Let's Take A Long Walk: September 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

gchat is ruining my life

things aren't so bad.

kpeng127: so.... how many genitals will we see in our life time?

so embarassing.

me: oh wow

i never thought of it that way before

that's insane

kpeng127: yup.

yay doctors.

Adam: haha

THATs a cool roomy

i was just watching a buffy episode (yeah yeah), about her roommate who is actually a demon

so i think youre doing ok

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

if the Hadron Collider creates a black hole and the universe as we know it ends today,

what would you do with your last few hours?

i would eat a butt-load of ice cream and dim sum and fatty foods.
i would call anyone special who was not in my life anymore and tell them i miss them and that i'm sorry.
i would would lay face-down in the grass to hug the earth and listen to the insects and worms and plants one last time.

hm.

i could do all these things...today.

....mm. donuts.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

famous last words

week 4.

our first major test as a class has come and gone. it feels like it has already been 6 months. it feels like my entire life is anatomy. i don't hate anatomy, but it's freakin dry and boring.

it seems like the extracurriculars are getting under way. we're constantly having our classroom occupied by informational sessions (well it comes with free lunch often so i'm not complaining). but there's hardly any room in the brain to think about them, much less plan on doing them.

i am pretty adamant in my decision to not devote my entire goddamn life to getting that 100% in anatomy. even though it's crucial to what i want to do later on as a physician, i feel as though i have such a tenuous hold on myself as a person that i refuse to alter some of my older habits in order to accommodate my studies, including making sure i read every article (title at the very least) of the front page of the news, finding stuff online that makes me laugh, and dancing. so no, i'm not studying as hard as my peers right now. but these are things that i really need to do.

i mean, i'm passing so far. it should be do-able. right?

(...the shadows under my eyes are twice as big as they were 4 weeks ago.)

What is a D.O.?

D.O.s continue the tradition of bringing health care to areas of greatest need:

Approximately 65% of practicing osteopathic physicians specialize in primary care areas, such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.
Many D.O.s fill a critical need for physicians by practicing in rural and other medically underserved communities.

D.O.s bring wholeness back to the art of medicine:

Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians.
D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard your body as an integrated whole.
Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care.
D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system-your body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of your body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an illness or injury in one part of your body can affect another.
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated into the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose illness and injury and to encourage your body's natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other available medical options with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

What is Osteopathic Medicine?

Osteopathic medicine is a unique form of American medical care that was started in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of 19th century medicine. He believed that many of the medications of his day were useless or even harmful. Dr. Still was one of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that he could better understand the process of disease.

In response, Dr. Still developed a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. That philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. Dr. Still identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body's ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.

Dr. Still pioneered the concept of "wellness" more than 130 years ago. In today's terms, D.O.s evaluate each patient's personal health risks-such as smoking, high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol levels, stress and other lifestyle factors. In coordination with prescribing appropriate medical treatment, osteopathic physicians act as teachers to help patients take more responsibility for their well-being and to change un-healthy patterns.

Let's Take A Long Walk