Monday Wellness Reflection

Google presentation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WWzaWb2RQ7YcG55BDnSo3QJGA0eIsu8jf6HVvTlWeTI/edit?usp=sharing

Our Monday Wellness topic was sitting. We chose this topic because last year we had a lot of experience with sitting for long periods of time often for studying and were curious about how sitting for too long could affect our health. We were also curious about the correct way to sit ,and how form can have long term effects on health. I think that this topic is important because with technology today and the workload of students we are encouraged to sit more and for longer periods of time.

While we were doing research for our presentation, we learned about different health aspects of sitting and were surprised about the large part it played in a person's health. Originally we thought we would be learning a lot about how bad posture and sitting for too long would affect the spine, but there was too much information on both posture and sitting other than the spine that we had to somewhat separate the topics. For posture it was interesting to learn about how with a good posture people actually feel better about themselves and have a better mood, so posture doesn't only affect the physical aspect of health, but also the social aspect. It was also very useful to learn about the small steps to actually have good posture. For sitting it was interesting to learn about different studies and how the results showed that sitting for too long is actually connected to many health problems such as diabetes and cancer. At first it was scary to learn about these risks, but we also learned how easy it was to avoid these health risks by putting in the effort to sit less and become more active or take breaks from sitting with stretches.

I think our topic is important to health and wellness because during the school year students spend a lot of time sitting. Sometimes they do not have a choice when they are studying or in a classroom. It is important that students learn about how sitting too much and bad posture can affect them in the long term,  Students can take active steps to improving their sitting habits by taking breaks when they can to do stretches and to not slouch so much when they are in class. By following some of the things we taught them, they can live healthier lives because of the different pillars of health that sitting affects.

On a scale from 1-10 I would give our presentation an 8 because I feel that we learned a lot from our topic and we put in the effort to meet during the weekend to prepare. We also made sure to get evidence from different studies to back up our facts and connected it to our unit on health. It also took time to think of ways to make the presentation more interactive with our audience, but in the end we were able to come up with the before and after pictures that the students could use to see how they needed to improve their posture. However, our presentation was not long enough and we should have added more to our activities.  Overall, I think our presentation was very informative and relatable.  

Sheep's Heart Dissection Lab

Heart Dissection Lab Questions

1. The function of the pericardium is to secrete a fluid that lubricates the heart in order to reduce friction.

2. The arteries have thicker and stronger walls because they need to deliver blood to the whole body while veins have thinner walls.

3. The auricle's function is to increase the capacity of the atrium, so it can contain a higher volume of blood.

4.  The muscles around the ventricles are thicker than the muscles around the atria. The atria also seem smaller than the ventricles.

6. When you cut into cross sections, the bicuspid valve is able to be seen

7. The anchoring of the heart vales by the chordate tendinae and the papillary muscles are important to the heart function because they allow the valves to prevent the back flow of blood by pulling and contracting.

8.  We see the inside of the left atrium and then the bicuspid valve, which is held to the walls by the chordinea tendinae and the papillary muscles.

9. The semi lunar valves prevent arterial blood from re-entering the heart, keeping the blood flowing in one direction.

10. a. There would be swelling in the feet and ankles if there is valve disease on the right side because there would be back flow of blood from the heart back into the body and would be carried to the feet and ankles because the right side is where blood enters the heart.

    b.  If the valve disease was on the left side then there would be complications with the delivery of oxygenated blood to the body.

11. We found an opening in the left ventricle and could see the biscuspid valve.

12. The left side of the heart has more muscle than the right side because the left ventricle needs more power to pump blood to the rest of the body. The right side is smaller because right ventricle only needs to pump blood to the lungs.

13.

Unit 3 Reflection

Content Reflection
This unit focuses on the cardiovascular system with topics such as the circulatory system, heart, blood, and respiratory system.  The cardiovascular system transports materials throughout the body, removing waster materials and providing cells with needed resources. The circulatory system transports blood through a network of tubes with the heart as the pump. Accessory organs include the lungs, kidneys, and the intestines. The respiratory system is the transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the lungs.
Cardiovascular health is measured by the ability of the body to transport blood throughout the body. Heart attacks is when the blood supply to the myocardium is reduced or stopped and can lead to damaged heart tissue. It is caused  by blockages which are usually due to atherosclerosis. Strokes are caused by interruptions to the blood supply in the brain and can cause permanent damage.
To avoid these health problems you should control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels by eating healthy. It is also important to get exercise and manage you stress.
I still want to learn more about how drugs effect the heart and what effects different. substances can have on blood. I also wonder how heart surgery is performed.

