Month: March 2020

Heart Disease

A research project I’m happy to fund is that of microbial influence on developing atherosclerosis and its contribution to heart disease. A major player in the nation’s healthcare crisis is Congestive Heart Failure (CHF.) CHF is a condition brought on by atheroscleroses in varying degrees. It is usually not named as CHF until someone actually has fluid backup due to failure. The symptoms range from shortness of breath, swelling in lower extremities, and eventually life threatening heart condition. A large number of our population gets this diagnosis, they spend a large amount of time in hospitals to treat the symptoms, and it causes many repeated trips to a primary care physician or specialist. It is not a disease that can be cured, it is an ongoing and progressively damaging condition that we spend millions of dollars treating. The ways we treat our body for years leading up to a diagnosis of CHF are crucial. This includes managing our microbial communities. I would like to push research back in the disease progression and look at some earlier ways we can work towards reducing symptoms and progression on heart disease.

We will likely learn how to better balance our diet, and how to better manage surrounding tissues to keep the load on the heart balanced over time. Years of maintenance will help our heart be prepared for old-age.

Human non-infectious diseases that are influenced by microorganisms.

Irritable bowel syndrome, hearburn/gerd, diabetes, some autoimmune diseases are triggered by bacterial or viral infection, some kinds of cancer, obesity, heart disease, asthma, chronic fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, restless leg syndrome, dementia, Alzheimer’s.

Week 1, I included COPD and CHF and my understanding was so limited and my scope so broad. I only thought of the big nationally recognized “killers” in that sense. Sleep Apnea is also one of those but not in the context of this course, where we largely focused on the repercussions of mismanaged gut bacteria. These lead to diseases which lead to the bigger chronic diseases and deadly consequences. Now, I am able to understand the role of microbes in so many of these common every day diseases.

• Can experiments detect differences that matter?
• Does the study show causation or correlation?
• What is the mechanism?
• How much do experiments reflect reality?
• Could anything else explain the results?

The matter is whether research shows causation or correlation is important for our cultural reaction to science. The extremely transparent nature of our culture currently shows how careful we as scientists should be with the presentation of research and ideas. Progress is wonderful and we want people’s reaction to progress to be communicated correctly.

Experiments affecting reality is an incredible concept for scientists to consider when presenting research. It goes hand in hand with the mainstream perception of causation or correlation concept. The results affect our reality and we want to make certain people use the knowledge to empower themselves.

Microbial communities in our body promote a sense of neutrality in our body. If unbalanced, there is a reaction to set it “right.” The movement of the body systems and particulates towards “righting” an off in our body can set off chain reactions all throughout the rest of our body. This can lead to a change in mental health state. The details on this phenomena are few but it poses a provocative question in the search for answers in how we can manipulate our brains by changes to our body.

I will share this link –

The Emotional Causes Of Disease

This website goes over the bridge of emotions and which diseases they lead to or cause. What hurts the research of connection mind and matter is when it sounds too wackadoo. People want to believe that pills fix problems. But what we miss out on sometimes is that our emotions trigger the hormones and chemicals that pills provide – so in my opinion, there is much more to be done socially, culturally, and medically as well to study and understand our own control and power over our body and disease.

I’m a first-born, which to me translates to having been raised as a “peer-reviewer” in the sense of encouraging and helping raise my younger siblings. I find that role comes naturally to me because of those experiences. Of course, it does present some difficulty as you’re reviewing a complete stranger.

I don’t know how my words translate to another person, especially one I’ve never met in person. I want to be helpful and encouraging without coming across as a bully.

Reading my peer review comments is always challenging because I want to receive others’ messages in the same spirit as I intended mine towards their work. That is the hard part, honestly.

I did feel defensive feelings while reading their thoughts on my work. I think that’s part of human nature – and even though I felt defensive, I still saved the review as a tool to help me rewrite for the final because of valuable an outside view will be in making my essay successful.

The pros and cons of peer review

PROS

A second voice – can fix transition issues

Makes the read-through more cohesive or concise

Fixes errors

They can suggest how to make it easier – readability

A different point of view with new knowledge

CONS

A second voice – out of context from writer’s message

Conflicting opinions

Different reading styles

Varying literacy