Week's Reflections - 1/28/12

          Apologies for getting to this so late today!  It has been a bit of a hectic week.  As always, please let me know if you come across anything interesting you want to let me know about; I would really appreciate it.

Plus it has a nice color.

1.) Curcumin vs LDL Receptors

          This is an interesting little study that I came across recently, despite the fact that it's been sitting around for over three years.  It deals with the compound curcumin, which is found in the wonder spice, turmeric.  In case you missed the boat, turmeric takes a shotgun approach to health in the human body by somehow positively impacting virtually everything.

          This study was designed to further analyze the observed anti-atherosclerotic effects of curcumin.  They found that it increases LDL receptor expression by some molecular pathway that's a little beyond my current paygrade.  LDL receptors pick up LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) and help get them pulled into a cell via endocytosis.  Sounds good to me.  Besides, it's a pretty tasty spice.

Application Update - Late Interview Offer

I just thought this was hilarious.

          In the last week I was offered another interview, this one at a school that is right on the cusp between the mid and upper tier.  If I were to be blunt and honest, I would say a mid/upper tier school would be the best fit for me from an admissions standpoint, with a low GPA coming from a relatively prestigious school balanced by a very strong MCAT.

          I think a school of that tier might also be the best fit for me in terms of how I would fare at the school.  As I explained in this post, I have some misgivings about going to a top school.  Even as I am excited by the potentially better access to stellar teachers, facilities, research, and equipment, I am worried about the potential for a highly competitive atmosphere.

Application Update - The Waiting Game

WE HAVE MOVED TO: A Theory of Living  

         One thing that I think many applicants aren't prepared for is how much of a waiting game this whole process is. Honestly, sometimes it feels like that's the main activity of my gap year... waiting. The entire application process essentially takes a year, with applications going out in June and, in many cases, acceptance or rejection coming around March. In the months in between, applicants may or may not be invited to interviews and may receive some acceptances. Technically, the waiting game doesn't even end in March. The bulk of it will end there, although many applicants will be wait listed. Some of those kids may end up remaining on a school's wait list until the day before matriculation.

Rematch Bowl 2012

This is what I want to see Feb 5th.

          In a fairly surprising turn of events, it looks like we'll be having a Super Bowl re-match of the 2008 Super Bowl, between the Giants and the Patriots.  As I'm sure Patriots fans and NFL fans all remember, in 2008, the Giants, a seemingly mediocre team, rose up to defeat the undefeated Patriots.  Until that game, the Patriots had been playing at an unprecedented level.  I doubt many people really thought the Giants had much of a chance, but against all odds, they played a great game and won.  I'm sure Patriots fans are still sick over that loss and eager for a shot at vengeance on the Giants.

          I hate the Patriots.  I am a Raiders fan, and the Tuck Rule still hurts... a lot.  That one, awful play, has stuck with me since my childhood.  I'm not joking.  Add to that the fact that I live in New York and am basically a New Yorker, and I am obviously going to be pulling hard for the Giants.

Week's Reflections - 1/21/2012

          As always, please post in the comments if you have anything interesting you want to recommend for me and others to read/watch/whatever!

Your brain on Alzheimer's.

1.) Diet and Alzheimer's - When the Sugar Hits Your Brain

          This was an interesting article that talks about the effect of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) on our brains.  The author presents a fascinating study from Neurology that presents a very strong correlation between endogenous AGEs and a person's mental decline.  Personally I think AGEs somewhat frightening and are a really interesting topic that I am eager to start educating myself about.

          This article is well worth a read if you're at all interested in AGEs, Alzheimer's, nutrition, or mental decline.

Meeting My ND for the Heartburn Battle

          I had a great experience with my ND.  Honestly, he had me at hello when he told me that he was very happy to see I was eating a grain free diet.  Evidently that is one nutritional change he almost always recommends to patients.  For patients with digestive issues like me, he finds that it is often a critical step in solving the problem.  From that moment on, I knew I would like the guy.

          We went through the entire questionnaire point by point.  I'm happy to say that my small degree of medical training (as well as personal education on nutrition) came in handy here, because we had a pretty intelligent conversation about how many things could be related to each other.  I never thought about it, but I suppose my medical knowledge, at this point, lies mostly within the realms of naturopathy.  Not being able to prescribe or access medicine or surgeries, I have focused most of my attention on disease/injury treatment to what can be done through diet, exercise, and supplements.  Thus far it has been a matter of accessibility.  While that stuff is interesting, I'm still deeply excited to learn more about the, often more powerful, medical interventions over the next few years.

Links - A Few More Good Ones

Welbourne is a big, big human being.

