The Physician by LASA Ezine

The

Physician Future of Pediatrics Also Inside: A Helping Hand Adam Moore Making it Through Ananda Smith

14 20

The Benefits of Veggies Edgar Cavazos Passing on Trauma Emmet Benaryeh Hollywood vs. Hospitals Zoe Walgren

28 8 40 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS TRAUMA

8- Intergenerational Trauma

ADDICTION

14-Off the Hook 28-Symptoms of Addiction

CANCER

20-Through the Cancer Journey 40-Your Body on a Sugar Rush

VEGETARIANISM

30- Going Green 12- Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables

PEDIATRICS

36-Pint-Sized Medicine 18-Pediatric Surgery Statistics

EXTRAS

42-Slicing up Stereotypes 34-Heart Healthy Life Tips

CONTRIBUTORS ANANDA SMITH Ananda has always had an interest in science, but an animal studies class in 6th grade caused her to have an interest in biology especially. Her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breast cancer diagnosis has also caused her to develop an interest in cancer. Her other hobbies include drawing, painting, and karate.

JACK WIER Jack has always enjoyed science, but biology class in 7th grade prompted an interest in the medical field. Jack is passionate about becoming a medical practitioner, and is planning to become a general pediatric surgeon. Among his hobbies are reading, playing video games, and running.

ZOE WALGREN Zoe likes to sing and bake, but since she was in seventh grade, she has had an interest in health sciences. The medical field combines two of her favorite things: helping people and science. Specifically, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intrigued by cardiology and would like to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

ADAM MOORE The study of the human body is very interesting to Adam. His family has a history of having problems with addiction, and he decided to learn more about addiction for this magazine. His hobbies include drawing and reading. He hopes that you enjoy this issue of “The Physician”.

EMMET BENARYEH Emmet has always been interested in colonial theory which prompted him to write an article exploring intergenerational truism from non western perspectives. He enjoys attending Reptile Club and spending time with his eight pets. Emmet hopes you enjoy this issue of “The Physician”.

EDGAR CAVAZOS Edgar wanted to focus his article in “The Physician” around veganism. This was of interest to him because he has many relatives and friends following the vegan lifestyle. Edgar enjoys listening to music and playing his guitar or cello in his free time. He also likes photography, but he stepped out of his comfort zone to do writing and design. 5

Letter from the

Editors

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the first article of “The Physician”: a fresh, new magazine out from the LASA ezine class. This magazine will feature different sides of medicine, from psychology to pediatrics. We have gathered information from across Austin to bring you an informative look into medicine on a local scale. In the featured article of our first issue, we hone in on something intriguing parents across the board: pediatrics. Contributor Jack Weir researched the facts behind new advancements to bring you information on what’s cutting edge in pediatrics. Our magazine started as an idea, as a passion for medicine we collectively shared. Over the creation of this issue we’ve learned about each other and about medicine. The health science scene in Austin is vibrant and innovative, and we’ve had the privilege of delving into it. We all hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as we enjoyed creating it.

How Trauma Travels Through Time By Emmet Benaryeh

The Holocaust, colonization, slavery, and other such massive scale horrors have one thing in common. Years, decades, even centuries later people are still suffering the consequences of them. Inter generational trauma is a well documented phenomenon in which long past the time of its occurrence traumatic events affect the lives of communities they occurred to. There are multiple approaches to understanding the phenomenon, including new cutting edge research detailing the potential for genetic transmission of trauma. However many Indigenous activists feel western scientific perspectives are the entirely wrong preset for discussion.

One of the most well known definitions of trauma is the one Freud proposed. Its also one of the most well respected by white academia. Freud posited that trauma was an experience that was more than the mind could handle. It was out of the range of normal human experience. Today many scholars follow the same line of though indirectly. For instance Hepzi Alon a holocaust educator (and my Aunt) believes trauma is psychic injury of some kind that affects the way you see the world. In direct opposition to freud Angela Vela an undergrad student at ut in the Native American Studies Program subscribed to a personalized version of settler colonial theory. She believes relying on Freud is problematic because â&#x20AC;&#x153;relying on psychoanalysis thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lack of cultural and structural competency there are different communities that would define trauma in different waysâ&#x20AC;?.

Woman testifying at a trial pertaining to war crimes committed during the guatemalan Genocide. Photographer: Elena Hermosa/Trocaire

She also takes issue with the implication that trauma must be unordinary, which for communities of color it is anything but. Vela has a two part definition to trauma, the first criteria is that it’s based off of a structure. This refers to an element common to many Settler colonial theorists ideologies, that traumas don’t occur as fixed time events but rather a traumatic happenings spawn a structure of trauma that transcends generations. The second important part of the definition is that “trauma is something that affects your body mind and spirit or soul”-Angela Vela. This notion of trauma is informed by and informs Velas opinions on Western sciences. Vela said she believes western medicine neglects the soul. “Western medicine we think of the body mind as interactic together but sometimes we have authority figures and medicine doctors tend to separate them and even further segregate the soul or spirit and even displace it entirely,” Vela said. Her other main critiques is the homogenizing nature of western understanding of the world . It’s hard to study the Indigenous experience with science because science has no place for the Indigenous experience. Western ways of understanding the world are laden with the concept of objectivity which seeks to uphold a view of the world that is beneficial to the west and almost solely the west. However many Indigenous people living in more westernized areas find ways to balance the two in their daily Lives. Juan Tiney also an undergrad at ut, and also in the Native American studies program said “Probably you have heard Indigenous methods are alterNative ways to seek help or heal people for me it would be like backwards I see science as the alterNative way to heal myself because I grew up with more like natural medicine or more spiritual ways to heal.” - Juan Tiney Vela agrees to an extent that with a priority on the Indigenous to say that western thought is always 100% of the time structural incompatible with the Indigenous would be wrong. “I’m sure there is validity there… but me I want to seem my family members and my own com-

