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.