TRX – Life Long Wellness Application Paper

What did you learn about “lifelong wellness” from taking this general Education class?

Our health is our own responsiblity.  We need to make the choice to take care of our bodies.  Finding a workout that is challenging and enjoyable to keep you coming back as well as educating yourself on proper nutrition so you can fuel the body with fresh enjoyable foods.  These things are largely responsible for our health and can be very satisfying.

How would you apply this information to your life?

I want to try more forms of exercise.  I want to keep myself interested in my physical health.  My main focus however would be on finding more enjoyment in preparing healthy food and being award of what the foods I eat will do for me.  I feel with this knowledge I will be ready to avoid foods I might enjoy but provide no nutrition.

What is your intention to continue to practice what you have learned in your life and why?

I wont diet.  I want a lifestyle that is energizing and healthy.  I want to enjoy physical activity by learning more about what is happening to my body during and after workouts and of course I want to enjoy the way I look while I’m in shape.

General ideas for improving this course?

I think a meeting in a classroom to go over the syllabus and class requirements and expectations would have been helpful for this course. 

 

English 1010 – Research Paper

Midwive vs. Hospital

Reflective essay #3

Severe Weather

 

 

SPCWatch

InfaredImage

The first image from the Storm Prediction Center is a tornado warning for the lower portion of Southern Alabama, Western Florida Panhandle, Eastern Lousiana, Central and Southern Mississipi, and costal Waters.  The warning lasted for 16 and a half hours.  There was warning of possible tornados, hail up to 1 and a half inches in diameter, winds up to 70MPH and dangerous lightening.

The image is showing that there is intensifying wings in the upper levels with strong pressure falls downstream that will result in enhanced low-level response and threats for tornadoes and embedded roation structures and if nothing else damaging wind gusts.  A cumulonimbus cloud of a 500 maximum as well.

Because Doppler is detecting the motion of the rain droplets in addition to intensity of the precipitiation it is able to determine the structure of the storm and it’s potiential for causing sever weather.  I believe this doppler radar image was in a reflective image mode. The infared image is measuring the heat of the air and the cloud formations.

Human Growth & Development Signature Assignment

PP Erik Erikson

Reflective Paper for Synthesis Essay

When I was looking for a topic with two opposing points a view that had absolutely no middle ground I was lucky to be involved in a conversation with my two pregnant sisters that gave me the inspiration for this paper.  Both of my sisters have had one child already and they disagreed with each other than about how the other went about the birth of their child.  Now with the second pregnancy and this time they are mere days apart, neither one willing to budge on which way was more beneficial to child and mother. One sister swears by the epidural.  She would have it no other way and believes that my other sister is not taking full advantage of the resources the hospitals have available.  She is always saying “epidural, sign me up!” Her last birth was easy quick and because of the drugs relatively painless.  She is not even nervous to have the second child and in fact can’t wait to have the pregnancy over with.  My second sister feels quite the opposite.  She has never even taken her son to a doctor.  She planned out her birth meticulously with her midwife who has become a close family friend.  She however had a much more difficult birth that lasted much longer.  She managed without out pain medicine and now says it was a wonderful experience and it helped her to bond with her son and husband during the process.  There was not a doubt in her mind that she would do the same for her second child.  How do you find middle ground on something so personal?  I knew it was the right topic.  It was also very easy to come upon the research.  The paper came together with a great deal of ease.  I love being able to pick our own topic because I can actually learn about something that really interests me and I feel it makes the paper more enjoyable for the reader as well as myself as the writer.  When it is being read it is apart that I believe what I’m writing.  I’m sure it will be easy to spot who out of both my sisters I am agreeing with when you read this paper.  I also enjoy reading my peers papers and seeing what interests them and getting an outside point of view on my own writing.  They were very helpful in the process.  Having a format such as the one we have in class I feel confident with the assignments that I turn in.