Hepzi alon, with her Son. Photo courtesy of Hepzi Alon.

munities ways of understanding health prioritized,” Vela said. However for a successful integration there are gaps to be crossed. ”There are bridges to be made in discussions,” said Ve;aJuan Tiney believes that starts with education “Learning in the schools how there may be other ways to see the world than the discourses of science there are different ways to see science Indigenous science.”-Juan Tiney. But for Vela and plenty others it’s a question of can and should. With time and effort the gap could be bridged but it’s personally exhausting and most times pointless for Indigenous people to put work into compatibility with the west “ I’m just very tired personally of seeing the same level of priority on western science im sure there is validity there but me I want to seem my family members and my own communities ways of

Native children in a so called “residential school”, schools dedicating to verbally and physically abusing students into assimilation.

understanding health prioritized”- Angela Vela. There’s a level of colonialism embedded in the demand for making bridges. For Vela it’s long overdue that white researchers listen to what Indigenous people have to say and respect it without trying to understand it through a western scientific lens. Vela said she feels these kinds of demands are one of the ways she and other Indigenous people experience intergenerational trauma “Being in an institution where people of authority that are like white hetero cis male professors htta don’t give validity to the things I study as well as the ways of life that my grandmother centuries before me and before any other intellectual thats a way that I experience my definition of trauma it’s this constant structure of colonialism in which there’s silence and erasure”-Angela Vela . Vela feels another large component of her experience of trauma is Microaggressions. “there are microaggressions which is something I experience on a daily basis” Vela believes that trauma is something which “seeps into our very lived experiences

on a daily basis” - Angela Vela Trauma it is believed by many scholars, can also affect every part of interpersonal interaction. Especially Parenting; Hepzi said “The children of survivors that i’ve heard speak say that it has affected them a lot of survivors themselves are very injured broken people when they raise children it’s very difficult for them to raise children outside of that because that’s who they are a lot of times their children are affected akut it even if they don’t talk about it their affected” Another component of intergenerational trauma is the tangible structural aspects of it. Juan Tiney is Indigenous to guatemala as he explained “ there was civil war in guatemala so my grandparents and my parents they really lived that period of time some of what they had in that civil war has affected me so for instance I grew up with a lot of fear because you know like in the streets the police were looking for Indigenous people”. Tiney said he believes “Bullying in the schools is part

of this intergenerational trauma too.” He said it affected him greatly “I grew up hiding my entire religion high school all of elementary school it was hard for me to navigate their because usually I was the only Indigenous kid” ultimately cultivating in ”insecurities about me maybe like personal because being ingenious its very difficult in the city because usually the city is for white people or for latino people”. But Indigenous traditions live on to this day Vela says “When I talk about suppression or recoating my family’s practices have not been erased entirely be colonialism they just manifest secretly or suddenly and that shows survivance”. Vela told me that one of her issues with much of western trauma theory was the emphasis on hurt not healing. Often she feels there is not enough emphasis in the beauty of resilience and survivance of Indigenous peoples. When we talk about trauma being passed through DNA “There’s no emphasis on how resilience can be passed down to us genetically or spiritually or communally there’s no emphasis on healing which is another big portion of Indigenous epistemology that’s historically marginalised and homogenized.”

Large Mayan Temple Phtographer: Daniel Schwen

“We all

come from different places and families.”

Memorial to the Trail of Tears. Photgraphed by Wolfgang Sauber.

Benefits of Various Fruits and Vegetables By Edgar A. Cavazos B.

Okra is more popular in southern states of the U.S. It is not only eaten, but used for many medicinal puposes since okra is known to help digestion, stabilize blood sugar and helps to control the rate at which your body takes in sugar. Not only that, but okra has a high amount of fiber which is the main reason okra is used for medicinal use. The huge amount of fiber comes from the pods inside the okra. Avg. Cost- $3.21 per pound

Oranges are great fruits. They have many beneficial traits such as a low calorie count and a high number of nutrients. Oranges can help clear skin and are a good staple for a balanced and varied diet Oranges are even known to lower blood pressure and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Avg. Cost- $1.04 per pound

Carrots are also another great vegetable with its huge number of antioxidants. With the increase of carrot consumption can help fight colon and lung cancer. Also carrot juice extract has been shown to kill leukemia cells in your body. It does help with vision under certain circumstances due to the level of vitamin A it contains. Avg.Cost- $2.30 per bag

There are three different types of bell peppers: red, green and yellow. The green are the pre-ripened version of the red bell pepper and the yellow bell pepper is in the middle. Each of them having different benefits to them such as red having a high amount of vitamin C. All of them though have many antioxidants and they have capsaicin which has so many health benefits to them.

