Project Blog: Human Body System 2.0 11/18/16

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/GERD.png

Summary

Acid reflux or GERD is an extremely common digestive disease. In fact, every year there are more than 3 millions cases of it in just the US. It occurs when stomach acids slip past the LES and irritate as well as burn the lining of the esophagus. One of the most obvious symptoms of acid reflux is heartburn. Overtime, acid reflux can even lead to esophageal cancer which has to cure. By adding in a "Goose" muscle, acid reflux can easily be prevented. The "Goose" muscle is a strong smooth muscle that contracts from the top to bottom. This muscle is located just above the LES. It has two functions, to help push food down (especially when food gets stuck in the esophagus) and pushing acid out of the esophagus when acid refux occurs. Thanks to its strength, and toughness food and acid can easily be pushed down the esophagus without it being burned.

Backwards Looking

How much did you know about the subject before we started?

Before we started, I didn't really know much about the esophagus itself (other than the basics) and acid reflux at all. In addition to that, I never realized heartburn was a symptom of something rather than a condition. However, I knew that heartburn was caused by stomach acids burning the esophagus but I didn't realize that was called acid reflux. The only thing I knew about acid reflux was that it was somehow connected to heartburn. I had also never heard the term GERD. 

Inwards Looking

What does this piece reveal about you as a learner?

Our group's presentation shows that I enjoy learning and presenting information in fun and engaging ways. For me, it was really fun to present our information to the class in a funny but informational skit. I also think that it was an interesting way to get and keep the audiences attention. As for the design brief and essay, it reveals that I include a lot of detail when writing. I noticed after our group completed the components that we wrote two pretty lengthy pieces of writing. 

Outwards Looking

Did you do your work the way other people did theirs? In what ways did you do it differently? In what ways was your work or process similar?

Though we completed the design brief and essay pretty similarly to other groups, when it came to the presentation, things were pretty different. Half of the groups presented live and another half created videos. Our group fell into the first category. However, we were the only group that created and acted out a skit. While other groups took a really factual approach, we also focused a bit more on how to engage the audience without making them bored. As for our work process, I also noticed how we drew a lot of different diagrams to help us visualize and figure out what exactly we were writing about and creating. We even color coded them. As far as I could tell, none of the other groups were doing that while creating their pieces.

Forward Looking

One thing I would like to improve upon is...

One thing I would like to improve upon is our presentation. Though I was happy with it, I feel like it could have gone smoother if we practiced it enough to not need scripts. Since we didn't know our lines that well, we often had to look down at them and read to a bit to remember what we were supposed to say next. By improving our presentation, we would be able to better engage d teach our audience.

 

Weekly Blog 11/11/16 - Human Body 2.0

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Hiatal_Hernia.png

Summary

At the bottom the esophagus there is a bundle of muscles called the LES. The function of the LES is to prevent stomach acids from flowing up the esophagus. However, when the LES doesn’t close all the way or is open too much, acid reflux can occur. Every year, there are about 3 million US cases of acid reflux. It is extremely common especially in ages 19-60+. Acid reflux is when some of the stomach’s acid content flows back up the esophagus and burns as well as irritate the lining of the esophagus. Though the main symptom of acid reflux is heartburn (a burning sensation in your chest), it may also include bitter taste, discomfort in upper abdomen, dry cough, belching, and nausea. The most common cause of acid reflux is a stomach abnormality called a hiatal hernia which occurs when the LES and upper part of the stomach moves above the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the stomach from the chest and helps keep acid in the stomach. However, if you have hiatal hernia, acid can move up your esophagus and cause acid reflux. A severe case of acid reflux is known as G.E.R.D.

SP1: Asking questions and defining problems

I defined problems when I worked with my human body re-design 2.0 team to identify a problem in the digestive system that we could fix. The problem we identified was acid reflux in the esophagus and stomach. I then asked questions like "What is the original design of the esophagus and how can we improve it?", and "Why will re-designing the esophagus be beneficial?". However, the main question my group and I asked and are trying to answer is "How are we going to re-design the esophagus and what will be the outcome?". Our group is still in the process to trying to answer that question.

