Mid-Unit Summary

The heart is cone shaped and consists of chambers (atria and ventricles) and valves that prevent back flow and control where the blood travels, whether that be to the rest of the body or to be oxygenated in the lungs. The pericardium pumps and lubricates the heart--the SA node starts each heart beat and the SV node delays the impulse until the atria is completely contracted. Arteries carry blood away and veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Capillaries connect the two and are where the oxygen is released to be used by the cells. Problems like atherosclerosis and aneurysms can occur to blood vessels the would cause the flow of blood to be disrupted. 

There are many types of white blood cells that all serve a specific purpose. Neutrophils eat invasive  bacteria and responds to infections. Basophils release histamine to stimulate inflammation. Eosinophils engulf items coated in antibodies. Lymphocytes are further divided into 3 types: B, T, and natural killer cells. Monocytes arrive later to the infection cite and turn into macrophages to fight foreign materials. Platelets are cell fragments that clot blood and prevent blood loss in the case of a cut. 

Major components of the circulatory system include the previously mentioned arteries and veins. Accessory organs are the lungs, kidneys, small intestine, and large intestine that filter the blood and get rid of waste. The lungs replenish the blood with oxygen through the alveoli.

Some diseases that can affect the heart are heart attacks, cardiac arrests, and atherosclerosis. For the most part, all can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle and taking care of HDL/LDL levels.  In "Atherosclerosis: The New View", the article mentions that HDL levels greatly affect a person's risk for atherosclerosis. Maintaining a good amount of HDL is more important than having low LDL. Another risk that can heavily damage the brain is stroke. According to "Strike Against Stroke", plaque ruptures in vessels near the brain can cause blood clots and restrict oxygen from being distributed to brain cells. 

http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/images/1HT00876/heart.gif

Blood Pressure

Analysis Questions:
1. Compare the systole to the diastole.
Systole is the contraction of a vessel and diastole is the relaxation of it. In relation to blood pressures, systolic pressure is the the maximum pressure during ventricular contraction and diastolic is the lowest pressure achieved in the arteries when it is relaxed.

2. What equipment is used to measure heart rate? Blood pressure?
A stethoscope is used to measure heart rate and a sphygomomanometer is used to measure blood pressure.

3. Why is using your thumb to measure pulse not ideal?
Because the thumb has a pulse of its own, reading the carotid or radial pulse with your thumb would result in unreliable data.

4. Describe how to use a blood pressure cuff. 
Wrap the deflated cuff snugly around the upper arm. Hold the pump in the hand of the opposite arm. Place the stethoscope head just under the cuff above the crease of the elbow. Inflate the cuff with the pump until the pressure gauge reads around 150. At 150, open the pump valve slightly so that the air lets our slowly. Listen for the heartbeat and record the pressure at which the first beat is heard (systolic). Keep listening until you cannot hear the heartbeat anymore and record that pressure (diastolic).

Chalk Walk: Heart

From the body/myocardium, de-oxygenated blood flows from the superior and inferior vena cava and the coronary sinus into the right atrium. From the right atrium, the blood passes the tricuspid valve into the left ventricle, up through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary arteries, and then finally into the lungs. In the lungs, the the blood re-oxygenates and gets rid of carbon dioxide waste in the alveoli. Once sufficient oxygen is once again incorporated in the blood, it enters back into the heart through the pulmonary veins into the left atrium. From the left atrium, blood crosses the bicuspid valve into the left ventricle and then through the aortic valve to reach the aorta arch and descending aorta, where the blood is once again pumped into the body to distribute oxygen and nutrients. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyQ2jNr3_64&feature=youtu.be

Wellness Day: Zumba!

Caroline, Josh, and I decided to teach the class a little bit about zumba for wellness day. We chose zumba because we thought it would be more fun and interactive than just doing a workout move like push-ups or leg lifts, which we did consider doing. Who wouldn't rather listen to upbeat music and laugh with each other while learning an exciting dance and getting a great workout at the same time? Personally, I've been to a zumba class before and I really enjoyed it--45 minute class got my heart racing and beads of sweat dripping down my back. I know Caroline has also attended a class and loved it as much as I did. In addition, Caroline actually dances so we knew that at least one of us could look good and teach the harder dance moves properly. In preparing for the presentation and creating a dance routine, we watched many, many zuba videos and filtered through a lot of music choices to finally come up with a routine that was not too hard but was also hard enough that the class would sweat and have fun learning it.