Avg. Cost-Green $.54, Red $2.27,and Yellow $2.27. With its colorful outershell, dragon fruits are the most decorative fruit in the world. Dragon fruits also contain a surprising amount phytonutrients and antioxidants, and in their seeds there are many poly unsaturated fats such as Omega 3 and Omega 6. There are so many benefits this fruit has to offer that I am not able to list them all here! The dragon fruit is able to lower blood sugar levels, strengthen bones, and strengthen the immune system. Avg. Cost-7 or 8 dollars per pound. Broccoli is essentially a staple for the vegetables because it is really a powerhouse. Many studies suggest that an increase in consumption of foods like as brocolli, cauliflower, celery, ect. can help decrease the risk of heart disease,and Type 2 diabetes. Not only this but brocolli can fight colon and stomach cancer as well as improve your digestion and natural detoxiction. Avg. Cost- $2.57 per bag 13

OFF THE

HOOK How can an addicted person get help? by Adam Moore

Source: Pexels

Source: Joseph Gorordo

According to American Addiction Centers, over 21 million people struggle with addiction in America alone. In 2014, an estimated 867,000 adolescents reported an illicit drug addiction. These people need a way to help themselves cope with and eventually rid themselves of this problem. Among these solutions are addiction therapists, who can help those wrestling with a serious drug problem. Addiction therapists specialize in treating people who struggle with chemical dependency. For certain therapists, they might also specialize in treating people addicted to food, or electronics. They go through training to treat people who struggle with this problem, and provide a trusted figure that someone dealing with addiction can go to and talk to about their personal struggles. Among an addiction therapist’s secondary skills are communication with patients and helping clients build plans for their future. “My schedule varies from day to day, but my primary duties are to build relationships with thera-

pists, attorneys, doctors, anyone who might come in contact with somebody that might have addiction issues, in order to help the people they work with when they need to get into drug treatment of some sort,” said Joseph Gorordo (left), LCDC, Director of Outreach for RecoveryOn Club and President of the Austin Chapter of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals. Addiction therapists work in many different roles while working with their clients, and “addiction therapist” is a very broad term. They can be interventionists, therapists, or life coaches for their client’s future once that the client gets out of treatment. They can work in sober high schools to help students that have been struggling with addiction find a safe, low-pressure environment. For an addiction therapist, every day holds for them different work from the previous day. “I wear many hats…not the least of which is helping students with their social-emotional wellbeing as it relates to their stability both in the classroom and their household. This often takes shape by working directly with the parents, teachers, staff and often times other clinicians or programs to help manage cases for the overall benefit of the student and family. Also, part of my role here is to help coordinate volunteers, invite programs in to speak/ collaborate as well as provide curriculum related to improving mental and behavioral health for the student population,” said Joe Dias (bottom right), M.Ed.,

LPC-S – Director of Wellness and Recovery Support. Addiction therapists often have a reason for becoming an addiction therapist. Whether it was being addicted to drugs themselves, or having a family member who was addicted, they usually all had to deal with this problem in some way, and it psychologically affected them in one way or another during that time. However, the addiction therapists said that this was what gave them the motivation to become an addiction therapists- the idea that this life-changing event could happen to anyone. It gave them all the motivation to help those that had been hurt so that the addicted person and those that the addicted person was close to wouldn’t have to suffer to as great a degree as they had. Gorordo’s view on this was simple. “I don’t blame the individual for what they do. And it’s just the best feeling in the world to see someone homeless, broken, scared, become someone who’s confident and happy and joyful and able to give back to society.” Source: Joe Dias

“I don’t blame the individual for what they do. And it’s just the best feeling in the world to see someone homeless, broken, scared, become someone who’s confident and happy and joyful and able to give back to society.”

Sober high schools are a good place for students who are struggling with addiction to find an environment with peers who are dealing with the same problem, and a low-pressure environment that they can safely recover in. Source: Pexels

The Stats of Pediatric Surgery Created by Jack Wier

Average Pediatric Salaries

Patient Mortality Rate

Pediatric General Practitioner - $202,832

88% or more of patients survive

Pediatric Cardiology - $240,944

Up to 12% of patients die Pediatric General Surgery - $400,591 Pediatric General Practitioner - $209,995

This infographic provides useful information on some of the statistics of pediatric surgery. You can learn about average costs, fatality rates, and other averages and facts.

Some Averages The average cost of a pediatric heart surgery is $92,529. The most common procedure is surgery for a hernia. Aproximately 450,000 children in the U.S. alone undergo surgery each year.

