Unit 5 Reflection

This unit was about the digestive system, diabetes, the endocrine system, and the lymphatic system. We learned about the parts of the digestive system and what their job is, we also learned about how food travels through it. In the diabetes section we learned what causes it, the differences between type 1 and 2, and also what happens when their blood pressure and blood sugar becomes too low. And we also learned about the endocrine and lymphatic system, which we talked about what organs are part of that system, what the system does in the body, what hormones are used, and what those hormones do in our bodies. I would say that this unit went pretty well, but it could of gone smoother if it wasn't for mixing up all the hormones and parts of the endocrine and lymphatic systems. We did a lab where we measured out string to about the length of how long our whole digestive system would be, and that was pretty fun, especially when you got to see how something so big fits into a small portion of your body. I think learning more about what effects your metabolism and why those things effect it would be an interesting thing to learn about while learning about what your metabolism is. Looking back on my new year's goals, I've taken a stab at them, but I need to start working on them more when I can or else I won't be able to achieve them in a timely manner.

Digestive System Lab

In the lab we measured out what would approximately be the length of our digestive system, using some colored ribbons and some string. I would have to say that my main take away from this lab was how something so big can fit into a tiny space in my body cavity. 

My height compared to the length of my digestive system is really different, my digestive system is roughly 11 times longer than the space in me that it occupies. I think it's able to fit inside my abdomen because of the fact that it has all of the folds in the small intestine and large intestine to make them able to be compressed so they can fit into a small spot. I feel like it takes about five hours on average for food to move through the system. but it actually takes about six to eight hours for food to get through. The factors that would influence how long it took would be how complex the food was and what is it made of. Digestion is when food is mechanically and chemically broken down into smaller parts, this includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Absorption is when nutrients the body needs are taken in from what is left of the food, this includes the small intestine and the large intestine.

New Year's Goals

I will study more before the day of the actual test to get better test scores. To achieve this I will start studying many days in advance for the test, instead of just studying a couple days before and the day of the test. And to monitor this goal I'll check my test grades after every unit to see if there is any improvement in the scores.
I will continually prepare for my Anat/Phys final presentation. To achieve this I will start to plan out a presentation as I work on my project, editing the plan as I go. To monitor this I should be able to have my whole presentation done and ready to go well before the day that I have to present my project.

Monday Wellness Reflection

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AWfvqZXcCQ4BJcPFZ089AUb5cEwVUycWvtihVHqKJVc/edit?usp=sharing
I chose this topic because when I was in PE, I loved the fact that we mostly did Cross Fit, and it made me have more confidence in myself after I completed whatever we happened to be doing that day. So I thought that it was a good idea to do Cross Fit as my topic, since I enjoyed actually doing the workouts. I would say that the interesting thing that I learned was that Coach Greg Glassman is the one that created Cross Fit and is the first person to ever define fitness in a meaningful and measurable way, "increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains." The topic of Cross Fit is important for health and wellness because it is meant to promote health and wellness of the body by promoting fitness through a fun way of exercise that you can do with your friends. Also the fact that it does work all the muscles of your body also adds to why it's important for health and wellness. Cross Fit also helps build social bonds with the people you workout together with. If I was to grade myself on a scale of 1 to 10, I sure wouldn't give myself a 10. I would honestly have to give myself a 4, since I didn't take charge of the project like I should of when I said that we should follow the advice that was suggested to us when we asked for a suggestion, I should have not let my voice be ignored by my partner, I should have made sure that we started the power point earlier, I should have made sure that we asked for a suggestion earlier and asked if our power point was on track for the assignment, and I should have made sure that we had met all of the requirements for this project. I know now of all the mistakes that I made for this assignment, but only wish now that I had known sooner, so I wouldn't be in the mess I am in now. I know full well that this probably made me look bad and to be honest, I didn't feel good about this at all, from the very beginning I felt like that I was only set up for failure with this assignment, nothing more, nothing less. Finding out my grade for the assignment didn't help the feeling I felt, it only made it worse and sent me spiraling down a dark path. Even thinking about what happened and why it did happened doesn't help with the situation at all, even after just accepting that all of this happened. All I know is that after all of my efforts to make the assignment happen and be a great presentation, the damage has already been done and I can't do anything to fix that damage.