Learning Reflection
I learned a lot about different terms and concepts. It was easier to understand important concepts than to memorize terms. I learned to manage the material in class by spreading out studying instead of cramming and to review after I learn new material after a lecture.
I am still trying to meet some of my health goals, but I am definitely getting more sleep and still trying to eat healthier.

Heart dissection                                                                     Incision that shows different vessels

Chalk Diagram of Heart

Monday Wellness Snacks

The snack contained apple, peanut butter, and almonds. The snack was healthy because it contained protein, anti oxidants, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids, and fiber.

1. Snacks should be eaten 2-3 hours before a meal.
2. Healthy snacks contain protein and fiber. They also contain carbohydrates and different types of vitamins.
3. Snacks that have empty calories and have artificial flavors should be avoided as well as snacks with saturated fats.

Measuring Blood Pressure Lab Analysis

1. The systolic blood pressure is the first time you hear the blood pumping in the arm when the heart contracts ,and the diastolic blood pressure is the last time you hear the blood pumping in the artery when the heart relaxes.
2. A stethoscope is needed to measure the heart rate and the sphygmomanometer is used to measure the blood pressure.
3.  It is not ideal to use the thumb to measure pulse because it has its own pulse and may confuse the counting.
4. First place the cuff on the upper arm of the dominate arm ,and then inflate the cuff, so it fits tightly on the arm. The pump should be held in the other hand so the valve can be easily accessed. A stethoscope is needed to hear the pulse. The cuff should be inflated until the pressure gauge reaches 150 ,and then the valve should be opened releasing air slowly. The first time your heart pulse is the systolic blood pressure and the last time you hear it is the diastolic blood pressure.

Unit 2 Reflection

Health is the measure of our body's efficiency and over-all well being. This definition includes physical,social, and mental health. This is an important topic because students at SHS often ignore their health and put either their activities or school work first. Not getting the proper nutrients, being stressed out, and being sleep deprived can have a detrimental effect on their overall health. Students should recognize their patterns and make a change to live a healthier lifestyle.

In this unit we learned about the five pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social. These pillars are the key to living a balanced and healthy lifestyle. I learned about how to vary my diet and eat from all the food groups as well as the different benefits that come with different types of foods. It was surprising to find out how unhealthy some of the foods I usually have are and in the future I will be paying more attention to what I eat. I learned a lot about sleep, and how important it is to be fully alert and functioning during the day. Exercise is also important for strengthening the body ,and variety is also an important aspect of exercise that keeps us healthy. I also learned about different aspects of stress. Sometimes stress can be good, but prolonged stress can damage your body and can weaken and age your body.

This unit helped me reflect on my own lifestyle and helped me find ways to improve. I plan on eating better by balancing out the food groups I eat from, getting more sleep by planning ahead, and exercising more consistently. By learning about how I can live healthier, I hope I can keep my goals in the years to come and long and happy life.

Nutrition Analysis

After monitoring my diet, I found out that I need to eat a lot more vegetables, fruits, protein, dairy, and protein, but I am meeting my grain requirements. I also need to exercise more because I am currently not in a sport. Based on the stations in the Falcon Market, I could use more seasonal produce in my diet and when eating foods, I should prioritize protein, produce, and healthy fats. Right now I am not eating enough food because I am not meeting some of my requirements for the food groups, so to fix this I need to start eating more balanced meals because for vegetables I am under.  I also need more variety.

I should eat more during breakfast and lunch, instead of eating a lot during dinner to make my diet more balanced. I could eat eggs, bread, and fruits at breakfast ,and at dinner I can drink milk. These foods will help me balance some of the food groups out. I could eat more whole grain and seafood for protein to add variety in my diet. These foods will add to the specific categories I am lacking in.
To eat healthy, a person needs to have variety in their diet. They should eat from all the food groups at each meal, making sure they have healthy portions. They should eat seasonal fruits and vegetables because they contain more nutrients.They also need to make sure they get enough exercise. They should avoid unhealthy snacks that contain too much fat and fast foods that are filled with excess sodium and fat because these foods will make you body unbalanced.

Health Collage

Health is important because it determines how we feel day to day ,and if we stay healthy, we will live longer and happier lives. I think my strongest pillar is sleep and the rest needs to be worked on. During this unit, I want to learn different ways to keep healthy and what aspects I need to focus on for each pillar.

