Week's Reflections - 12/31/11

          Unfortunately, this week's reflections are a little light on interesting news or articles I've read.  I've been pretty distracted with the holiday season.  I'll be back on form first thing in the New Year.

1.) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

          Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope the last year was great and the next year is better.

          The new year is always a good time to look at the big moments of the past year and your hopes for the next year.  If I had to label a most important event of the last year, it was definitely getting into medical school.  I try to avoid being too focused on academics - a trap I think too many premeds fall into - but the fact is that I worked incredibly hard for the acceptance, and if I hadn't gotten it I wouldn't be able to follow my dreams.  So I'll definitely be doing a cheers and draining a shot for that tonight.  Other big things are becoming ever closer to my girlfriend, graduating from college, and settling into a post-grad lifestyle.

          For the coming year, I suspect one of the biggest events will be moving to a new location and starting medical school.  One of the biggest events?  Yeah, that looms like Mount Everest on the horizon.  I am so excited, though.

          How about you?  What were the big events of your last year, and what does the next year have in store for you?

MCAT Tips and Tricks... or, How I Studied for the MCAT

WE HAVE MOVED TO: A Theory of Living  

  As I mentioned in this article, I earned a very high score on the MCAT (R).  I took a very active role in managing my own MCAT prep, and I think some of the strategies I employed could be very helpful for others.  The MCAT is one of the most feared and dreaded parts of the entire medical school application process, so, I thought I would write a guide about how I prepared so others could benefit from it.

          I definitely recommend you take a prep course.  For most people the techniques and strategies they teach you are helpful.  Also, the review of the basic sciences in the courses is critical.  Many students haven't looked back at gen chem or bio 101 in three or even four years... some even longer.  It is important to have a knowledgeable person review those subjects with you.  These reviews are also helpful, because they tell you what is NOT going to be tested on the MCAT.  Guess what?  75% of the crap you drilled into your skull during organic chemistry won't be tested on the MCAT.

Okay, Fine, I Want an iPad

          Fine.  I admit it.  I want an iPad.  In fact, I want one really badly, even though I know it's irrational.  If you know me, you'll know how hypocritical this sounds.  I have always thought iPads are useless.  I have an iPhone and a laptop - although wow this thing is old - so why the heck would I ever need an iPad?  Can't I use either my laptop or iPhone to do anything an iPad can do or more?  If that's the case, the iPad is a useless indulgence, a waste of close to a thousand dollars.

          Most people, when pressed, have to admit that their iPad is pretty unnecessary.  One of my closest friends worked really hard to justify his when I asked about it.  The final answer he came to is that he likes typing on it, because he doesn't like a traditional keyboard.  What?  Come on.  My own father has one for work, and I almost never see him use it.  To a man, though, everyone loves the darn thing.

The Heartburn Battle

          GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), also known as acid reflux or heartburn, is the result of acid from your stomach washing up into your esophagus.  It is a chronic condition that can cause a burning sensation that is uncomfortable - heartburn - and it can actually erode the lining of your esophagus.  Unfortunately, the most serious complication that can result from this disease is the development of Barrett's esophagus, which is the precursor condition to esophageal cancer.  Cancer of the esophagus is an incredibly deadly form of cancer, with a mortality rate of 87%.  Christopher Hitchens, the writer, recently died of complications arising from this kind of cancer.

          I just painted a pretty bleak picture, and I did that because there can be serious consequences from this disease.  However, in most cases, cancer does not arise.  In fact, this condition can be treated pretty effectively by prescription drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (prilosec, protonix, nexium, etc).  When taken, these can block the secretion of up to 90% of the acid in the stomach.  With the acidity reduced, the fluid that refluxes up into the esophagus is much less likely to burn the esophagus as much, reducing symptoms and the odds of developing more serious complications.

Week's Reflections - 12/24/11

          I feel like all of the big news I am including in here happened really early in this week.  I'm almost wondering if I should start posting these on Sundays instead.  Anyway, here goes.  As always, if you have seen or read anything interesting, post it in the comments.  Cheers.


1.) Cornell Wins Bid to Build NYC Tech Campus

          As a Cornell alum this is wildly exciting.  This campus in the city has the potential to be a game changer, and I have to admit that I am incredibly jealous of the future generations that will have an opportunity to study there.  I am also filled with intense pride that of all the schools that applied we won the competition; we beat out schools such as Stanford and Columbia to get there.  For those that don't know, this was a competition in which many universities entered proposals for a big NYC land grant and up to 100 million dollars held by Mayor Bloomberg.  It's worth reading about the buildings and plans if you're interested; it's going to be state of the art.

Anatomy 101

And then you make the first incision....

          A critical part of medical school for first year students is anatomy lab. Although the specifics of how the course is constructed may vary from school to school, one thing is the same: this is where medical students must dissect a cadaver. That's a dead human being.

          I cannot describe how excited I am for medical school. I will finally get to study the things I have been interested in for years. The waiting game will be over. I won't have to force myself to memorize the intricacies of general chemistry. Instead, I will finally learn human biochemistry, disease, and diagnosis. As excited as I am, though, I have to admit to having a lot of apprehension about dissecting a cadaver.  While I have to admit they make it look really cool - and somehow weirdly sexy - on NCIS, I don't think that's quite how it's going to be.