I actually learned a lot about zumba that I would not have previously assumed, like the fact that zumba can burn 600-1000 Calories in an hour long class or that it worked out so many parts of the body. From the zumba class I attended, I could tell that zumba was cardio, but how many Latin based moves worked the abs, obliques, and lower back was new to me. Speaking of Latin dance, I had no idea that zumba had Latin origins. On top of that, the cardio workout was actually invented by accident in Columbia by substituting regular aerobics music with Latin music. Nowadays, hip-hip/pop dance moves are also incorporated into zumba for a modern kick.

This topic was important for health and wellness because we all need around 150 minutes of exercise a week to receive the benefits of exercise and to remain healthy. While there are many different types of exercise like weightlifting or cross fit, zumba is another fun way to meet 45-60 minutes of that requirement. Besides raising the heart rate, the dance cardio also works specific muscles in all major muscle groups, giving the participant a total body workout. Dancing can also relieve stress, especially if it's held in a happy and uplifting environment like zumba classes usually are. Participants can go with friends or even go meet new friends through the classes. You can kill, like, 5 birds with one stone!

The presentation was fun to give and I would rate my performance a 9/10 because I messed up while dancing in front of the class when I should have been more prepared. As one of the teachers, I should have known the dance routine a little better.

Here is the link to our presentation if you want to learn more specifics about zumba and its benefits!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rpNrNR7Qal8YfOlmei3lTgG7EyyY9qCsmVIQLQRI3JY/edit#slide=id.g35f391192_00

Unit Two Reflection: Health

This unit's main themes were centered around the 5 Pillars of Health, which are maintaining a balance of sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, and social relationships. Through the diet and sleep diaries I recorded over the past few weeks, I determined that I was not doing a good enough job of either. My nutrition intake was fine, but my body required a little more calories to function properly in daily life involving marching band and other activities. On the other hand, the amount of sleep I get on average is definitely not enough to sustain for a long duration of time. During the day, I would feel tired and nod off in my classes when I should actually be energized and ready to learn. I also found that I was stressed frequently, usually by time constraints and work.

I think most students at Saratoga can attest to the same lifestyle: too little sleep, too much stress. To counteract stress and promote better lifestyles and health, I strongly suggest the school serve more nutritious food options and lower the amount of homework. In explanation of the former, our school cafeteria offers pizza, corn dogs, cookies, cup noodles, and various plastic encased burritos for lunch. Even the "healthy" option (aka the salad bar) is really just iceberg lettuce and croutons. On to homework, I know that it important for students to practice what they learned in class or even learn on their own at home, but I don't think that the homework system we have now is necessarily the best way to educate kids. There are schools out there that don't give homework, yet their kids are just as successful as ours and perhaps even happier and more relaxed. I don't know how realistic it is to expect the same of Saratoga, but it's a thought. In any case, maybe teachers here could reduce the amount of homework by doing away with busy work.

I learned about the functions of insulin, leptin, glucagon, and cortisol in the body, mostly having to do with the usage and storage of sugars. I also learned a lot about nutrition (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, minerals, vitamins, fiber, phytochemicals) and what it means to have a healthy diet. One thing that I would be interested in exploring further is sleep, particularly dreams. Dreams don't exactly relate to this unit on health but I feel like there is a lot of unknowns when it comes to explaining dreams and it would be fun to learn about.


The TED Talk " Sugar: The Bitter Truth" is very relevant to modern day eating habits. Because of the accessibility of processed foods, we tend to consume way too much sugar without even realizing it.  Early on in this unit, we learned that "overcarbsumption" or eating too much sugar can result insulin resistance, leptin resistance, and basically the overall degradation of one's health. The necessity to eat whole foods and be aware of what processed foods you do eat were really highlighted in the TED talk as well as this unit.

Sleep Diary

As I expected, I didn't quite meet the 9 hours of sleep recommended for teenagers. In fact, this week isn't even an accurate representation of my daily school sleep schedule-- I had an unusually high amount of sleep as a result of a long weekend and also because my sleep deprivation caught up to me by the end of the week and I tried to sleep earlier than usual. Based off of the data I collected over the week, I averaged about 8 hours of sleep a day (I wish it were reality; 8 hours sounds blissful), but in reality my sleeping hours were erratic and not consistent at all.
On the other hand, I found that my sleepiness scale was relatively consistent day to day: I was most awake in the early afternoon and sleepy in the mornings as well as late afternoons.
This sleep diary did make me realize a few things: although I do not wake up (to my knowledge anyway) in the middle of the night, when I wake up in the mornings, I often don't feel fully rested. Perhaps this problem is a consequence of my late night electronic use, and the blue light emitted from the screen is causing my cortisol levels to the unbalanced. I can probably cut my electronic time, especially right before I sleep, in order to be better rested when I wake each day.