 

Synthesis Essay

The human race has been bearing children to survive for the whole of its existence. Without the miracle of child birth there would be no human race at all. The process of child birth however has evolved over the last few centuries. In this day and age if people go with the norm they birth children in a hospital with nursing staff, drugs, and a doctor. Before the dawn of the medical era parents were birthing their children at home without the aid of pain medications and emergency procedures. Even with all the advancements that have been produced a hospital birth is beginning to resemble a money making business rather then focusing on the mother and child. In some instances however the serene experience of a child birthed at home with the aid of a midwife that is familiar with your family and needs does not outweigh the risks that a couple might face.

When birthing a child in a hospital a mother can be classified in many different categories. They may choose to have their baby without an epidural and try to simulate a natural home birth, they may choose to use the epidural for pain management, they may be induced into labor and have their children at a scheduled appointment, they may even fall into a dangerous birth category that requires a Cesarian birth. In all instances their needs can be taken care of in a hospital setting but these procedures may not be necessary. They may choose their doctor because they are in their preferred network on their insurance plan or even pay more to give birth to their child with the help of a doctor they have choosen. In all these situations however the parents have little control. The decision for the hospital depends on insurance coverage, they have never met the nurses that work with them until they are in the hospital, and the doctor that was chosen makes brief appearances during the hours of labor and try to arrive just in time to birth the baby. Mothers even bypass their bodies own imprinted instruction of when to go into labor by being induced for convenience. A doctor might seem disconnected from the process and this can put a damper on the experience. However modern medicine makes up for what it lacks in its emergency procedures if something were to go wrong, however, the problems they create can contribute to the need of these procedures.

When parents choose a home birth they are making the most natural decision. People have been having their children at home and sometimes have had the help of a healer, midwife, or physician for all of mans existence. A home birth can be easier on mother and child. There is less stress involved, the comfort of being home, and no drugs. While this does increase pain during labor and delivery people have been doing it for so long and the body is built for the process of childbirth. Less drugs involved can actually be more beneficial to the baby. The presence of these drugs can actually be passed to the baby through blood and cause slow reflexes and trouble feeding. When parents make a birth plan between a midwife they are able to ask any questions they want and have their needs tailored for their child’s introduction into the world. A midwife will stay with the couple and their infant through the whole process of labor and delivery and even after to get the couple set up to care for their child. It is much easier to bond with the new born when the couple is comfortable, rather then when there are strangers hustling and in and out of the room. The baby is also not rushed away seconds after they are born. They are not taken out the room and away from the parents to be cleaned, weighed, and shot with vaccines while they cry. It would be a strange and scary way to be introduced to the world.

There are good things that come along with giving birth in a hospital but they are not always necessary. It would be better to get back to our roots and make midwifery more common instead of allowing the hospitals to run the experience of childbirth. If a midwife birth was more common more couples would be able to cover it under insurance as well. It is a little known fact that a midwife is far less expensive then a hospitable birth even after insurance has covered its portion. If people were not taught to be so afraid of giving birth in the privacy of their own home without the assistance of drugs and a host of strangers it would be a much more enjoyable experience. While the advancements in a hospital birth over time have provided many options for parents, it creates a sterile and impersonal experience and introduces often unnecessary procedures and contamination.

When bringing a child into this world there are many unanswered questions that have to be dealt with at a moments notice. Parents have to decide whether or not they are willing to take the risk of having a home birth without the assistance of medical procedures such as Cesarian or if they are comfortable introducing their baby into the world with forceps, vacuums, and strangers. One in every 100,000 birth in a hospital are fatal. The modern age has an abundance of medical treatments to help with child birth. When parents are using a midwife they don’t have to rush off to the hospital and possibly get sent back home if they are not progressing how the doctor wants them to. They don’t have to wait for a room or be in a strange place. Three in every 100,000 children that are birthed at home with a midwife may result in a fatality. It does not seem a high increase from hospital births but when looking at it from an individual stand point it could mean the loss of the most precious thing in the world. If birthing centers were more common in the United States then a family could have the best of both worlds. They would be able to feel the comforts of home in a private room with home amenities, a midwife to work with them but the hospital would be close by in case there was an emergency. A birthing center would have a midwife that would stay with the couple through the entire process and in the rare instance that they needed a doctor one could be called over and basically spend about the same amount of time with the couple as they would have in a hospital delivery.

