This week the members of the medical society at my school met at lunchtime to have a debate, the proposed motion was that "illnesses caused by lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking and diet should receive less time and money from the NHS."
As you can imagine the debate was a very interesting one and the motion immediately gets you thinking, what do you think? Personally I can understand reasons both for and against but I disagree with the statement and as it happens I was on the team arguing against the motion. Below I will briefly summarise some of the reasons given in this particular debate (I'm not saying I agree with all of them!)
Reasons given for:
- People who have lived healthily, paying careful attention to diet and not drinking or smoking excessively should be rewarded with more time compared those who have been careless for example.
- People are educated throughout their lives about the importance of healthy eating and exercise and many attempt to do so, others do not and it is often these people who become ill.
- If this was the case and people did receive "less time and money" this could act as an incentive to someone to change their particular "lifestyle choice" before they became ill.
Reasons given against:
- Such a system would be impossible to regulate, for example where is the cut off point for lifestyle choices? And what if the lifestyle choice contributed to an illness as well as another factor?
- The amount someone eats, drinks or smokes is a personal choice. In addition cigarettes and alcohol are highly taxed and this tax is of benefit to the economy and could potentially end up in the NHS.
- Anyone and everyone, regardless of circumstance is entitled to free health care from the NHS and it would be immoral and discriminative to excluded one particular party from this.
Saturday 25 February 2012
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Half-term Skiing
Having just returned from a ski holiday I thought I would write briefly about hypothermia as a friend of mine suffered from mild symptoms whilst we were away. I believe it was due to the very low temperatures (as low as -18°C) and the extremely strong winds on the mountain but primarily due to the fact that he was not wearing sufficiently warm clothing as although slightly cold, the rest of the skiing party were unaffected.
Hypothermia can be defined as "a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can reproduce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature anywhere below 35°C." As the core temperature drops the body will divert warm blood into the core of the body allowing the extremities to become even colder.
Mild symptoms include shivering, numbness, tingling, blue extremities and blotchy skin. Whilst severe symptoms include decreased coordination (core temperatures below 33.5°C), muscle rigidity, slow breathing, and slow or irregular pulse. This can soon progress to dilated and fixed pupils, absent reflexes, and cardiac arrest and finally death below 25°C.
The basic "treatment" I gave to my friend was to lie him down, dry him and dress him in warm clothing whilst covering him with warm blankets and simply keeping an eye on him. He complained of being very tired and proceeded to sleep for over 16 hours however the next day his colour had returned and he was back to normal.
I also read this very interesting article on my return about a Swedish man named Peter Skyllberg who managed to survive trapped in his car in sub-zero temperatures for two months! There are various theories on how he managed to survive but take a look for yourself!
Hypothermia can be defined as "a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can reproduce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature anywhere below 35°C." As the core temperature drops the body will divert warm blood into the core of the body allowing the extremities to become even colder.
Mild symptoms include shivering, numbness, tingling, blue extremities and blotchy skin. Whilst severe symptoms include decreased coordination (core temperatures below 33.5°C), muscle rigidity, slow breathing, and slow or irregular pulse. This can soon progress to dilated and fixed pupils, absent reflexes, and cardiac arrest and finally death below 25°C.
The basic "treatment" I gave to my friend was to lie him down, dry him and dress him in warm clothing whilst covering him with warm blankets and simply keeping an eye on him. He complained of being very tired and proceeded to sleep for over 16 hours however the next day his colour had returned and he was back to normal.
I also read this very interesting article on my return about a Swedish man named Peter Skyllberg who managed to survive trapped in his car in sub-zero temperatures for two months! There are various theories on how he managed to survive but take a look for yourself!
Saturday 11 February 2012
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
Firstly if anyone is taking the EPQ or has taken it already and is reading this any advice on it would be much appreciated!