Bending then Breaking

          Unfortunately, even as I extoll the virtues of the paleo diet on this blog, I have to admit that I have slipped a lot lately.  Travel really tends to throw me off, and I have been travelling a fair bit for the interview season.  The fact is, without a kitchen at your disposal, it can be pretty tough to eat high quality foods and avoid the bad stuff... which seems to be everywhere.  For example, did you know that there is wheat, and thus gluten, in soy sauce?  Honestly, I was shocked when I found that out.

          The other problem is that once I bend a little bit on my diet, I tend to throw in the towel and go ahead and break, at least for a few days.  When you have meticulously avoided gluten for a while, even a slight exposure can throw you off a lot.  Once I have already hit that point, I usually decide that I might as well keep going for a few days... and that's when things like McDonalds start to make their appearance.  Not good.  Very not good in fact.  You don't have to tell me.  I know.

Cast Iron Skillet

          My girlfriend is an amazing gift giver.   If, in a normal day's conversation, you mention to her how you want something, she will remember that moment for months until she is granted the occasion to give it to you.  A few nights ago I took her home for the holidays.  We won't be together on Christmas, so she gave me my Christmas presents.  The star of the show is a new and beautiful cast iron skillet.

Application Update - Withdrawal

          Shortly after your acceptance into a school you like, you're expected to begin withdrawing from schools that you are less interested in.  Most medical schools operate on a rolling basis with a finite number of interviews to offer.  If you have been accepted somewhere and are offered an interview at another school that you are no longer interested in, you are only hurting someone else's chances by going to that interview.  That's aside from the financial costs of flying out to the interview and missing a day of work as well as the fact that it can be a pain.  Even as I say that, I have to admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed interviewing and the interview day experience.

          Having been accepted into a medical school, I have had to begin the process of withdrawing from other schools, although I have kept my applications in at a few that are potentially higher up on my list.  I mentioned previously that I had two interviews scheduled in January, but over the course of the last week, I have canceled both of these.  My hope is that it is far enough from those dates that they will be able to offer those interviews to another applicant.  It's kind of an odd feeling knowing that there is a very real possibility I may be completely done with this cycle.  I still have yet to hear back from the other school I interviewed at and the third interview that is coming up, but what I am referring to is the highly likely scenario where I don't get another interview.

Week's Reflections - 12/17/11

Here are a couple things I read and watched this week that might be worth taking a look at.  Enjoy, and as always, let me know if you have any suggestions!


- I, Caveman  

           Curiosity released the two episode "I, Caveman" a while back.  These episodes have come through the paleo community with some fanfare, because one of the participants was Robb Wolf, a big paleo writer I mentioned in this post.  I just got around to watching it this week, and I thought it was pretty cool.  I have to be honest, I probably wouldn't have found it to be worth watching or too terribly interesting had it not been for Wolf's participation.

Vitamin D - Gotta Have It

I am planning to write a post on a supplement every week or two.  I'm actually not a huge fan of large scale supplementation, but I do think there are a few things that are helpful and should be taken, particularly in certain situations.  I also think there are a few that should definitely not be taken, and I'm equally excited to write about those.

The first on the list is vitamin D, which might be my favorite supplement.  It's a close fight between Vitamin D and fish oil, but I think I have to give vitamin D the edge.  The funny thing about Vitamin D is that it technically isn't - or shouldn't be - a supplement.  We actually produce vitamin D - vitamin D3, cholecalciferol - in our skin.  The precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol reacts with ultraviolet light - specifically UVB light - to form vitamin D (for the biochemists among us, there is a step in between, as precholecalciferol is formed first) (1).  Basically, we produce vitamin D from sunlight.

Links - The Go Tos

          Here are some of my favorite sites to visit.  There will be more links in future posts, but these are the ones I am most likely to visit on a given day.


1.) The Heart Scan Blog

          Dr. William Davis is a preventional cardiologist.  If you want nutritional advice to prevent heart disease, you cannot find a better source than this.  I actually enjoyed his blog so much, that shortly after discovering it, I read it in its entirety from back to front.  It was really interesting to watch his suggestions evolve and become refined over that time.  The nutritional guidelines begin with the elimination of wheat products and continue on to expected staples such as Vitamin D and fish oil, but he also has other suggestions specifically related to different lipoprotein patterns.  I also enjoy the fact that he attributes his thinking and reasoning to scientific studies and clinical experience rather than deduction from the paleo idea.  As a resource, his blog is phenomenal.

Application Update - ACCEPTANCE!

          I was accepted into medical school.  This is a victory.  This is beyond a victory.  I am one of the few who will actually get to do this.  I am going to be a doctor.

          I loved this school when I interviewed there.  I thought things went really well, and I got an awesome vibe there.  I thought the students were cool, and I thought I would fit in well with them.  I also got along extremely well with everyone.  This is a school in south, which excites me since I have lived my whole life in the northeast.  It's time for a change of pace, and I want to broaden my horizons by getting some experience in another part of the country.