A child can be born whenever the mother has reached full term. She does not need to wait until her body takes over and puts her into labor. She can schedule that appointment and even plan on having the baby on a certain date. There is a huge staff that can help with caring for your child when they are first born. Parents might even get a good nights rest after their child is born because of the nursing staff. There is a lot of convenience that comes along with a hospital birth. When working with a midwife parents know exactly who will be involved with the birth of their child. They work with a trained professional that is familiar with their needs and desires. They know exactly what to expect before they begin labor. In the same breath a birth can not always go exactly as planned. In this situation it would be comforting and even necessary to have a modern medical procedure and you may not be close to a hospital facility. If there were more midwives working in a hospitable along side doctors and a nursing staff parents would be able to rely on both parties for the birth that they had envisioned.

When preparing to have a child there are many expenses that need to be considered. A normal uncomplicated hospital birth can cost on average $7800 and a midwife assisted home birth can cost between $3000 and $4000. Currently insurance companies require more hoop jumping when paying for a home birth compared to a hospital birth. The couple would be responsible for the cost and then they would have to file a claim with the insurance to cover a portion and that claim could take years to go through. When a child is born in a hospital they are covered directly from the insurance company. However, just by having a baby in a hospital the chances of having a Cesarian more then double. An uncomplicated Cesarian birth can cost upwards of $20,000 on top of the doctor , and regular birth fees. This is were a hospital birth starts to look more and more like a money making business with little concern for the wishes of the parents and more concern with how many births they can accomplish in a day and how convenient it could be. If insurance companies made the coverage for a midwife birth equally as available as a hospital birth more couples would be encouraged to use a midwife with their children. This would decrease the out of pocket cost to the couple as well as the insurance company.

By allowing people the equal opportunity to choose a home birth or a hospital birth they are allowing for a more personalized decision by the parents. With modern advancements in medicine there has been a loss in the balance between nature and convenience. When a couple is choosing how they would like to have their baby it is best to know all the safe options and have the opportunity to choose between them without being punished because it is not the most popular thing to do. To much of a good thing can be considered a bad thing. When a doctor is breezing in an out of hospital bedroom delivering baby after baby the fastest way they know how, there is no personal touch to this experience. It is considered quite the opposite. When given the choice people are more likely to choose the option that allows them to connect with the experience of giving birth with a fail safe back up plan in the slim chance that the child cannot be delivered without surgical assistance. Just because modern medicine can make child birth, quick and scheduled with relatively less pain doesn’t mean that it is the best option for the parents and child.

 

 

Strong Response Reflective Paper

Reflective Essay

Sunnie Howard

2/13/11

Strong Response

I have enjoyed writing a paper on a topic that I was actually interested in.  The brainstorming was easier to construct and I was fascinated by the research.  When I started writing my paper my topic was too specific.  It was hard to find enough facts to expand upon for an entire five page essay.  I had to go back to the drawing board and find a broader topic with more sub topics for my paper.  I was still able to find a topic that was related to the first choice I had made and I was able to tie in the research that I had already done.

While brainstorming for this paper I went to the website that had been suggested during class, balancedpolitics.org.  This is where I found the topic for my paper, the fat tax, I was able to find pros and cons for my topic and relating articles.  After reading about the fat tax and what it had entailed I went through each relating article highlighting facts, and ideas I would like to include in my writing.  Then I sat down and wrote out a thesis statement.

