Of the topics and information that we have covered this semester
in the course, what has been the most impactful or interesting?
First off I would like to say that I really enjoyed this class as a whole. I learned very interesting things from our writing assignments, as well as our blogs and our course materials. I definitely have to say that one stood out the most to me. Our assignment on Half the Sky Part 2 definitely touched me the most. Those women went through so much, but they are still trying to fix the society and culture in their countries. I was very moved by their stories. When I look at what people that have pretty much everything they want in life complain about, is mind boggling to me. The struggle that those women go through doesn't compare. I hope one of these days I will be able to help as much as I can to end those torturous practices in their countries. Once again I am thankful for this class and I definitely enjoyed everything you taught us! I loved the way you taught. The information stuck with me forever!!
I hope everyone has had a great semester as well!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Blog # 3: Seeing the world differently
Have you ever known
someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her
life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing
them? You may provide pseudo names to protect their identity.
Joe* is a good friend of mine I met about 3 years ago. At the time he was dating one of my best friends. My first impression of him was that he was a very sweet, normal kind of guy and he seemed like a very caring person. As the months passed I started to learn more about Joe. He told me he had anxiety issues, and that he has to take medication on a daily basis for him not to freak out. In public he feels uncomfortable, like he is suffocated by other people. The medication helps him to tolerate this a little bit but it is still there most of the time. He hates change and meeting other people because it makes him feel very uncomfortable. He mostly stays home and reads or draws. But he likes it that way. As the years went by he started getting a little better, until one day he got mugged outside his house, and he got hit in the head numerous times. This completely changed his world. He got worse and worse every day, and he knew it had to be more than anxiety. After a couple months of tests and going to rehabilitation to figure out what is wrong, the doctors couldn't really figure out the problem. One night he started feeling worse, and he started sleepwalking, and hearing things. Next thing you know, the doctors finally diagnosed him with schizophrenia. He was terrified of these news. He started hearing things, seeing things. He tells me every day how terrified he is of these things. He hasn't come out of his house, he can't hold a job, and he can't live a normal life. He has to live off disability because it is impossible for him to work. He also has to be on medication to help him control his hallucinations. Joe is still a very sweet person, despite of all the bad things that has been happening to him. He is truly a strong person for having to deal with all of that. I have learned that this mental illness consumes people and it is truly terrifying. It takes a strong person to have to deal with this every day. I know that doctors haven't found a cure for it as well. The medication is just to diminish the symptoms. I hope one day they will find a way to cure him of this terrible mental illness.
* pseudo name used
Joe* is a good friend of mine I met about 3 years ago. At the time he was dating one of my best friends. My first impression of him was that he was a very sweet, normal kind of guy and he seemed like a very caring person. As the months passed I started to learn more about Joe. He told me he had anxiety issues, and that he has to take medication on a daily basis for him not to freak out. In public he feels uncomfortable, like he is suffocated by other people. The medication helps him to tolerate this a little bit but it is still there most of the time. He hates change and meeting other people because it makes him feel very uncomfortable. He mostly stays home and reads or draws. But he likes it that way. As the years went by he started getting a little better, until one day he got mugged outside his house, and he got hit in the head numerous times. This completely changed his world. He got worse and worse every day, and he knew it had to be more than anxiety. After a couple months of tests and going to rehabilitation to figure out what is wrong, the doctors couldn't really figure out the problem. One night he started feeling worse, and he started sleepwalking, and hearing things. Next thing you know, the doctors finally diagnosed him with schizophrenia. He was terrified of these news. He started hearing things, seeing things. He tells me every day how terrified he is of these things. He hasn't come out of his house, he can't hold a job, and he can't live a normal life. He has to live off disability because it is impossible for him to work. He also has to be on medication to help him control his hallucinations. Joe is still a very sweet person, despite of all the bad things that has been happening to him. He is truly a strong person for having to deal with all of that. I have learned that this mental illness consumes people and it is truly terrifying. It takes a strong person to have to deal with this every day. I know that doctors haven't found a cure for it as well. The medication is just to diminish the symptoms. I hope one day they will find a way to cure him of this terrible mental illness.
* pseudo name used
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Blog 2
1. Imagine a parent of a
pre-teen who is about to have “The Talk” with him/her. Please write the
scenario (where/when/how) the talk would take place and exactly what
the parent should say. Include any resources the parent might recommend
to the pre-teen, or questions (and their answers) the parent should
anticipate.
I imagine a mother having the "The Talk" with her daughter. The mother should be talking to her daughter in a comfortable setting, such as her room and away from other people. The talk should take place at a decent time, such as afternoon or night time to make sure that the daughter's attention span is pretty wide. I think the mother should really focus on explaining without shame, why safe sex should be practiced. She should emphasize on teen pregnancy and the difficulty of this matter as much as focusing on explaining what sexually transmitted diseases can do to an individual. These are very important points to cover, because these things are pretty scary when it comes to such young people. Being a teen mother is no joke and acquiring an STD for the rest of your life is also a very life changing experience. Many adolescents or pre-adolescents feel very awkward talking to their parents about these things. That's why I think the setting and timing is a very important factor when it comes to bringing "the talk" up. The daughter will eventually open up and start asking questions about what different kind of STD's there is and how to prevent from getting them as well as how to practice safe sex. The mother should really encourage her daughter to look on the CDC website to get more information on practicing safe sex and the different STD's as well as looking up teen pregnancy lifestyles and get more educated. "The talk" can be pretty difficult to be practiced but I think it is pretty necessary to have.