1.) Talk To Me Johnnie
          This is a blog that's written by former NFL offensive lineman John Welbourne.  He played in the NFL for 10 years and has dedicated his life to strength and conditioning training, both as a coach and a player.  The guy really knows his stuff and writes a lot about training and life as a pro athlete.  I also like the tough guy mentality (coffee must be black, weights must be heavy, you must know your drink, etc).

          His blog probably would have made my list of the "Go To's," but he only updates it about once a week.  He is a busy guy.  Still, it's worth checking out.  If you're interested, he is also the mind behind CrossFit Football, a football specific version of CrossFit that is much more intelligently designed than mainstream CrossFit.

Apologies

          Apologies to all readers for the very low post volume the last week and a half.  As I have mentioned, I was on vacation.  More recently, I spent the last three days in a hellish drive up from the South all the way to Ithaca, that included one or two pit stops to pack my car with all the essentials for the coming semester.  All in all, it was close to three solid days in the car with only a handful of breaks... spent packing.  It would have been impossible to post any blog updates, although, believe me, I wanted to.

          I'm back home now, and the posting volume will return to normal.  Thanks for sticking with me!

Football Miscellaneous

          Within three or four hours of publicizing my Saints Super Bowl prediction in the Week's Reflections... they made me look like an idiot.  That's too bad.  I have had a decent run with predictions recently, picking Green Bay last year and the Colts the year before (hey, they lost the Super Bowl, but it was pretty close).

          That was one heck of a game, though.  I was blown away by the Niners defense.  I actually never watched them play a game this season, and obviously I underestimated them.  Brees still threw for 450+ yards and 4 touchdowns, but that's with an uncharacteristic 50ish completion percentage and 2 interceptions.  I couldn't believe how good the anticipation was in the secondary, and their tackling was absolutely spectacular.  With the league so high flying with all the passing this season, it's nice to see such a strong defense with excellent fundamentals for a change of pace.

Week's Reflections - 1/14/2012

          Sorry for the lower posting volume this week.  It's just due to the vacation.  I'll be back on form next week.  I hope you are all well, and as always, if you have any thoughts or recommendations, please let me know!


1.) Playoffs Continue

          I have officially predicted the Saints to win it all.  I think Drew Brees, besides being the coolest professional athlete, is playing at a ridiculous level right now.  Their offense is almost machine like at this point.

The Saints are playing the Niners at 4:30, so we'll see if my prediction holds up.  Anyway, I'm enjoying the playoffs, and I hope you are too.

Off to See my ND... Wait... ND?

Redux

          I wrote in this article about my personal battle with GERD.  I wrote about how badly I wanted to get off the PPI drugs now that my esophagus is healed enough to give it a shot.  Well, I tried.  It was hard, and ultimately, I realized I didn't have all the information I needed, so I stopped.  Fortunately I made this decision in time to enjoy a little bit of Christmas time coffee/chocolate and a wild night out on New Years Eve.

          As a quick reminder, the basic assumption I'm making here is that low stomach acid is actually the cause of GERD, because the esophagus will not close if the stomach's environment lacks a certain amount of acid.  I have found many resources explaining that a "cure" for GERD is to take acid pills to rectify this problem.  I decided to pull off the drugs, although I didn't have any acid pills handy.

Application Update - Another Interview

          I was just called for another interview, this one from a mid-tier school out in the midwest.  I'm pretty excited about this one.  From a direct analysis, I am probably more excited about the school I have already been accepted to, but that is before having visited this midwest school.  That analysis also doesn't include the out of state price tag I'll be paying at the accepted school.  That changes things a bit.  Overall, I am very hopeful that I head out there and love it.

          I'm also excited because one of my best friends (since second grade!) lives and works out there now that he has graduated.  I don't get to see him often, and I can't just fly out there without an excuse, so I'm glad to get this opportunity to visit him for a productive reason.  Right now, my plan is to head into town the day before the interview, maybe grap dinner with him, and prep for the interview that night.  After the interview, I'll head over to his place, and hopefully he'll be down to show me just how fun the city can be.

Location is Everything

          My girlfriend and I are on vacation down South, and today is our first full day down here.  We were driving around today, a long commute to and back from the grocery store, and I said to her, "Wow, this is just really fun."  And it was.  It was beautiful.  The sun was shining, it was a warm but not oppressive 68 degrees, and we had the windows of the car rolled down.  We were wearing sunglasses instead of jackets.  We weren't really doing anything, just enjoying ourselves.  It was beautiful.

          For school (and work for me), we live in Ithaca, and our family homes are both up in the Northeast.  As much as we may complain about the weather and the snow, I think we lose sight of how it actually affects our lives.  The fact is, during the winter up North, you can't really enjoy any outdoor activities.  This is probably a little less true in New York City and the tri-state area, but still fairly accurate.

