Mid-Unit Summary

This unit was primarily focused on the circulatory system of our bodies. The circulatory system is the how the body transports blood cells and nutrients to tissues throughout the entire body. The major components of the system include the heart (pump), network of tubes, arteries, veins, and blood. Specific parts that aid the circulatory system include pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins, aortic arch, common carotid artery, renal vein and artery, and mesenteric arteries. Accessory organs within the circulatory system include lungs, kidneys, small intestine, large intestine, and bone marrow.
Blood is pumped through the heart's four chambers. The left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the body while the right side pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs to where oxygen is absorbed by hemoglobin carrying red blood cells. Blood is first pumped through the superior and inferior vena caves, which comes from the body. The blood enters the right atrium and passes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. It then exits through the pulmonary valve and out the pulmonary artery towards the lungs. Blood goes through gaseous exchange in the lungs, and reenters through the pulmonary vein. Blood enters the left atrium and goes through the bicuspid valve. It then goes through the left ventricle, and lastly exits through the aortic valve of the aorta to the body.
Although the circulatory system plays a major role in our body, many Americans choose to not help their own system and instead abuse it. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and that number is only increasing due to the fast food culture given to the younger generation. Many of these diseases start due to LDL cholesterol, which when in excess, is stored as fat and plaque within our blood vessels. This resistant tissue in the vessels causes the heart to pump harder, increasing blood pressure which can also contribute to common heart diseases throughout the United States such as atherosclorosis, aneurysms, cardiac arrests, and stroke.
Certain diseases such as atherosclerosis has been continuously blasted upon by the scientific community by myths, illustrating that despite all the advanced medical research we may have, we still do not fully understand our bodies. It has been claimed before that plaque destroys the walls of blood vessels, which leads to such diseases. But new information from Atherosclerosis: The New View claims, "Surprisingly, atherosclerotic plaques expand outward during much of their existence, rather than impinging on an artery's blood-carrying channel,". However, other diseases are subtle that we are not able to detect them, such as silent strokes. As claimed in A Strike Against Stroke by: Bonnie Liebiman, "In silent strokes, people can speak normally... they don't get the warning of stroke... silent strokes cause brain cells to die,".
Of course, in order to avoid such diseases and contain a healthy circulatory system, it all revolves back to the pillars of health. Diet and exercise are major components when it comes to leading a heart-healthy lifestyle. By avoiding high-salt diets and lowering alcohol consumption, we can help improve our cardiovascular system greatly. Stress also plays an important factor, since increased stress has shown to increase blood pressure. By lowering stress and still maintaining social status with friends and family, we can tremendously lower the work load for our heart and rely on others to help us when we are struggling.

Blood Pressure Lab and Analysis

The systole is the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers to the arteries, whereas the diastole is when the heart refills with blood following contraction. The stethoscope is used to measure the heart rate while the sphygomomanometer is used to measure blood pressure. Using your thumb to measure your pulse is not ideal since the thumb itself has it's own pulse running through it, resulting in hearing multiple pumps at a time.  In order to measure blood pressure, you must first deflate the air bladder so it can fit snugly on the upper arm. Put the head of the stethoscope under the cuff, a little bit above the crease of the elbow. Then begin pumping air into the bladder until the pressure reaches around 150, then slightly open the valve. As the needle falls down, pay attention to the first pulse, which will be the systolic (upper) blood pressure. Pay attention carefully for the last pulse and note the pressure the pulse stops on. This final pulse will be the diastolic (lower) blood pressure.

Heart Chalk Walkthrough

The circulatory system is an expanded yet intricate system within our body that relies heavily on our heart. First, deoxygenated blood flows from both the superior and inferior vena cava into the right atrium. It then passes through the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle, before it finally flows through the pulmonic valve and out both pulmonary arteries into the lungs. The blood then goes through a gaseous exchange with the lungs and becomes oxygen-rich. The oxygenated blood then flows back from the pulmonary veins and into the left atrium. The blood then goes through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, and then through the aortic valve. Finally, the blood exits through the aorta, and circulates throughout the body before going through the same process again.

Unit 2 Reflection

Health is the combination of multiple social aspects for a happy, healthy life, including diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and socialization. For me personally, I would say that I am generally healthy for a high school student. I exercise moderately for about five times a week, and I never skip any meals of the day. For the general population of Saratoga, however, I believe we are not healthy. I believe this for the fact that many of us do not get enough sleep at night, and that there should be certain days where there is no homework to reduce the stress and late nights of homework. Especially since it is the season of college applications, stress is at the highest of the year while sleep can not be considered an option for many who tally all-nighters to finish the next set of essays and scores.
One of the central themes around this unit was the Pillars of Health, for if one pillar was lacking behind others, our overall health would be uneven and chaotic. Another theme notable this unit was nutrition, since there is no easy way to diet since our bodies have evolved and adapted many times, and it is up to us to find which diet is the best diet for our bodies.
In this unit, I learned a lot about my diet habits-which I found I was lacking in fiber and inconsistent in Vitamin C. With the help of this unit, I was able to learn which foods would substantiate for this loss, and which foods were crucial to avoid. I also learned how important social connections are for us, and that without healthy relationships in family and friends, our health would deteriorate.
 What I still do not fully understand is the whole theme of sleep. Although a complex subject, I have taken a great interest in sleep, and would like to learn more about this resting cycle and how it is a huge factor when it comes to our lives in a deeper level.
To improve on the next unit of anatomy and physiology, I set a list of goals in hopes I will be more organized and prepared for upcoming assessments. My first goal is to keep up to date with the notes by completing the relate and review's instead of attempting to do them later, which could mislead my notes from chronologically. My second goal would be to review the class readings given to us, since I noticed most of the questions from the temp check were based off our readings. My last goal will be to complete future study guides, since they also serve as great of an importance as the class readings.
One subject I have taken interest in is the study of nutrition, which many universities offer to study. The job of a nutritionist is to advise patients which diets are required for health, and often work with diabetic or anorexic patients. It is similar to this unit since we talked about nutrition as key to our health, and how every person had a unique diet that works just for them. I find this quite interesting since there is a unique discovery to everyone's health, and assisting someone with a diet they are having trouble in can be a fulfilling job that I may take interest in the future.

Sleep Diary

When completing my sleep diary, I had noticed a pattern trending on my awakenings. On the days I had at least one caffeinated drink, I had awakened at least once that very same night. I believe the link between caffeine and random awakenings in the night are related, for that the caffeine further makes us more energized to wake up the next morning, despite ignoring our circadian rhythm. My bed time had averaged out to 12:00 AM (midnight) while my wake time had averaged out to 7:15 AM. My total sleep time had averaged to 7 hours, proving consistent with my regular bedtime and wake time. I believe the sleep diary further illustrates how my sleep affects my growth as a teenager. When I was in elementary school, I would get ten hours of sleep per night, and I had grown to be 5'2" in fourth grade, which is of gargantuan status for a child. However, as my years of education wore on, my sleep style and circadian rhythm had begun to decrease. I eventually found myself getting to eight hours of sleep in middle school, and then barely seven hours of sleep in high school. My sleep diary further concludes that sleep is a crucial factor when it comes to providing us a healthy, strong life.