Living and Learning Through Medicine

Throughout this module I have learned a lot about chronic diseases. I did not know that cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease had so many of the same risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption. Some illnesses are unavoidable, but it is important to avoid the things we can and to be up to date with information about our health. Breast cancer is the most occurring cancer for women. It is so important to do regular self-checkups. With illnesses like this one, the sooner they are found the sooner they can be treated and the better chance people have of living a comfortable life style.

I also learned a lot about how to be a consumer in the health world and much about self-care. It is so important to ask questions and be in touch with your physician when making important decisions about your health. Communication is everything. Decisions such as choosing a health care provider take time and much thought. I feel as though I can become a better consumer by doing my research and becoming as knowledgeable as I can with my health. Making sure I choose the right provider and health insurance are so important.

Alternative medicine was something that really interested me throughout the text. There are so many different practices within this branch of medicine. In the future I hope to be able to try out some of these products such as natural products and energy therapies. My family has never been on board with alternative medicines, but I think they have a lot to offer and are often more pure than most of western medicine.

I feel as though this semester has gone pretty well. I have been able to get my assignments in on time and have received pretty decent grades for them. It is important to cite the text and attach a website when making your initial discussion post and your responses. I feel as though I would grade myself higher on the discussions because I have always done this and put a lot of thought into what I am going to write about. I also think the fact that for the most part, this class had certain things due on certain days; it helped me to stay organized. It was easier to remember that tests were mostly taken on Wednesdays and that initial posts were due on Fridays. Overall this class was a great experience for me and I have been learning a lot about health in general and also a lot about my own personal health.