From here I went into my second paragraph.  This paragraph detailed the reasons why I would people would be against the fat tax, even though my stance was for the fat tax.  This gave my reader a more objective view of my topic. This was by far the hardest paragraph to write.  I started by brainstorming about five different reasons why someone would be against the tax and then put them together in a paragraph.  When I moved onto the second paragraph, which went through the reasons that I think the tax is a good idea, I found brainstorming came easily.  I went wrote down about six or seven topics of why I thought the fat tax would be a good idea and then choose three that I wanted to highlight in later paragraphs.  Then I started writing.  This paragraph took about 10 minutes to complete.  From there I finished my first paragraph and included my thesis statement and the rest of the paper flowed quickly.

While peer editing my paper I was able to get an outside opinion about my writing.  It’s easy to think when you come into a peer edit that no one will find a single error in your sentence configuration and diction but I was pleasantly surprised with the feedback.  It helped me find any 1^st person sentences and clean up the way that I had formatted complicated sentences.  I also enjoyed hearing the other papers in my group.

When preparing for my next paper it would be prudent of me to proof read my own paper before handing it over to my peer edit group.  The second time that we edited each other’s papers I had only fixed errors that were pointed out to me and did not proof read the new version.  It appeared that I had made a bigger mess of my paper by doing this because the flow of the paper.  This has not been an experience that made me want to uninstall windows on the computer and never write another paper again.  It has just built on my writing experience in a positive way.

 

 

Strong Response Essay

Sunnie Howard

Strong Response 2/1/11

Americans have been blessed to live in the land of plenty.  There are many rights that people are privilege to, such as voting on who will lead them, what job to pursue, and even if they would like paper or plastic at the grocery store.  There is so much choice people are responsible for the shape their lives take.  Given the opportunity to decide whether or not an individual would like to be a healthy active individuals or if they would like to spend most of their time consuming factory processed foods that supply almost none of the basic macro-nutrients that their bodies require.  There have been many different state officials that have purposed adding a tax to certain foods that have been bred in labs and factories all over the nation.  These foods cause obesity in adults and children alike.  The Center for Disease Control has declared obesity as an epidemic due to a 22% raise since 1983. Although people are free to make their own choices when it comes to nutrition, it would help reduce obesity in America to apply a tax on foods that contain little or no nutritional value.

Each individual is solely responsible for what they put into their mouths.  They should be able to choose whether or not they would like to consume certain foods no matter what the nutritional content. There are so many variations in the ingredients added to foods it would be a difficult task to decide what should have an additional tax opposed to what would be acceptable. Ultimately any food could be harmful if consumed in excess. Another option is basic education about portion sizes to prevent weight again and health related issues before major price increases on commonly purchased food items are added. The repercussions of applying a tax on foods that can be produced at a lower rate would be reductions on  less expensive food options.  This would negatively affect lower income families who may rely on them. In addition to the drop in consumer purchases there would be fewer jobs available in the factories and plants to provide these foods which add more strain onto the current economic climate.

The word “tax” has developed a bad reputation because people believe that it is just taking more money out of their pockets that they will never see again.  The fact of the matter is, that is the beginning of the journey for the added contribution.  The money that is taxed on poor food options would be given back in the form of nutrition education and public exercise classes. By adding a tax to these products people would at least think twice before purchasing them.  The government has added additional taxes on other products that are harmful to the health, such as, tanning, cigarettes and alcohol.  All of these increases in taxes have proven effective in reducing the amount of consumer participation.  Obesity is one of the leading causes of heart disease, the price of health care is increasing.  This effects everyone and is already draining out of paychecks across the nation.  In reality the choice is either to pay for more people to die from obesity related diseases or to choice the more productive alternative of adding years and quality to the lives of the American people by discouraging the consumption of processed foods.