Top 10 Children’s Hospitals

These rankings are based upon a compilation of other lists, as well as the specialties of each hospital and their technological advances in that specific field.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, TN) St. Louis Children’s Hospital (St. Louis, MO) Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt, TN) St. Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Trust (Birmingham, UK) UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital (San Francisco, CA) Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) Morgan Stanley’s Children’s Hospital of New York - Presbyterian New York City (New York, NY)

Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA Los Angelos (Los Angelos, CA) Children’s Hospital Boston (Boston, MA) Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston, TX)

Info From: Brenner Children’s Hospital, CardiovascularBusiness.com, Top Master’s in Healthcare Administraition, MomMD.com, US National Library of Medicine

Story by Ananda Smith

Through the Cancer Journey The pysciological and emotional side to cancer.

Photo curtosy of Miguel ngle Padrin Albe.

This is Dr. Schottmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office where she holds her therapy and cancer meetups. Photo provided by Dr. Schottman.

Cancer has been a disease without a definite cure for more than 2000 years. The first known descriptions of cancer appeared as early as ancient Egypt in papyri scrolls written around 1600 B.C., describing cancer as well as a procedure to remove tumors from the breast. Now, while the modern world has made significant advancements, a definite cure for cancer is still nowhere to be found. During this time, people diagnosed with the disease have the unfortunate job of having to deal with the effects, both emotional and physical, short term and long term. Over 12.7 million are diagnosed with cancer each year, people like Jean Bryan, a 74-yearold woman, diagnosed with cancer after discovering a tumor on her leg on a vacation for her 60th birthday, and Dr. Emily Schottman, a 47-year-old optometrist and mental wellness counselor, diagnosed with cancer in 2010 at 39 years old Jean Bryan was diagnosed with a cancer called leiomyosarcoma, a relatively rare cancer. There is a 1/2000 chance of a cancer patient developing this version of cancer. This particular type of cancer makes up about 1% of cancer cases in all adults.

Leiomyosarcoma is a soft cancer, meaning that it is required to harden the tumor with chemotherapy and radiation before removing it. According to Bryan, it’s like a “blob of jelly”.

with multiple myeloma. Knowing that one has an approximate half chance of dying if diagnosed with multiple myeloma, many patients are understandably anxious. However, it is not just butterflies in your stomach.

Meanwhile, Dr. Schottman was diagnosed with a cancer called multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. There are less than 200,000 cases of multiple myeloma in the United

Having cancer can seriously impact one’s mental health. Common psychological effects include anxiety and depression. In Dr. Schottman’s case, she said that

States per year.

she was diagnosed with PTSD.

“I was diagnosed in February of 2010, and I didn’t have the transplant until November of 2011. There was 18 months of knowing I had cancer, but not being able to do anything about it,” Dr. Schottman said. According to cancer.net, the five-year survival rate, or the probability of surviving for at least five years after a cancer

It does not get any better from there. Anxiety culminates over time, getting more difficult to cope with the longer one has it. One of the things anxiety has been known to cause is insomnia. Bryan said that she got thirty minutes of sleep at night, and that she got three to four hours of sleep total because of her anxiety.

diagnosis, is 49% for patients

Dr. Schottman graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbra in 1922, and the Southern California College of Optometry in 1996. Photo provided by Dr. Schottman

Doctors and nurses involved in helping treat cancer are well aware of these physiological impacts, Bryan said, and incorporate some anxiety-lifting tactics during chemotherapy, a common treatment of cancer in which a liquid drug is injected into the veins, in order to create an overall pleasant feeling. Bryan’s most memorable example of this relates to the intravenous, or IV pole used to inject the drug into one’s body. Bryan said that one of the IV poles that injected chemo into her made her urinate incredibly, and that the nurses and doctors would always

make little jokes and small talk about it. What is not so pleasant for cancer survivors are the severe after effects of chemotherapy. While they can differ drastically from person to person depending on the cancer or the type of chemotherapy, the most common and inevitable after effect of chemotherapy is hair loss. Other after effects include sexual and reproductive issues, cognitive dysfunction, and even permanent damage to the heart, liver, liver, or kidneys. Bryan noted the loss of appetite as an after effect,

and said that her stomach felt uncomfortable due to her lack of hunger. While temporary, this lack of hunger can cause even more poor health and therefore slow recovery. Again, the doctors and nurses realize this, and in Bryan’s case, often recommend a nutritionist in order to keep cancer patients eating healthily. Advice from the nutritionist can seem odd and out of place at first, but when put into context, cancer patients can grow to recognize them. What helped her the most was putting hot sauce in her mouth, Bryan said. “It’d put a sting in it

This is Dr. Schottman’s workplace, known as “Stars in your Eyes”, where she hosts cancer meetups and therapy, located on 2116 Hancock Dr. in Austin, TX. Photo by Ananda Smith

and while it was kinda stinging, you were able to think about ‘ooh, this doesn’t taste good’ or ‘ouch that stings’.” Despite the dwwedication doctors and nurses put into taking care of a patient’s well being, these effects of cancer, both physical and physiological, often culminate into a giant mess of one’s mental health. Dr. Schottman laughed as she recalled some low moments during her diagnosis where the negative impacts of cancer on her state of mind of evident. “I would get really mad at my husband at things that had nothing to do with him. I would get really angry and go into the garage and throw a coffee cup and it was so satisfying. Just hearing it smash,” Dr. Schottman said. Dr. Schottman thinks that, while a cancer patient’s mental state is obviously important, the well beings of the patient’s friends and family are equally significant. Often, loved ones are ignored, even while they are coping with their own issues related to a cancer diagnosis. “I think the lowest parts are how it impacts the people who love you,” Dr. Schottman said, “They can feel helpless, too.” Because of these potentially severe impacts of cancer, Bryan’s biggest advice