I imagine a mother having the "The Talk" with her daughter. The mother should be talking to her daughter in a comfortable setting, such as her room and away from other people. The talk should take place at a decent time, such as afternoon or night time to make sure that the daughter's attention span is pretty wide. I think the mother should really focus on explaining without shame, why safe sex should be practiced. She should emphasize on teen pregnancy and the difficulty of this matter as much as focusing on explaining what sexually transmitted diseases can do to an individual. These are very important points to cover, because these things are pretty scary when it comes to such young people. Being a teen mother is no joke and acquiring an STD for the rest of your life is also a very life changing experience. Many adolescents or pre-adolescents feel very awkward talking to their parents about these things. That's why I think the setting and timing is a very important factor when it comes to bringing "the talk" up. The daughter will eventually open up and start asking questions about what different kind of STD's there is and how to prevent from getting them as well as how to practice safe sex. The mother should really encourage her daughter to look on the CDC website to get more information on practicing safe sex and the different STD's as well as looking up teen pregnancy lifestyles and get more educated. "The talk" can be pretty difficult to be practiced but I think it is pretty necessary to have.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Blog 1
How can we encourage adolescents to follow healthy behaviors? What
ideas do you have for parents, healthcare providers, health educators,
media, society, etc? Please provide outside resources as well.
Teaching adolescents healthy behaviors can be a very hard thing to do. Most adolescents are very stubborn and will do "whatever they want" and not think of the consequences. They tend to follow a "trend" so to speak, which involves smoking, practicing unprotected sex, consumption of alcohol and many other malicious behaviors." In 2007, more than half of deaths among young adults aged 15 to 24 in NYC were caused by homicide, unintentional injuries, and suicide, and most diagnosed chlamydia cases were in this age group.Compared to girls in the US as a whole, teenage girls in NYC have a higher pregnancy rate."(City Health Information, 2009) Adolescents can be encouraged to follow healthy behaviors through being educated about the consequences of such unhealthy behaviors. I believe that health care providers should speak to them directly about the risks of such behaviors. Adolescents tend to keep such behaviors to themselves, mostly because they don't want their families to find out, or they don't want to share that kind of information with strangers (such as health care providers). Health care providers, or even parents , should find a way to bond with the adolescents and earn their trust. That way they will have someone they look up to and take the information that is provided to them seriously.
Adolescents should be encouraged to also check out the CDC ( Center for Disease Control and Prevention) website, and educate themselves on sexually transmitted diseases and how they can be prevented, as well as substance abuse and its aftermath. I know most of these are already taught in schools and given a sex education program, but that is the only way to be heard. It is up to them if they actually listen and take that advice. Parents, health educators, media, society can all have an impact on their life and their education but at the end of the day it is their choice and nobody can make their decisions for them.
References:
City Health Information. (2008, March 1). Retrieved August 31, 2014.
Teaching adolescents healthy behaviors can be a very hard thing to do. Most adolescents are very stubborn and will do "whatever they want" and not think of the consequences. They tend to follow a "trend" so to speak, which involves smoking, practicing unprotected sex, consumption of alcohol and many other malicious behaviors." In 2007, more than half of deaths among young adults aged 15 to 24 in NYC were caused by homicide, unintentional injuries, and suicide, and most diagnosed chlamydia cases were in this age group.Compared to girls in the US as a whole, teenage girls in NYC have a higher pregnancy rate."(City Health Information, 2009) Adolescents can be encouraged to follow healthy behaviors through being educated about the consequences of such unhealthy behaviors. I believe that health care providers should speak to them directly about the risks of such behaviors. Adolescents tend to keep such behaviors to themselves, mostly because they don't want their families to find out, or they don't want to share that kind of information with strangers (such as health care providers). Health care providers, or even parents , should find a way to bond with the adolescents and earn their trust. That way they will have someone they look up to and take the information that is provided to them seriously.
Adolescents should be encouraged to also check out the CDC ( Center for Disease Control and Prevention) website, and educate themselves on sexually transmitted diseases and how they can be prevented, as well as substance abuse and its aftermath. I know most of these are already taught in schools and given a sex education program, but that is the only way to be heard. It is up to them if they actually listen and take that advice. Parents, health educators, media, society can all have an impact on their life and their education but at the end of the day it is their choice and nobody can make their decisions for them.
References:
City Health Information. (2008, March 1). Retrieved August 31, 2014.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Biography
Hi, my name is Loredana Sasu, I am 23 years old and live in Denton Texas. I moved to Texas from Romania when I was 14. I am currently working towards my Bachelor's degree in General Studies with concentrations in Business Management and Health Studies. With this degree I hope to accomplish a career in the health care system as a Health Administrator. I have always been fascinated by health care. My hobbies are: traveling, drawing and taking care of animals. I love animals with all my heart. I fostered 12 sick cats when I was 5 years old and attempted to take care of them haha :). If I had the money I would definitely open up a shelter.
My expectations for this class is to learn more about women's health and to put that in perspective when I move on to my career. Women's body are very unique and complex. I look forward for this class and what I will learn out of it. I hope everyone will have a great fall semester!
My expectations for this class is to learn more about women's health and to put that in perspective when I move on to my career. Women's body are very unique and complex. I look forward for this class and what I will learn out of it. I hope everyone will have a great fall semester!
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