One in five Americans are considered obese according to the CDC.  There was a 50% increase in obesity affecting all age groups in 1991 to 1998 and that number continues to rise.  The American people have a huge issue with Joe Camel commercials on TV and yet there are over 10,000 commercials a year promoting unhealthy foods that are aired day and night.  If people allowed the government to apply a tax onto foods that have been linked to causing obesity, that would reduce the number of individuals that purchase these foods.  The body needs a large amount of nutrition to function efficiently.  Foods that are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and sodium nitrites, cause cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. They have bogged down the nation for far to long.  These foods are cheap for a reason.  They have nothing of value in them.  Because these chemicals have addictive properties in them large food companies have been able to thrive while feeding people nothing better than empty calories and poisons.  The American people have continued to buy these products instead of making a stand against junk food companies and voting with their dollar, it is time for the government to step in and apply a tax to the foods that cause illness and death.  Bringing awareness will cause a decrease in the occurrence of disease in the population. With the additional revenue that the government would receive from the tax they could fund more educational classes to the public about what foods benefit the body and help people thrive.  They could also start community gyms that are free of charge to the public to further encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Packages of cigarettes are taxed up to $2 dollars because of the potential health hazards that smoking causes.  The number of people that quite smoking because they no longer could afford to pay the inflated price was dramatic.  It seems extreme to force people to quit smoking by charging them so much in additional taxes, but it in the long term view it has only improved the health and vitality of the nation.  People want to smoke because of the addictive properties in the product but by not smoking they are not being harmed in anyway.  Their lives would ultimately be improved by the absence of cigarettes.  It would also improve the lives of their families because of the lack of second hand smoke exposure.  The same is true when it comes to processed packaged foods.  They have no real nutritional value and by their absence the former consumer is able to improve their health and alleviate their addiction and it would cause the percentage of obese adolescents to drop as well.  There would be no real harm to people by discouraging their consumption of imitation foods by adding a larger tax.  Due to the addictiveness of these foods a legislator that suggested this tax in California was overwhelmed by the negative response of the state residence.  They went so far as to threaten her life if she was to tax their goodies.  It is shocking that people are so dependent of their sugar fix that they would threaten the life of another human being to get it.

There are 300,000 obesity related deaths each year, costing the economy $117 billion dollars annually.  A little extra tax on foods that cause deaths will help discourage consumption. It seems like a small price to pay. That is an astronomical number for diseases that could be prevented with proper nutrition.   It surpasses the cost of smoking related deaths by $42 million dollars. Even though individuals that are affected by obesity related disease have a shorter life span then a healthy person they still acquire more cost  due to their emergency hospital stays, surgeries, and medications then an healthy individual would. Due to minimal to no knowledge about how these chemicals effect the body individuals are hurting themselves enough that they produce a significant strain on the economy, and of course their family members.  In the long run people could pay for the added cost of a candy bar now with an additional food tax or they will pay for it later with tax dollars going to the medical field.  It comes down to what is more important, a long life to enjoy many experiences or a short life spent enjoying a candy bar.

By teaching people about proper nutrition and investing more money into prevention there would be less money spent on excruciatingly painful diseases that lead to discomfort, dependence, and even death.  It would be beneficial to impose a tax on foods that supply the body with nothing that it needs to function at a higher level then to continue to see the rise in the number of obese Americans.  This country already has a reputation around the world as being the fattest.  This is not a reputation to be proud of.  It is time to recognize high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils as the killers that they are and eliminate them from continuing to poison the nation. While it would be a difficult endeavor because of the addictive nature of these products, overall there would be a positive outcome.  Obesity is an epidemic that has swept the nation and is killing people daily.  It is a small sacrifice to make to exclude packaged cookies and chips filled with trans fats.  No one will die if they can’t have a doughnut.