XCC: Structure & Function

The esophagus is a tube connected to the pharynx and mouth that goes down to the stomach. The main function of the esophagus is to move food and liquids from the mouth down to the stomach so it can be digested. In order to be able to do this, however, it needs to have a specific structure. It is lined with a moist pink tissue called mucosa, which allows the food and liquid smoothly run down the esophagus. In addition to that, there are two bundles of muscles in the upper part and lower part of the esophagus. The upper bundle of muscle or UES (upper esophageal sphincter) serves the purpose of preventing food and liquids from going down your windpipe and ensures that they are going down the correct tube. The lower bundle of muscle or LES (lower esophageal sphincter) serves the purpose of preventing stomach acids from going up the esophagus and causing acid reflux. However, malfunctions happen.

WAC: Is it healthier to be a vegetarian or an omnivore?

          Is it healthier to be a vegetarian, or an omnivore? For the past centuries, people have been arguing over that simple question. And though a majority of the world's population is omnivorous, there are still lots of compelling cases explaining the benefits of having a vegetarian diet. Due to the fact that vegetarian diets are found to lower the risk of chronic disease linked to animal fats, strengthen your bones, and improve glycemic control in the bodies of diabetic people, being a vegetarian is healthier than being an omnivore.

          Vegetarian diets will reduce the risk of certain diseases linked to animal fats such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension making your body healthier overall. Why does this happen? Well, as explained in the article (Is it healthier to be a vegetarian or an omnivore?) by Sencer, with more plant-based foods in your diet, you will consume more phytochemicals which will reduce the risk of specific chronic diseases by getting rid of unhealthy fats in your body. Since animal products are generally high in those unhealthy fats (cholesterol and saturated fats), consuming animal products is essentially increasing the amount of cholesterol and saturated fats in your body making you unhealthier.

          Vegetarian diets will also strengthen your bones and improve the healthiness of your bones overall. This is due to several reasons. For one, since meat has high renal acid levels, when you consume any meat your body will have to neutralize the high renal acid levels caused by the meat. Your body does this by "leaching calcium in your bones", as stated in the article (Should people become vegetarian?) by ProCon.org. The calcium used to neutralize the renal acids is no longer useful for the body and is then passed on into urine and lost. By not eating meat, you can reduce the amount of calcium lost in your bones making them stronger overtime. There is also many forms of healthy vegetarian calcium sources including dark greens like kale, collard greens and spinach as well as tofu and fortified cereals.

         Eating meat increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes. We know this because in 2004, through a peer-reviewed study Harvard researchers found that consuming meat increases the risk of having type 2 diabetes in women. Another study conducted in 2002 proved that eating processed meat increased the risk of it in men. If your diet consisted of no meat at all, you wouldn't have to worry about any of this. In addition to that, a vegetarian diet rich in whole grains, nuts, legumes and soy proteins will even help improve glycemic control in people who already have diabetes.

          Some people may argue that our bodies absorb a higher percentage of the iron (an essential mineral for your body) in meat than in vegetarian sources. This is actually true, the body absorbs 15% to 35% of the heme iron in meat and 2% to 20% of the non-heme iron in vegetarian sources. However, the lack of iron in a vegetarian diet can easily be fixed by consuming more non-heme iron filled vegetarian sources including leafy greens and beans. In addition to that, studies have found that the heme iron found in red meat is linked with an increased risk of rectal and colon cancer. "A vegetarian diet provides a more healthful form of iron than a meat-based diet." wrote ProCon.org in the article (Should people become vegetarian?). Though you can argue that vegetarians absorb less iron from vegetarian sources, the pros of eating non-heme iron outweighs the cons.

         Like I stated earlier, being a vegetarian is healthier than being an omnivore. This is due to how meat increases the chance of getting type two diabetes, vegetarian diets will strengthen your bones, and vegetarian sources provide a healthier form of iron for your body. Despite how most of the world's population is omnivorous, hopefully more people can see the benefits of being a vegetarian and change their eating habits for the better.