Month: May 2020

It was weird going through someone else’s paper. They both obviously put lots of time into making it accurate and connecting research to their idea. I didn’t want to be too critical because I respect the work they did to put that together. I tried to give constructive feedback and comments.

I gave the same feedback to both people and that was to add an opener and a closer paragraph because as an observer, I needed help understanding the main point and then the closer would have really helped to tie-up the final thoughts.

I will make sure to add those to my final review paper.

Peer review is to add credibility to research. It gives the opportunity of other scientists to review the research and fact check so that when it is reviewed by other people, they have more confidence in its accuracy and the fact that many people have looked through the material with a fine toothed comb.

A con of peer review is if the reviewer is not an expert or inept in that particular field, so their feedback could be inaccurate or out of context.

List and describe as many changes in human behaviors as you can think of that contribute to decreased exposure to microbes.

Hand washing

Cover your cough

Stay home or away from people when you feel sick

Use hand sanitizer

Cough into your elbow, not your hands

Sanitize surfaces that you touch – try not to cross contaminate items

Clean off your phone and surface items

Cook your food completely using heat

Don’t consume expired food products

This writing exercise is designed to help you begin to think about a topic you are interested in pursuing for your final essay project in the course. 

Step 1: Free write: What are some of the most interesting or surprising things you’ve learned and/or want to learn more about, in regards to microbes and human health? Set a timer for 5 minutes and type out your response. Please don’t edit or worry about correct grammar/spelling/sentence structure… just write!

I have never thought so much about how our actions and food decisions affect our overall health. The gut really is the second brain. The research we’ve read and uncovered shows so many ways that the balance in our guts affects so many other systems and processes in our body. We need to have a balance in our body so that other processes can work efficiently. The brain depends on activity functioning normally. It’s really a complex process, mores than I ever imagined.

Complex Process –

We’ve learned that there is a lot of communication between the gut environment based on the balance there is inside our guts. If the gut balance is off, other processes won’t be triggered or vice versa, meaning some processes will be overly triggered. I think the response to this situation is when we have gastrointestinal symptoms like heartburn and diarrhea. Some people’s body’s just can’t process or tolerate certain foods and we should learn to be conscious of the signals our body is telling us how to help be healthy.

In the vein of the gut as our second brain, a lot of people have connect mental health aspects to the flora and fauna of our gut environment. In my final paper, I want to dive further into whether or not or how they are connected. My sister is a nurse and her thoughts on this topic are that she’s worked in nursing homes and people with memory loss have “behaviors” when their stomach has issues or some of those symptoms like a UTI or diarrhea. That makes me think there is some connection.

There are many opportunities for a small fragile baby to become exposed to harmful viruses and bacteria. They depend on their mother for immunity and protection while in the womb. That being said, babies are not 100% immune to those kinds of thing.

A baby’s gut environment is going to be affected by their mother. Whether or not a mother feeds their baby breast milk or formula will affect their diet and their delicate microbiota.

The mother’s diet will affect the breast milk too. This is how some kids develop different tastes in food and different natural ability to tolerate and process different foods.

Describe your personal philosophy about how and when you have taken, or would take, antibiotics. What experiences or prior knowledge do you have that shaped that personal philosophy?

When I was younger, I definitely took antibiotics when I was sick. I would absolutely take antibiotics and I do feel strongly about compliance. My mom is a nurse and I constantly hear about how difficult it is for patients and our world community (actually) that people don’t always take antibiotics as they’re prescribed. 

People usually stop taking the medication when they start to feel better, but the infection still rages on and they should continue to completion. This also helps with reducing the potential for mutation and antibiotic resistance which has impact on our world community. 

What choices do you make in terms of food/nutrition/product use and consumption that may have an impact on your microbial communities? Consider choices that are intentional, and choices that are perhaps non-intentional.

I think there are many more non-intentional choices than intentional choices in this department. I do know that probiotics are present in yogurt and lots of people use that for that reason. I also consume yogurt, but I hadn’t consciously chosen that because of probiotics. I also eat a lot of fruit and protein shakes. 

I know you don’t want to drink too much coffee because of how acidic it is, so I do try not to drink too much coffee.