Mentor Log 6

Hours: 2 Hours
Total: 18 Hours

I met up with my mentor and before I started reading about the cardiovascaular system we discussed about how I would relate the chapters that I have been reading for the past couple of weeks and applying what I have learned in relations to my presentation about AIDS. We talked about the autonomic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system(PNS), and sympathetic nervous system(SNS) and how it affects our body, somewhat like an on and off switch. An example was that you had a huge lunch and your body is trying to digest it, therefore the body goes into PNS mode, so that the body could relax and be able to digest, but if for some reason you become really nervous after eating then your body will go into SNS mode and the food won't be able to be digested due to an increased heart rate. SNS can relate to AIDS by relating how much stress or tension is being put onto the person. An AIDS patient may become stressed or nervous due to many factors will make one worry, such as taking multiple pill regimens all the time or how life will be like, since tthe life of an AIDS patient is different from a regular person. SNS relates to that triggered stess.

We also talked about the difference between medical vs. natural treatments. In a medical perspective, the only problem is the pain or uncomfortability and how the person is going to get rid of it. The process of "fixing the problem" would tend to be much faster. If the root cause isn't fix and only the pain is treated, then it's just going to keep coming back. Concentration would be unfocused in the root cause of the pain. Whereas in the natural perspective, the root cause of the pain is the main focus area and if you treat the root cause of the pain, then there won't be any more pain at all. No surgeries necessary and the problem won't be coming back so often. I find this very interesting because I never thought of these two different perspectives. I always thought of the medical view and home remedies that families would sometimes use.

During my readings, I learned about the structure of the heart in detail. The basics, such as the atrium, ventricles, and blood flow was similar because I learned about them in Advanced Biology last year, but most of it was new material.I also read about the major arteries, veins and valves. The names of the arteries and veins are named according to where they are in the body.

I also read about "The Blood". The blood has many purposes, which is to carry nutrients and remove wastes. The white blood cells fell into two categories, granular leukocytes and agranular. Within the chapter, it mentioned that all red blood cells formed from red bone marrow and how it carries its job in the clotting mechanism, in which it stops the loss of blood if you were to ever cut or scrap yourself. ANother interesting part was learning about the blood groups and why some people with certain blood types can't receive certain blood groups. All the while I was reading, I was taking notes at the same time to help me understand what I was reading and so I wouldn't forget later on.