A university speaker came into school this week to talk about the EPQ and its benefits, beforehand I knew it existed but I have now learnt some very interesting information about it which I thought I would share:
- The project can be on anything you want it to be. For example titles vary hugely, some are academic say medically or history related whereas others couldn't be more different talking about harry potter and the "muggle world"
- The EPQ is equivalent to half an A2 level, marked accordingly up to the A* grade and 70 ucas tariff points. The mark you receive is not purely based on the end result but also the work put in to get to this end result, for example the reading and referencing around your chosen subject.
- The EPQ can help in the university selection process, some universities (be sure to look them up if you're interested) hold it in such high regard that instead of receiving an offer of AAA you can receive an offer of AAB & the EPQ. This is largely because of the independent study and organisation the EPQ demands, similar to a university course.
I'm currently undecided as to whether or not I will take the EPQ, the main conflict being the choice between 3 A-levels & the EPQ or 4 A-levels. The lecture this week however has definitely got me thinking as the EPQ sounds very interesting and beneficial and could provide the opportunity to research something medically related in much greater depth.
A university speaker came into school this week to talk about the EPQ and its benefits, beforehand I knew it existed but I have now learnt some very interesting information about it which I thought I would share:
- The project can be on anything you want it to be. For example titles vary hugely, some are academic say medically or history related whereas others couldn't be more different talking about harry potter and the "muggle world"
- The EPQ is equivalent to half an A2 level, marked accordingly up to the A* grade and 70 ucas tariff points. The mark you receive is not purely based on the end result but also the work put in to get to this end result, for example the reading and referencing around your chosen subject.
- The EPQ can help in the university selection process, some universities (be sure to look them up if you're interested) hold it in such high regard that instead of receiving an offer of AAA you can receive an offer of AAB & the EPQ. This is largely because of the independent study and organisation the EPQ demands, similar to a university course.
I'm currently undecided as to whether or not I will take the EPQ, the main conflict being the choice between 3 A-levels & the EPQ or 4 A-levels. The lecture this week however has definitely got me thinking as the EPQ sounds very interesting and beneficial and could provide the opportunity to research something medically related in much greater depth.
Sunday 5 February 2012
Cardiology Ward
At volunteering this evening I learnt a little bit about coronary heart disease whilst talking to a patient. The process begins when the coronary arteries become narrowed by a gradual build up of fatty material (known as atheroma) within their walls. The artery may become so narrow that it cannot deliver enough oxygen containing blood to the heart. As a result the patient can suffer from a pain in their chest which is known as angina. (A heart attack happens when a narrowed coronary artery becomes blocked by a blood clot.)
One of the main drugs used to prevent or treat angina is a beta blocker. It works by slowing the heart rate, this in turn reduces the amount of work the heart has to do so it therefore needs less oxygen, blood and nutrients. Beta blockers are very effective at preventing attacks of angina but unfortunately they work too slowly to be useful in relieving an episode once it has started. As beta blockers reduce the force of the heartbeat they must be used very carefully in people with heart failure.
Minor side effects are common but they tend to lessen as time goes on. These include tiredness, fatigue and cold hands and feet. (Source: The British Heart Foundation)
Eating healthy can reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease and consequently angina. Advice includes: eating a wide variety of fruit and veg, reduce the amount of fat you eat (particularly unsaturated and trans fats), eating oily fish and omega-3 fats, reduce the amount of salt you eat and finally not drinking too much alcohol.
One of the main drugs used to prevent or treat angina is a beta blocker. It works by slowing the heart rate, this in turn reduces the amount of work the heart has to do so it therefore needs less oxygen, blood and nutrients. Beta blockers are very effective at preventing attacks of angina but unfortunately they work too slowly to be useful in relieving an episode once it has started. As beta blockers reduce the force of the heartbeat they must be used very carefully in people with heart failure.
Minor side effects are common but they tend to lessen as time goes on. These include tiredness, fatigue and cold hands and feet. (Source: The British Heart Foundation)
Eating healthy can reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease and consequently angina. Advice includes: eating a wide variety of fruit and veg, reduce the amount of fat you eat (particularly unsaturated and trans fats), eating oily fish and omega-3 fats, reduce the amount of salt you eat and finally not drinking too much alcohol.
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