Unit 1 Reflection

This unit is an introduction to anatomy and physiology and an overview of the basic terms of the body. For this unit it is essential to understand how form fits the function. The anatomy is what it is ,and physiology is the function. This theme also ties in with the molecules and the type of tissues.

During this unit, I learned about the anatomical terms that are used to describe the body. There are four planes, sagittal, frontal, transverse, and oblique. There are also words such as distal and proximal to describe the distance something is from another part of the limb. I also learned about the different systems of the body perform a specific function. For example, the digestive system absorbs food and the respiratory system moves carbon dioxide and oxygen around the body. This unit also covered the four different macro molecules, which are proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. The largest section in this unit was histology. In this section I learned about the different tissue types, muscle, epithelial, connective, and nervous. Everything in this unit was pretty clear ,and I understood everything that we covered.
For next unit, I will go more in depth for each section, so nothing is confusing ,and in the end I will learn more.
In the real world, this unit relates to doctors, a career that I might be interested in. Doctors need to know the different types of systems in the body and understand how they work. They also need to use specific terms to describe the body in order to properly diagnose patients.

Tissue Lab

In this lab we observed different tissue samples through microscopes and categorized them into the different tissue types. I was able to relate some of my observations from my notes. For example, I could see the different cell types in the epithelial tissue and noticed the cross bands in the muscular tissue. I also saw the differences between the types of muscle tissue. The skeletal muscle tissue were packed together while the cardiac muscle was branched and had space in between the strands. I could also see how spindle shaped cells formed the smooth muscles.
I could see differences between the connective tissue and the muscle tissue. The connective tissue seemed to have different types of cells and was not as packed as the muscle cells, most likely because of the matrix and fluids that make up connective tissue. The nerve tissue had neurons and fibers that differed from the cells of the other tissues. The epithelial tissue looked thinner and the layers were more prominent.
By going through the process of observing and drawing what I saw, I learned the characteristics of each tissue and how those characteristics related to the function. For example, the tissue from the human lung was not densely packed, but was filled with gaps and space, making it easier for the lungs to exchange gases. I also observed how the skin had multiple layers, which is important because it is the first line of defense against outside sources for the body.

Lung sample-epithelial tissue 

Cell Specialization: Stem Cell

Stem cells are similar to any other eukaryotic cells found in the body and have the same types of organelles. As this article states, in adults they are found in bone marrow or fat and in developing embryos, playing a key role in the early development of animals and humans.
These cells are known as specialized cells and divide when the body needs new cells. According to the National Institute of Health, they are the body's internal repair system. They can specialize themselves and become another type of cell. They can become tissue cells, blood cells, brain cells, and many other types of cells depending on what the body needs. For example when the body is damaged and a muscle cell needs to be replaced, stem cells can reprogram themselves and become specialized muscle cells to replace those that were lost. According to this article, in embryos of developing humans stem cells are essential to the development of the vital organs and the different body parts. The ability of stem cells to self renew and the flexibility in its development play a vital role in disease research.
Because the stem cell is unspecialized, it cannot be categorized into any of the tissue types because it can actually become any of them. They can become muscle cells, connective tissue, nerve cells, and any other cell that the body needs.

Human Embryonic Cells

Sweetness Lab

 In this lab our group tasted different types of carbohydrates and gave each a rating based on the taste. Before doing the lab, we researched the function and the structure of each carbohydrate and labeled them as either monosaccharide, disaccharide, or polysaccharide. We made predictions about whether they would be sweet or not.
 After giving each carbohydrate a rating, there was a relationship between the level of sweetness and the amount of rings found in the structure. The ones with less rings, the monosaccharides and disaccharides, such as fructose and sucrose tasted sweeter than the ones with more rings, the polysaccharides, such as starch and cellulose.
This relationship does seem correct because fructose  and sucrose are used as sweeteners that are found in many foods. They are used in juices and sweet snacks. It also makes sense that cellulose and starch are bland because they are not usually used in foods, but are used to make material and make up the structure of plants.
According to this article on the sense of taste, Humans use taste buds which are made up of taste receptor cells. These receptor cells are stimulated by chemicals and through action potentials, the signal is transferred to the brain as taste. Receptor cells are specialized to detect certain tastes like sweetness or bitterness. The tasters in our lab rated each sample based on how sweet it was. The tasters could tell if one sample was sweeter than another because there were more sweetness molecules in the sample that bound to the sweetness receptors on the tongue.