Sheep Heart Disection Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSn9fymN1SQ

Sheep Heart Dissection

1. What is the purpose of the pericardium?

It's purpose is to keep the heart in place and to keep the pressure inside the heart from making it explode.

2. Observe the blood vessels connecting to the heart. How do arteries differ from veins in their structure?

Arteries have thicker walls, and a higher pressure inside of them than veins do, and unlike arteries, veins carry blood to the heart while arteries carry blood away from it.

3. Place your finger inside the auricle. What function do you think the auricle serves?

It takes in deoxygenated blood from the body and oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps them through the tricuspid/bicuspid valve to their respected ventricles.

4. Observe the external structures of the atria and ventricles. What differences do you observe?

Ventricles have thicker walls than the atria and blood flows into the atria and out of the ventricles.

5. Find the following structures. Use pictures or words to describe each.

a. Exit from the coronary sinus

b. Exit from the inferior vena cava

c. Right Atrioventricular Valve (Tricuspid Valve)

a. It empties blood into the right atrium.

b. It empties blood into the heart.

c. It prevents the backflow of blood from the right ventricle into the right atrium.

6. Draw a picture of the tricuspid valve, including chordate tendinae and the papillary muscle.

7. Why is the "anchoring" of the heart valves by the chordate tendinae and the papillary muscle important to the heart to function?

It's important because it prevents the bicuspid and tricuspid valves from collapsing into the atria while contracting.

8. Using pictures and/or words describe what you see.

It prevents backflow and allows blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.

9. What is the function of the semi-lunar valves?

The semi-lunar valves are the valves that prevent blood from going back into the heart after they have left it.

10. Valvular heart disease is when one or more heart valves does not work properly. Improperly functioning heart valves can lead to regurgitation, which is the backflow of blood through a leaky valve. Ultimately this can lead to congestive heart failure, a condition that can be life threatening.

a. If the valve disease occurs on the right side of the heart, it results in swelling in the feet and ankles. Why might this happen?

b. If the valve disease occurs on the left side of the heart, what complications would you expect to see?

a. The blood isn't moving through the heart so it backflows back down and gathers in the feet and ankles, causing swelling.

b. I would expect to see swelling in the lungs because of the backflow.

11. Using pictures and/or words describe what you see.

The cordae tendinae connects the papillary muscle to the bicuspid valve.

12. Describe how the left and right sides of the heart differ from each other.

The right side of the heart deals with deoxynated blood while the left side of the heart deals with oxynated blood, the walls of the left side of the heart are thicker than the right because it needs to pump blood to the body.

13. Draw and label all structures visible in the interior of the cross-section.

Unit 3 Reflection

This unit was about blood, the circulatory system, the cardiovascular system, cardiovascular diseases, and a intro to the respiratory system. The cardiovascular system works by the heart pumping blood throughout the body by blood vessels called veins and arteries, they also go to the lungs to get oxygen in the body and take waste out of the body. Cardiovascular health is the health of your heart, blood, and blood vessels. Heart disease is either passed genetically or is gotten by unhealthy choices in food and lifestyle that then proceeds to cause problems within the cardiovascular system. A stroke is what happens when something is either completely blocking a artery or when there is a leak in the wall that can rupture. I can promote my own cardiovascular health by eating healthier and exercising more, lowering blood pressure and body fat, also to remove stressors from daily life. What I wonder about is how clogged up my arteries are, and I really don't want to find out. I'd say that my strengths in this unit were that I understood how the blood flows through the body and through the heart. My weaknesses though I would say were knowing all the different parts of the heart, knowing only the ones used in the flow of blood and not the others. I need to work on my health goals from unit 2, since of all my school work I've basically not been able to work on them.