nobody is going to be able to help me and I went to every Doctors appointment with that frame of mind.
So how can I get rid of this of this pessimism? I have had a great conversation about this through the Student Seminar postings. Kerri Piepenburg did some more research focused more on helplessness. She provided this website which goes through the reasons why people are pessimists and how to overcome it. She also suggested that I read the book in hopes that it can change my perspective. For example:



According to attribution theory, the explanations that people tend to make to explain success or failure can be analyzed in terms of three sets of characteristics:

• First, the cause of the success or failure may be internal or external. That is, we may succeed or fail because of factors that we believe have their origin within us or because of factors that originate in our environment.
  
• Second, the cause of the success or failure may be either stable or unstable. If the we believe cause is stable, then the outcome is likely to be the same if we perform the same behavior on another occasion. If it is unstable, the outcome is likely to be different on another occasion.
  
• Third, the cause of the success or failure may be either controllable or uncontrollable. A controllable factor is one which we believe we ourselves can alter if we wish to do so. An uncontrollable factor is one that we do not believe we can easily alter.
  
  • Note that this factor is distinct from the previous two categories. An internal factor can be controllable (we can control our effort by trying harder) or uncontrollable (most people cannot easily change their basic intellectual ability or change from being an introvert to being an extrovert). Likewise, an external factor can be controllable (a person failing a difficult course could succeed by taking an easier course) or uncontrollable (if calculus is difficult because it is abstract, it will still be abstract no matter what we do).

I really do feel these theories could help me. Another website gives you 8 ways to overcome pessimism.
The eight ways are:
1) Find a cause you believe in.
2) Focus on the possibilities, not the impossibilities.
3) Read inspiring stories.
4) Be part of a team.
5) Connect to your cause.
6) Connect to your spiritual power source.
7) Get rid of negative words.
8) Open your mind for unexpected ways.

I love these eight ways to get rid of pessimism. I am going to start following these steps and hopefully it will help me become an optimist.

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I believe that I did a lot better this module when it came to participation and the student seminar. Next module, I will take more time to read the posts as well as comment on the websites that are provided.
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Four New Words I Learned This Module:

1) Fight-or-flight response- A defensive reaction that prepares the organism for conflict or escape by triggering hormonal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and other changes.

2) General adaption syndrome(GAS)- A three-phase biological response to stress.

3) Generalized anxiety disorder- Persistent and often nonspecific worry and anxiety.

4) Rapid eye movement(REM)- Stage of sleep in which dreams occur.

Somatization Disorders

Somatization is defined as an occurrence of physical symptoms without any bodily disease or injury being present.(31). In other words, depression or social problems can cause someone to have pain without being able to detect any illness. According to Health & Wellness, it is estimated that 25% to 75% of all patients who visit primary care physicians suffer from this disorder. Also, according to Medlineplus, some symptoms of this disease can be chest pain, diarrhea,headaches and more. The list of symptoms is unbelievable.
I found a post written by Linda Schram who is on my team for the module two student seminar and found something I didn't know. Linda wrote;"According to The Merck's Manuals online medical library, it often runs in families but mostly in the females. Well at least I can now justify the children following in their mother's footsteps". I found it very interesting that this disorder could very much hereidiatary. But even more interesting is that it is more prevalent in women. Why is that so? Are we as women not able to control our feelings and become so depressed that we cause ourselves to become ill? Well according to StateMaster, somatization disorders is twice as prevalant in women than it is in men.
I definitely learned a lot about somatization through the textbook, online dicussions, and many website articles. I have come to understand a disease that I have never heard of before. I always like to learn something new!


I would like to comment on my participation. I did feel as if I didn't put in enough effort when it came to the Student Seminar. I wrote and posted without really going over the tips as to how to get a good grade. When the next module comes around, I will make sure to take more time when posting and put more effort into it. I will read the textbook more then once and also do some research on my own.

Four new words that I learned about in chapters one and two are:
1) Somatization Disease- Occurance of physical symptoms that occur without any bodily disease or injury being present.
2) Phsychosomatic Illness- Physical illnesses brought on by negative mental states such as stress or emotional upset.
3) Autogenic Training- The use of autosuggestion to establish a balance between the mind and body through changes in the autonomic nervous system.
4) Holistic Model- Encompasses the physiological, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and enviromental aspects of health.

These four words helped me to understand different illnesses and ways to help treat them. I learned something new that I never knew of before. I actually really enjoyed researching these topics on my own to learn more and more about it.