A rainbow spectrem Dr. Schottman uses to perform art therapy, a form of therapy utilizing colors to effect one’s mood, in her cancer survivor meetups. Photo provided by Dr. Schottman.

while diagnosed with cancer is to take care of oneself. Whether it’s eating healthy or buying a gift, Bryan found taking care of oneself to be a simple yet effective method of coping.

For example, on a trip to Philadelphia with her husband, Bryan spent a bit of money on some custom-made earrings for herself, despite her disinterest in jewelry. “Having a little bit of 25

jewelry, now I’m not a jewelry person, was a help,” Bryan said. Since the lifespan of a cancer patient can be drastically cut, Dr. Schottman mentioned that it is best to do something fun, whether it is just an excuse to travel across the world or to make one’s last part of life bearable. “Cancer gives you permission to do whatever you wanna do. I like that it inspired me to go back to school. It’s inspired habits of taking care of myself and doing what I wanna do,” Dr. Schottman said. This proves that even cancer, a devastating and potentially life-threatening disease that, according to the National Hispanic Institute, 32% of cancer patients die from, has its benefits and positives. One is that cancer can allow one to do what they want, as previously mentioned. Another is that cancer can lead to one reaching out in need of support or aid, establishing bonds and creating friendships along the way. Dr. Schottman decided to run cancer meetings in which cancer survivors or cancer patients can come and openly talk about their disease. She has met interesting people through these meetups, including one of her good friends, who Dr. Schottman did not name. Dr. Schottman her met on the myeloma list serves, and decided

to go meet up with the stranger when she realized that they lived within a mile of each other. Dr. Schottman was interested in acquiring wigs, since she had lost her hair after chemotherapy. Dr. Schottman chuckled and said, “We met at a coffee shop so she could give me a bag full of hair. Well, of wigs.” Dr. Schottman said, “I think a lot of cancer patients would like to able to talk about this”, since cancer can be a touchy subject for some patients. However, Dr. Schottman also said that cancer is a life-changing experience. That cancer should be shared, because people not involved with cancer don’t know what it’s like trudging through the cancer journey. That cancer has altered her perspective, as she said, “After the cancer journey, I have a unique way of looking at the world. That work is not everything”.

Photo curtosy of Paul Falardeau.

“Despite it’s horrible sides, sometimes I say that cancer is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, which is surprising to most people. It gives you permission to do whatever you wanna do. I like that it inspired me to go back to school. It’s inspired habits of taking care of myself and doing what I wanna do. Also meeting people that aren’t afraid to do what they’re passionate about. It was just so life changing that… I wouldn’t have been a better person without it.”

Symptoms of Addiction Secrecy: This person might go out of their way to conceal the amount of the substance they consumed or what they did after they consumed it; they may obtain unexplained injuries.

Loss of control: This person might use the substance more or for longer than they intended, despite telling themselves that they wouldn’t this time.

Neglecting other activities: This person might start neglecting hobbies that used to be important to them in favor of using their chosen substance. Also, school and work attendance rates might also go down. Addiction’s physical symptoms can vary from substance to substance, but the mental symptoms remain relatively the same.

Risk taking: This person might be more willing to take risks in order to obtain their substance of choice.

Relationship Issues: This person might act out on those close to them, particularly if that person is trying to address their substance abuse issues.

Continued Use Despite Negative Consequences: Even though it is causing problems (at home, on the job, for this person’s health), they will continue drinking and drugging.

Symptoms of Withdrawal Drug withdrawal has a few mental symptoms, including: However, there are also multiple physical symptoms. These can include:

Tightness in the chest/ difficulty breathing

-Anxiety -Restlessness -Irritability -Insomnia -Headaches -Depression -Social Isolation

Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Racing heart or palpitations

Shaky hands or tremors

Sweating

Edible Gardens #5 in South Austin To the left and right you can see pictures of Edible Estates Garden number five which is located on the property of Sierra Ridge Apartments in South Austin. On the left you can see a picture taken from inside the garden while the picture on the right was taken coming from the sidewalk to the garden. This garden and several others were built in hopes of helping those in need of food, the garden itself is 32x50 feet , was created in 2008. Photo’s Taken By: Edgar A. Cavazos B.

Going Green

The transition to Vegetarianism By Edgar Cavazos

“Living every day energized without fatigue.” That’s how Roberto Hernandez a local vegetarian in Austin describes the vegetarian lifestyle. He adds, “We started around six months ago, due to the fact that some of our friends are vegetarians and were finding many benefits to it, so we decided to give it a chance”.