Week's Reflections - 1/7/12

          The first week of the new year is in the books!  I am excited to celebrate by heading on vacation next week.  Don't worry, I'll still post a few updates.


1.) New Track Your Plaque Article

          I like this article, because it's a very succinct and to the point summation of the reasoning behind the Track Your Plaque low carb diet.  Dr. Davis briefly describes the phenomena he sees with a low carb vs a low fat diet, through the lens of a cardiologist mainly concerned with heart disease.  His article is backed by many years of clinical experience managing the diet and heart health of his patients.  At the end, he also suggests that avoiding wheat in particular can also cause people to benefit in several non-heart related ways.  He doesn't break any new ground here, but I appreciate it for being short and concise and easy to understand with or without medical training.

Application Update - Interview at a Top School

No.  It wasn't actually Harvard.  That would just be silly.

          Recently, I interviewed at a top med school.  We are talking top 10 or 15 depending which ranking system you're looking at.  As I described in this article, I am not a stellar applicant.  I have a wildly mediocre GPA only partially balanced by a good MCAT.  Typically these top schools interview kids with great GPAs and great MCATs who have been published and done other spectacular things.  So yeah, I was surprised when I got the invite.  In all honesty, I thought this school in particular was the one I had the least shot at of all 25 on my list.

          I went into town a few days early, because I actually have friends who go/went there for undergrad.  I met up with them for coffee and to watch some football and all the usual things.  The funny thing is that I knew most of these kids from way back in high school or summer vacations.  What does that mean?  Well, when they heard I got an interview there, they had with some shock assumed I had turned myself into a top notch med school applicant who gave up his undergrad experience for perfect grades, when they know me more as the decent student and frat boy.  I was quick to reassure them that things had changed... but not that much.

Oh, the Powers of Vitamin D

I refuse to feel like this.

          I'm still at home for the holidays, and this winter season, some disgusting sinus infection decided to visit my family.  Well... except for one of us.  With my entire family sick, I started feeling the first hints of the sniffles.  No!!!  I'm going on vacation down South with my girlfriend on Friday, and I refuse to get a sinus infection now.  I bumped my daily 5k iu of vitamin D up to 10k for two days.  Sinus infection?  Gone.  Before it even began.

          Please keep in mind, 10k iu of vitamin D is not something you take for the long term.  You need to run blood tests to determine how much vitamin D you need to take daily, although the Vitamin D Council recommends about 5k iu per day for an adult.  Vitamin D is an incredibly powerful immune system boosting tool, and there is anecdotal evidence that taking a megadose for a day or two when symptoms of infection start to pop up can reduce the duration of your illness.

It's Not About the Money... But Damn I Want the Money

Yuppie

          I spent New Year's Eve partying it up in New York City with some friends from Cornell who are all employed people who have started "real life."  It's an odd feeling for me talking to them about work and life and everything, because I don't really feel like I have started "real life" yet.

          This gap year I'm taking is a weird limbo; I'm kind of working, but it's not full time and not at a long-term job, and I choose my own hours.  What's more, I have no idea where I'll be for the next four years, so I'm not really settling my roots in anywhere.  Plus, I'm staying at Cornell living close to campus.  Honestly, my life hasn't changed that much from how it was as an undergrad, except that schoolwork has been traded out for some work work.

Book Review: In Stitches

          I got In Stitches by Anthony Youn for Christmas.  Up until now, any reading I have done related to medical school has been aimed at getting in.  Now that I have an acceptance, I want to get an idea of what the hell I'm getting myself into.

          In that regard, I actually feel like I am well behind most other pre-meds.  It seems like all other pre-meds either have a parent who is a doctor or a long line of relatives who are doctors, and these students have some idea of what the whole process is like.  In my family, it'll just be me, and I have no idea what the hell is coming next.

          I have mixed feelings about the book.  I thought the first half was pretty disappointing.  Literally the first hundred pages were concerned with his troubles with girls, and I have to say... I just didn't care.  Also, his thoughts on his jaw surgery were remarkably brief, which was disappointing.  As a doctor who would go on to become a plastic surgeon, I had hoped he would share more thoughts on his own time under the knife.

Raiders Break My Heart

          Well, the Raiders managed to break my heart yet again.  Somehow, the football gods decided to give them a chance.  One of the many win loss scenarios that would allow the Raiders the chance to sneak into the playoffs actually occurred.  Tebow and the Broncos lost.  It was amazing.  All the Raiders had to do was win.

          They couldn't do it.

          This has been an up and down season for the Raiders.  We have had some solid wins and some disgusting losses.  The implosion against the Lions and playing like a college team against the Dolphins are the two that sting the most.  Except, maybe, for the one earlier today.