Week's Reflections - 12/10/11

          I'm trying to pound out a thoughtful (and hopefully interesting) post every day, but I want to start a Saturday column that's much more light hearted, fun, and easier to write... because weekends are supposed to be fun!

           So on Saturdays, I'm going to make a post about any interesting things I have done/seen/read/whatever over the past week and would recommend to others.  Hopefully as this blog gains some steam and gets some followers, we can turn this into a fun back and forth in the comments section, and you guys can fire back with some things to go do/see/read/whatever.

          Since this is the first, and I have had a hectic week with travel, I am probably going to throw in a few things that didn't come up in the last week.  In the future, I'll keep things more current.

Application Update - Where I Am Today

          Unfortunately I started this blog in December, which is pretty deep into this year's med school application cycle.  I wish I had started it a year ago.  Then you could have enjoyed the journey with me as I struggled to pull great senior year grades, graduated, and went on to take the MCAT.  You could have seen my frustration with secondary applications and the waiting game since finishing those applications.  But, I started a few days ago, and that's just the way it is.  I will, however, update you on the process, in what will undoubtedly prove to be a long post.

Cornell's Exam Week

It is the tail end of the semester at Cornell right now, and that means exam week.  Obviously this doesn't affect me much, because I am no longer a student.  I do still live in Ithaca for work, so I can see the effects exams are having on students.  As I write this, I am thinking of my girlfriend in particular.  At the moment she is working on a 10+ page research paper and studying for a biochemistry exam.  Unfortunately for her, they are both due tomorrow.  I can't prove it, but I bet frequently co-morbid classes are built to have their exams or final papers/projects close to each other at the end of the year to raise the bar just a little higher.

You hear people talk a lot about Cornell, saying it is an extremely competitive school, that there's no grade inflation, that everything is graded on a curve.  Basically, that it is incredibly tough.  Well, that's partially true.  Partially.  Here's the truth.

Paleo Diet

           I eat a "paleo diet," but I really don't like the term "paleo" with regards to the diet.  I think it conjures up images of a caveman, scrounging for food, wearing furs, dying when you're 30, and etc.  While many of the other paleo bloggers or writers have embraced the caveman idea, I have not.  I am getting a little ahead of myself, though.  The purpose of this post is simply to introduce the paleo diet's framework and concept, so first I need tell you what the paleo diet is.

           A paleo diet eschews grains, legumes, and dairy.  It also removes any processed foods or sugary foods.  Instead this diet encourages you to eat your veggies by the truckload, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and some meat/seafood.  Yes, this diet requires you to remove your heart healthy whole grains, and it tells you that the reason for that is that grains simply aren't heart healthy!  Or healthy at all for that matter.

About Me

          I am a 22 year old graduate of Cornell University, and I am currently in my gap year while applying to medical school.  Yes.  I want to be a doctor.  I am going to be a doctor.  The upshot of the gap year is that I have a lot of free time on my hands.  The downside is that I probably won't be able to say that for the next 10 years.  I am currently employed part-time by a test prep agency as an MCAT teacher.  I play guitar, write fiction from time to time, hang out with my girlfriend of almost two years, exercise, and play a handful of sports, especially tennis.  With all the downtime I have during the gap year, I have also picked up a serious video game habit - I cannot recommend Skyrim highly enough.  It is a great way to make 50 hours of your life vanish.

          I decided to start this blog to help me kill this spare time and as an avenue to share my thoughts about some things I am interested in.  I have a deep interest in nutrition and its ability to affect our health and performance (particularly sports-related performance).  I have loved sports since I was very young, and what I believe was starting to turn into a youth tennis career was cut short by a serious spinal injury.  Since then, I have spent a lot of my spare time educating myself on how nutrition can promote health and performance and training methods designed to maximize performance.

          I also want to use this blog to provide a window into the pre-med and medical student experience.  For example, did you know that many medical schools grade students on a pass/fail basis?  Or, did you know that less than half of the people who apply to medical school each year are actually accepted into a (as in any) US, MD-granting medical school?  Maybe you know these things, but when I began this process, I was pretty surprised to learn them.  That's just the beginning, though, I have much more to show you.

          Then there are some other topics that might occasionally work their way in include: writing, music, finance, and even football - I am a diehard Raiders fan.  And, last, I will probably pretty frequently throw in some links and reviews of websites I like to read.  I can't even describe how grateful I am to have grown up in this day and age with so much of the world's knowledge at our fingertips.  Some people have gone to great lengths to put together great websites with lots of quality information or interesting thoughts, and I plan to pay homage to them for what I have learned and continue to learn from them.

          Bear with me in the beginning.  I am new to this.  It won't take long for me to get it.

          Oh, and by the way, I will be protecting some of the details about me - including my name - until this application cycle is over.






Since I have already acknowledged that I am going to go into healthcare, I think it's time I throw up a disclaimer.  I am not a doctor (yet).  I am not a medical student (yet).  Although my blog will deal with some nutritional and exercise related questions and suggestions, I am not a trained person in a position that qualifies me to make these suggestions.  The things that will follow are merely how I choose to live based on the research I have done.  These are not recommendations; they are my opinion.