Hernandez gives his perspective on his journey with the vegetarian lifestyle and the multitudes of benefits it provides. “The main reason being I want to live a long and healthy life and this is also a way to stand against animal cruelty because many animals are treated horribly before their deaths” The benefits everyone hears about do not come until a few months or weeks in. The hardest thing according to research is the transition to this new way for life as there are some symptoms people feel throughout the change such as detoxification symptoms, or the body simply getting used to it due to the fact that this is a whole new diet and you do not know you’re addicted to something until you to go your life without it ‘Every now and then I miss the taste of beef, but it’s not something I can’t tolerate, plus there are many substitutes to meat I’ve found.”Hernandez says. According to Hernandez the best benefit to his health is that he feels energized and not sleep. When cooking vegetables lots of the vegetables can be eaten raw without being cooked, not only that but there are many advantages to it. ”Some of the advantages to cooking

vegetables when you’re a vegetarian is that many of the foods don’t need to be cooked to a fire, in fact many recipes don’t require the vegetables to be cooked at all, since they lose many of their nutritive qualities. In many occasions all that is needed to be done is wash and cut the vegetables to consume them. The diet is very low on fats and it practically does not include any ingestion of saturated fats or cholesterol, also vegetables aren’t exposed to all the hormone treatments that are submitted in many animals for human consumption” Hernandez adds. “The vegetarian diet helps lower cholesterol levels, triglycerides, uric acids, lowers the risk of suffering cancer, also many of the vegetables are high in fiber which protects from heart diseases, diabetes and hypertension” Another thing is the variety of foods for vegetarians is practically infinite, assuming we also count that we also make hamburgers, sausages, and albondigas from ‘vegetarian meats’, imitations of ham and fish, these dishes apart fromtasting good also are quick to prepare.

Jonathan Geer , a local gardener and vegetarian here in Austin Photo By- Jonathan Geer

One could think that the lack of meat in a vegetarian diet makes it hard to get proteins with meat being one of the fundamental nutrients , but inside vegetables we can find foods rich in proteins such as tofu, beans, seeds and dry fruits!” ”I like experimenting with all these different Recipes in which I am able to essentially add almost anything to them and it also feels good to eat unprocessed foods, ’you also know what you’re eating.”

Roberto Hernandez a local vegetarian here in Austin Photo By- Edgar Cavazos

8 TIPS

FOR HEART-HEALTHY LIVING Created by Zoe Walgren

1. Drink Water: Keeping your body hydrated throughout the day will help your heart work to pump blood throughout the body. It’s especially important to hydrate when you’re exercising outside on a hot day. Dehydration risks heat strokes. Weigh yourself before and after exercising to track how much sweat you’ve lost. Every pound of sweat you’ve lost needs to be replaced by a pint of water.

zzz

2. Improve your sleep: With hectic schedules, it can be easy to brush sleep off as a priority. However, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 35% of American adults reported their sleep as “poor” or “only fair” and 67% of those adults also reported their health as “poor” or “only fair.” Getting poor sleep each night decreases metabolism and increases your risk of high blood pressure. Sleeping well every night improves your heart health, immune system, and stress levels.

3. Eat well: Limit the fast foods and sugars you eat throughout the day. Make meals from home, and replace fatty ingredients with healthier substitutes. Saturated fat should only make up around 5-6% of your diet. That means cutting out baked goods, deep-fried foods, chips, and margarine. Eat lean meats like turkey and skinless chicken to reduce saturated fat. Keep your milk low fat, and try to limit the amount of alcohol you drink a day.

4. Quit Smoking: Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your heart. Its chemicals clog up the heart’s arteries. Your heart is forced to work harder to supply oxygen throughout your body, as some of the oxygen is replaced by the carbon monoxide in the cigarettes. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease and strokes. Any amount of smoking increases your risk, even if you don’t smoke a pack a day. However, the chance of heart problems decreases after you quit.

5. Exercise Daily: Exercising for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week will reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of light aerobic activity for week and 75 minutes of strenuous aerobic activity. Try to find creative ways to fit exercise into your daily routine, if your schedule is busy.

6. Eat Fish: In addition to eating generally healthier, you should also add 1-2 servings of fish per week. Fish contain unsaturated fats that can lower cholesterol if you replace saturated fats with them. More importantly, fish contain omega-3. Omega-3 reduces inflammation throughout the body and the risk of heart disease. Fish like trout, salmon, herring, and mackarel contain the most omega-3. Avoid tilapia and catfish, as they have been shown to have unhealthy fats.

7. Look out for signs of heart failure: According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 5 people will develop heart failure. Congestive heart failure requires immediate medical care. Know the signs of heart failure, so that medical attention can be given as soon as possible. Shortness of breath, confusion, build up of fluid (edema), high heart rate, nausea, and coughing or wheezing are some of the telltale symptoms of heart failure.

8. Get regular screenings: High cholesterol and blood pressure are dangerous to the heart, but don’t have obvious symptoms. Get the levels tested regularly. Sometimes a doctor’s visit is not required; there might be drugstores in your area with arm cuffs to read your blood pressure. They may not be reliable, so it’s a good idea to visit your doctor regularly. You should also get a diabetes screening because diabetes can develop into heart conditions in the future.