 

Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Earthquakes:

Magnitude: 5.9

Location: Alaska Peninsula

Date: Tuesday February 1^st

Time: 3:38 PM

Depth: 21.75 Miles

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Convergent

Magnitude: 6.2

Location: Solomon Islands

Date: Tuesday February 8^th

Time: 6:53 AM

Depth: 257.19 Miles

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Convergent

Magnitude:5.6

Location: Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia

Date: Sunday February 6^th

Time: 6:21 PM

Depth: 6.15 Miles

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Convergent

Magnitude: 6.4

Location: Myanmar-India Border Region

Date: Friday February 4^th

Time: 8:23 PM

Depth: 55.18 Miles

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Divergent

Magnitude: 4.9

Location: Gulf of Aden

Date: Tuesday February 1^st

Time: 2:24 PM

Depth: 6.21 Miles

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Divergent

Volcanoes:

Location: Yellowstone

Type: Hot Spot

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Because it is a hot spot it sits on top of a plate not a boundary

Location: Italy

Type: Composite

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Convergent

Location: Kilauea

Type: Shield

Tectonic Plate Boundary: hot spot

Location: Crater Of The Moon

Type: Cinder Cone

Tectonic Plate Boundary: Divergent

Orange Code Volcanoes:

Kilauea: Volcano is erupting in two different locations. On the Pu’ u ‘O’o crater activity has increased overnight with lava flows from the east crater howl and two spatter cones on the crater.

Describe the correlation between earthquakes and volcanoes in therms of the Theory of Plate Tectonics.

Because the plate are moving constantly, they are either subducting over another plate or pulling away from a plate, there is constant change on the earths surface. While the plates move past or under one another it may cause an earthquake to occur. This is the release of pressure along the crust which causes the plates to shake. Because of this movement of the plates there can also be magma flow beneath and through the crust. These flow causes volcanoes. There are many different types of volcanoes that occur depending on where the plates are moving and they also produce different viscosity of lava. Meaning there is either a fast lava flow which causes more regular eruptions or the active volcano but less explosive then a low viscosity lava flow.

Describe the spatial relationship that exists with these forces of nature:

There are volcanoes where earthquakes are because when there is a fault in the crust then magma is able to flow under the crust and form a volcano.  Also when there is a fault there is slippage when the fault is subducted under the crust and and that causes a drop in the surface and shaking.  The fault and subduction of plate cause both volcanoes and earthquakes.

Describe the spatial distribution that exists with these forces of nature:

When magma pressure builds up in a volcano and finally the volcano erupts then this release of pressure can cause an earthquake to occur.  This would also be a consideration when you have an earthquake and the focus is close to an earthquake it can cause a shift in pressure of the volcano and an eruption as well.

Describe what you learned about earthquakes and volcanoes that you did not know before this course.

I knew more about earthquakes before this course because of where we live. It has been explained to me in other classes through out my education. However, I did not know that Utah was over due for a large earthquake by hundreds of years. Volcanoes were more of a mystery. I did not know how many different volcanoes there were or why one would be explosive and one might not be. I also didn’t know much about the gases they emit.

Reflection on Career Research Interview (Comm 1010)

 I have been interested in teaching others health for a few years now.  Through my own experience I’ve realized that there are three elements to better health, Fitness, Diet, and Sleep.  Fitness is an easy aspect.  You move more you get results.  There are hundreds of fitness programs out there to choose from depending on what you would like to get out of your physical activity.  You sleep habits are also relatively easy.  Make time to sleep to perform better in your day.  However Diet has eluded me in my personal life and I realized how little the general public knows the process of fueling the body.  For this reason I decided to speak with a Registered Dietitian. 

When I met with Pauline it was obvious that she knew what she was talking about.  She has been a dietitian for almost 20 years and is now teaching future dietitians at BYU.  I knew I had come to the right place to have my questions answered.  First she impressed upon me the intensity level of the schooling.  The profession requires a Masters degree and the Universities that offer the program are very competitive.  She also explained the many directions that I could go as a registered dietitian.  I can work in hospitals, people with eating disorders, parents, and people that are just looking to become healthier. 

I feel that the interview was very beneficial to making a decision about becoming a Registered Dietitian.  I feel that Pauline was an incredible resource and I feel very privilege to have had this opportunity.