Post #9 - Mexico, Here I Come!

Because I have no clue what exactly my “ideal” vacation would be, I am going to write about my upcoming vacation to Cancun, Mexico, which is probably the closest to fitting that criteria. Yay! The day after I graduate from high school, I, my mom, dad, and my friend Allison Gowan will be flying out to Mexico to spend a week in a country where, fortunately, my dad and I speak the native language. This will make the trip run much smoother if we get lost and need to ask for directions or simply want to find the best restaurant in town as decided by the townspeople and not the hotel concierge.  I am very excited for this trip because I have never been to another country besides Canada and also because we are planning to do very fun, adventurous things.

Other than exploring Cancun, we are going to take trips to see the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations. I have only seen these areas in pictures and documentaries in Spanish class, but they look highly fascinating. As I have never visited anything close to ruins and pyramids, I am really looking forward to this. We are also visiting a place where you can snorkel in a reef and swim with sharks, sea turtles, and sting rays! One can also swim with dolphins for about $120 per person, and I was prepared to save up for this except Allison cannot afford it, and I didn’t want to exclude her. Shucks.

Very recently, Allison and I decided that it would be awesome to spear fish. I’m not talking about throwing a spear into the water and hope that you get a fish. Oh no. I mean being underwater and literally hunting, primitive style, except using a snorkel to breathe. My dad thinks that this is an excellent idea as well, so we will have to somehow find a company in Cancun that offers native spear fishing lessons and supervision so that we don’t kill ourselves.

Because we are doing so many fun activities in Mexico, I am very excited for this vacation. I have also heard that Cancun is a beautiful city, which makes me even more ecstatic to go.  The night that I graduate, I won’t even be thinking about how I’m officially done with high school because I’ll be so preoccupied with the anticipation of leaving for Mexico in the morning.

Post #8 - Don't Copy Me!

Once again we have been asked to blog about a topic of our choice, and it takes me a half an hour to think about what to write. Again, nothing inspires me. However, today I thought about how people, including myself, mimic others when they are around them often.

For instance, I have discovered that I occasionally talk and laugh like my good friend, Claire Dudley. She moved to Idaho to go to college a couple of months ago, but for some reason I have made it a habit to speak (especially laugh) like she does, and I just can’t seem to get rid of the speech patterns that I have picked up from her. I also sometimes find myself mimicking Matt Burger’s speech patterns while in his presence, and I have no idea why. Everything that comes out of that kid’s mouth sounds important and ingenious, so maybe I subconsciously want to sound that way as well.

Other than mimicking different speaking habits, individuals will copy movement as well. This is obvious when observing young children. When one starts bouncing or jumping, other children will follow until they are told to do otherwise or become bored with this mindless act. This mimicking behavior can even go as far as a child asking to use the restroom during class, and multiple children decide that they, too, suddenly need to go to the bathroom. Obviously, not ALL of them need to relieve themselves, but nevertheless they feel the need to go to the bathroom because other children have asked to do this as well.

In older individuals (children as well), we see movement copying in minor actions, such as scratching an itch. The next time you watch somebody else scratch his or her nose, take note of what happens after that. You will most likely instantly feel an itch somewhere on your body that you must scratch, and there’s a very good chance that it will be in the same exact spot, if not multiple other places. You may even feel itches as you read this.

Again, I have no idea why this occurs, but it really is fascinating. For those of you that have taken a psychology class or know anything about this phenomenon, I would greatly appreciate an explanation because I and many other people subconsciously mimic things such as speaking and simple movements all the time. I want to know WHY!

Post #7 - Research Findings

As several of you already know, I did my research paper on the effects of oral contraceptives and the importance of pharmacists advising their patients about these negativities. Because these blogs are supposed to be relatively short, I will only briefly discuss the side effects that I researched.

One consequence of taking oral contraceptives is the development of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks due to women that are smokers taking the kind of pills that are meant for non-smokers. This typically occurs in underage teenage cases because some of these girls will lie about smoking habits if their mothers are present during the appointment to receive birth control.

A less serious side effect is weight gain, which is caused by an increase in estrogen. Estrogen is considered a lipid because it is a hormonal steroid, and the energy that is stored in lipid molecules may be converted to body fat if unused. Ultimately, more lipid molecules equal more fat storage.

While doing my research, I also stumbled upon an effect that I was not aware of. Apparently, women who use oral contraceptives may experience continuous sexual, metabolic, and health consequences from low levels of “unbound” testosterone. This can lead to various stages of depression, so women may need to carefully track their behavioral patterns while on birth control.

The rest of the negative aspects of birth control that I discussed were centered around the 7 day period that women take placebo pills, also known as the “hormone free interval” (HFI). Obviously, an effect that occurs during this time is hormonal withdrawals. However, there are serious issues that may occur during this time, including catamenial seizures, endometriosis pain, and pneumothorax development (build-up of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest).

Although oral contraceptives pose many dangers to women, it is the best form of preventing pregnancy, so women continue to use them. For all of these potential side effects, pharmacists can help protect women from these problems by communicating with physicians to monitor their health patterns and make necessary adjustments if needed. Physicians help make decisions about patients’ prescriptions, but pharmacists ultimately choose which brand fits each patient best. A pharmacist’s role in medical treatment is crucial because they have extensive knowledge about the medications themselves and are responsible for the safety and health of their patients.