A doctor’s scheduling sheet and stethascope. Photo credited to to Pexels.

Pint-Sized Medicine The Future of Pediatric Care By Jack Wier

According to HCUP, an organization dedicated to collecting healthcare data, over 450,00 children in the U.S. alone are admitted into hospitals for surgery, and based off the NCCP, over 3.1 million children receive counseling for behavioral or mood issues. Five years ago, medical science was learning the true power of empirically based therapy and minimally invasive surgery. Today, these groundbreaking techniques happen every day but newer, more efficient techniques are always

being discovered. Surgery Dr. Jeffrey Horwitz is a pediatric surgeon practicing in Austin, Texas. He talked about what the current state of pediatric surgery is, and what we are likely to see within the next few years. “It wasn’t that long ago when there were infants that were born extremely premature and there was no technology to keep them alive,”

Horwitz said. “We’ve improved our ability to support very small infants in a number of systems, their heart, their lungs, their kidneys, and that’s led to a lot of infants who weren’t going to survive, because they were so young, being able to do that now.” Horwitz also said that tissue generation has been extensively researched. The implications of a successful way to grow new body parts are potentially life-changing for children with missing or malfunctioning body parts. He also

explains how minimally invasive surgery, a relatively new technique using only small incisions, has developed over the past few years. “In the beginning we could only do these operations on teenagers, and a few years later we can do it on adolescents, and now we’re doing these same operations on infants because we have been able to develop tools small enough that it makes them useful for a small child,” Horwitz said.

“I think we’re gonna learn more about trauma, and things that happen in people’s lives, and how as a community to help those kids, or those people, when they may not always have it within their families.”

Amber Shelton, LPC, has been counciling both children and adults for over 7 years. Photo courtesy of Amber Shelton.

Jeffrey Horwitz, MD, is a pediatric surgeon in Austin, Tx. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Horwitz.

He also said fetal surgery, in which certain major congenital anomalies can be avoided prebirth, is being developed. As far as the future goes, Horwitz said he expects these trends to continue, with more minimally invasive surgeries becoming available to younger and younger kids. “As far as changes in the next five years, again I think it’s going to be improvements in our ability to do more and more surgeries in a minimally invasive fashion, [and] to develop better cures for certain pediatric malignancies, cancers, that we don’t have right now,” Horwitz said. Therapy Amber Shelton, LPC, has been an Austin-based counselor for over seven years. She said where pediatric therapy is now, what it can do, and

where it’s going. Shelton says there are two majorly employed techniques in modern therapy, no matter the age: Empirically Based Treatment, or EBT, and dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT. They work very differently, but they both have been proven to be extremely effective. “There’s a lot of different mental health problems, as it were, however you want to describe it, that people have the urge surrounded around anxiety, and worry, and hoarding and impulse control disorders, things like that,” Shelton said. She said that some of these disorders develop during childhood. Depending upon how you were raised, one lobe of the brain can be more developed than the other. This creates a need to catch up the other side of the brain to create

A dicitonary definition of psychology. Photo by Nick Youngston.

“It wasn’t that long ago when there were infants who were born extremely premature and there was no technology to keep them alive. We’ve improved our ability to support very small infants in a number of systems” a balanced system. “These new techniques are teaching us how neurotransatives are able to create new pathways in your brain so that we can help teach you how to reintegrate the two sides of your brain so that they’re working together really well,” Shelton said. Shelton also said how kids who are not able to talk yet still have many ways to express themselves. Through use of dolls, sandboxes, and other playthings, children who have mood disorders can express themselves adequately after a traumatic event in their life.

“There’s been a lot of new neurological research on how the brain works, and so the interesting techniques that are coming out of that research have a lot to do with the nervous system,” Shelton said. She said she sees the future having science and therapy working hand in hand to help the body, mind, and soul. “We’re going to learn more ways of being able to create a whole system, that everything works together and is balanced,” Shelton said.

Your Body on a

Sugar Rush!

by Ananda Smith

Did you know that, on average, an American gets 1/4th of all of their calories from added sugar? Learn about different types of sugar, affects on different parts of your body, and tips to keep your sugar intake in healthy amounts that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re comfortable with.

Types of Sugars There are two main types of sugars: Natural sugars speak for themselves; they are sugars naturally found in food. Some foods with natural sugars include:

All Fruit

Honey

Milk

14 g of sugar/ banana

17 g of sugar/ tbsp

13 g of sugar/ cup

Meanwhile, added sugars are sugars added to make foods sweeter, provide little-to-no nutritional value, and are very prevalent in the American diet. These include any sweeteners, whether they are natural sugars (white sugar, brown sugar, honey, etc.) or manufactured chemically, such as high fructose corn syrup. Some foods with added sugars include:

