Writing Exercise #9

Decreasing your exposure to microbes might have different results depending on what your microbiota was like before the decrease. In order to decrease your exposure to microbes, you want to limit yourself coming in contact with them. Things like not owning any pets, using a lot of hypo-allergenic cleaning supplies, eating a limiting diet, not going out in nature, not traveling to different parts of the world, and all-in-all staying inside closed quarters. You pretty much have to quarantine yourself to the real world in order to completely reduce any exposure to microbes. However, evidence suggests that exposing yourself to the outside world, and getting dirty strengthens your immune system.

Writing Exercise #8

I have honestly found this class to be way more interesting than I was expecting. We are learning things that we can apply to our everyday life. Personally, I have always thought that gut health is super important. Everything we put into our bodies, and expose our bodies to will have some sort of positive or negative impact. Knowing this, I have made life choices that I know will benefit me in the near or far future. I choose to drink fermented drinks like kombucha, drink green green tea, eat fermented foods, and lots of greek yogurt. I am very conscientious about what goes into my body, and it is interesting to learn about how those things contribute to our overall health in this class.

Everything we put into our bodies, and expose our bodies to will have some sort of positive or negative impact. Recently, I have thought about this exact thought many times. I am a very healthy person, and I choose to be this way honestly because I am terrified of disease, cancer, death, etc. I want to do everything I can now to benefit my body for the future. I eat a plant based diet because I know it is the healthiest diet, and has the longest longevity. I exercise 5 times a week because I know that it helps keep my bones strong, my mind focused, helps me sleep better, and prevents many diseases in the future. I practice yoga at least once a week because I know the calming effects gives a euphoric feeling, helps relieve stress, and makes me feel good. I choose not to smoke because I know how addictive it is, how it creates reactive oxygen species in our bodies, and leads to many cancers. I wear sunscreen on my face everyday because I know it protects my face from even the minimal amount of UV rays we get here in Oregon.  I also choose not to partake in much alcohol consumption because it can be addictive and also can result in many health problems in the future. All the choices I make today, I choose to make because of the way it impacts my future self. I try and do stuff to better myself for whats to come.

For my final essay I think I want to discuss a few of the topics I discussed in the previous paragraph in order to be a healthier person. I am very passionate about health and I think I would enjoy writing about the topic of how exercise and diet contribute to being a healthy person.

 

Writing Exercise #7

One of the first ways that a newborn is exposed to new microbes is through its own childbirth. Children delivered by vaginal births have similar microbiomes to their mothers vaginal flora while newborns that are delivered by cesarean section have similar microbiomes to the mothers skin surfaces.

Another very important factor contributing to infants microbiomes is their diet. Whether a newborn is breastfed or fed by formula will contribute to different microbes. Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Streptococcus, and Lactobacillus are all common to find in infants that are breastfed. While those that are fed by formula tend to have more Staphylococcus, anaerobic StreptococcusClostridium, and Bifidobacterium. 

Writing Exercise #6

A few years back I ended up getting a bacterial staph infection known as impetigo. Let me start off by saying that it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have ever had as it spread across my face. It took me two weeks to get into the doctor where they initially prescribed me a drug for coldsores. After a week of taking this drug, nothing was happening, in fact it was getting worse. I ended up going back to the doctor where they told me it was more than likely impetigo. I immediately started antibiotics and within two days could tell that my skin was healing. A week after starting antibiotics, the scabs on my face were practically gone.

That time in my life, I was more than thankful to have antibiotics that worked. It goes to show that a correct diagnosis is critical for giving a patient the correct prescription.

Writing Exercise #5

When it comes to the food that I eat, I am very consciences about what I am putting in my body. I choose to eat a fairly healthy, plant-based diet consisting of mostly vegetables, legumes, complex carbs, nuts, and fruits. Some specific foods that I choose to eat that I know benefits my gut is greek yogurt. Greek yogurt contains good probiotics that help promote the growth of the beneficial bacteria in our guts. Complex carbohydrates such as multi-grain bread, bananas, beans, and others also help support the health of bacteria in our gut.

Another specific thing I choose to put into my body to help my gut health is kombucha. Along with the good taste of it, I know it provides many amazing benefits. There are naturally occurring bacteria that live within the drink due to the fermentation that aid in digestion, and protects against the overgrowth of yeast in our GI tract.

I know that I could also be taking a probiotic supplement, but I think that my diet is good enough that I am getting the proper nutrients from it.