Candy

Soda

KIS SES

Syrup

87 g of sugar/ cup of milk chocolate

14 g of sugar/ tbsp of maple syrup

39 g of sugar/ can of Cola

Affects on Your Body Poorly managing your sugar intake can lead to many harmful side effects. Here’s how a sugar rush can affect different parts of your body: When you consume sugar, “feel-good” hormones are released by your body, such as dopamine, which is why we like sugar. This is reward system run by your brain is harmless at first, but can lead to unfortunate events when activated too frequentely, such as excess craving and increased tolerance of sugar, causing one to lose control over how much sugar they intake. A study done by Journal of the American Heart Association found that excess sugar can actually decrease the effeciency of the heart.It directly harms the heart by stressing heart muscles, and indirectly harms the heart by causing high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. This increases the chance of heart disease, the cause of death for 1 out of 4 women and men in the United States. The liver converts the fructose in sugar into glycogen, a molecule that stores energy. However, when you already have lots of glycogen, the liver converts fructose into fat. This can build up in your liver, causing non-alcholic fatty liver disease. This can also cause your liver to become resistant to insulin, a hormone that moniters glucose and metabolism. Insulin resistance can lead to obesity, diabetes, and metabloic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that raise the risk of stroke and heart disease. The pancreas produces insulin, making it one of the organs most responsible for sugar levels in the body. As mentioned before, excess sugar can cause insulin resistance. In addition to this, high sugar levels have been shown to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Tips: Keep Your Sugar in Check • When baking cookies, brownies, or other sweets, try to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe by one-third or even one-half. • Pay attention to food labels! Foods that you wouldn’t expect to have added sugar, such as a salad, may actual be packed with it. • Avoid “calorie-free” foods. Often this is too good to be true, as companies are allowed to round down to 0 if their foods contain less than 1 gram per serving. • Know that sugar comes in many forms other than “sugar”, including evaportated cane juice, dextrose, and lactose, only to name a few.

Information from heart.org, health.harvard.edu, medicineplus.gov, healthline.com, and the Huffington Post.

Slicing Up Stereotypes

Health science on the screen differs from reality By Zoe Walgren

Photo courtesy of Pexels

The camera pans to the fastpaced doctors, clipboard in hand as they walk through the halls of the hospital to the next bizarre and entertaining case. Once they get to the room, perhaps they’ll dismiss a nurse who shuffles out the door hurriedly to make room for the doctors. On-screen, nurses are nonessential and doctors are intelligent and cold.

trained to read the tests though,” Neff said.

“[Nurses] really can function the same way physicians do”

Nurse practitioner Kristy Neff says this is not the case off-screen. Neff works in pediatric cardiology at Children’s Cardiology Associates in Austin.

Neff emphasized that although nursing as a practice has more patient interaction than being a physician, her career is not like a less trained, more empathetic doctor. She said it is impossible to really compare nurses and doctors, as their careers and training are so different.

“We really can function the same way physicians do… I can run the same tests, I can write the same prescriptions. I’m not officially

She said that she often gets confused for a doctor. People often call her Dr. Neff, as they are more familiar with calling their care

providers by “doctor.” “Every time I introduce myself, I always say ‘My name is Kristy, I’m a nurse practitioner.’ Every person I introduce myself to, I say those exact words because in some states if someone thought I was a doctor, and I didn’t correct them, I could be liable. I could be misrepresenting myself,” she said. Neff said that doctors and nurses do work in collaboration the majority of the time, but she said that there are not times when one should be considered more than the other. “It’s not like the doctors are calling us things like [mini-doctors],” Neff said, “It’s usually people outside of the practices, insurances and things.” 43

Dr. Rodgers in the Dell Seton Medical Center, photo by Zoe Walgren

Professional photo of Kristy Neff, from Childrens Cardiology Associates

his career path began to fall into place. George Rodgers, a cardiologist and the Associate Chief of Cardiology at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin, is not the cold, fast-talking doctor that the media presents him to be. He tries to prioritize spending time with his family, just like any other professional. In fact he spends much less time at the hospital than what most people believe. “Some people think that when we’re on-call, we’re readily available at the hospital, but we’re usually at home when we’re on-call. Some people think we’re up the entire night, but we actually do try to get some sleep sometimes,” Rodgers said. Rodgers works in health sciences because he’s not only fascinated with science, but he enjoys helping people, just like Neff. He said he was truly determined to be a doctor after a boy in his class in senior year died from cardiac arrest during a track event. After seeing this athletic and seemingly healthy boy die so suddenly,

Rodgers said he also tries to make the experience for patients as comfortable as possible. As a professor and mentor, he teaches students about doctor-patient interactions.

“Some people think we’re up the entire night, but we do try to get some sleep sometimes” “You’re dealing with sick people, and they’re typically not in a good mood… [The students] are taught how to be good listeners, and how to ask questions in an appropriate way, and how to be respectful of a patient’s wishes. We strongly believe in teaching students that we need to respect the autonomy of a patients, their rights to make their own decisions about their bodies,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said that most doctors spend time getting to know patients, as well as bond with long-term patients, just like nurses. One of the aspects of careers in health science that seems to be true for both Rodgers and Neff is that they do enjoy the difference in their work every day. Seeing new patients while being able to also see patients they’d had for years brings both stability and excitement into their work, and keeps the passion for their craft burning.

The Dell Medical Center The Lobby, Dell-Seton photo by Medical Zoe Center Lobby, Walgren photo by Zoe Walgren

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanityâ&#x20AC;? -Hippocrates