- What is the role of the appendix?
- Why do kidney stones form?
- What is diverticulosis? (Video) (Article)
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
ARR # 4 - Period 3
Below are some links on some conditions that people have asked about in class. Read one (or all if you want!) and then in the space below, leave a comment. You should react to the article AS WELL AS your classmates' comments. Feel free to pose questions that will invigorate the conversation.
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I was watching an episode of Friends when one of the characters began having excruciating pain in his side and found out he had kidney stones. I always wondered since then how the tiny rock like structures could develop. It is interesting how they actually block urine flow and cause the kidneys to swell, the stones themselves only lead to the pain. My mother told me, however, that a catheter has to be inserted into the urethra sometimes to pull the stones out. After finding out from the reading that this is true the whole experience seems terrible. One thing I still do not get though is why men, caucasian especially, are usually affected by it.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard of people getting their appendix out because of pain, but I never really understood what it meant because the appendix is not focused on significantly like other organs of the body are. After reading this article, I understand that appendixes are not really important to human survival however, they can still get infected. I like how this article touched on the subject of evolution. Because of evolution, scientists are able to see and understand how the appendix turned into a vestigial structure. scientists have also learnt that the appendix can serve as a safe haven for good bacteria. Good bacteria is able to be stored in the appendix and can attack the bad bacteria when needed. I think that is really interesting because obviously the role of the appendix came a long way over the years. Also, appendixes have been found in other animals and thus, more information has been found. Because of the research of the appendix, out "pointless" body parts may not be so pointless anymore because new information is being found about them. It was fascinating to see how the appendix evolved in that article.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, my older cousin got his appendix removed and I always wondered why. I was told that his appendix was going to “explode” which I thought was strange because I didn’t think organs could do that. I just assumed that it had no purpose. Like it said in the article, the appendix was for a long time considered a vestigial structure. So an organ that at one time served a purpose but does not any more. Now research suggests that it is used to fight off bacteria and help keep the immune system strong. I was thinking the same thing Jazmin was when she mentioned the Friends episode where Joey had kidney stones. I had no idea what they were or how they formed. I did not realize that they were chemical deposits that hardened. I also did not know that mostly males get them or that most men get them in their lifetime, like its normal. It sounds very painful to me.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Lizzie, I admire the author of the first article for touching on the topic of evolution. More specifically, something that caught my eye was when immunologist William Parker stated that “the best way to figure out how the body was designed to work is to look at how it was meant to work over hundreds of millions of years of evolution." This statement has caused me to do a lot of thinking about evolution and the study of it. Where would the world be if no one decided to think about modern day humans and how we compare and contrast with our ancient ancestors? Would we have the medicines we have today? Would we have realized that studying animals would give us a lot of insight on the human body simply because we share common ancestors? The world may never know. If reference to the appendix, similar to Emily I also heard people who have gotten theirs removed say it was because "it was going to explode." Now, years after I attended elementary school where I was first introduced to this phenomenon, I finally learned what appendicitis actually was. It's crazy to think that such a small organ with no known purpose can create so many problems for a person. Also, I was wondering why the appendix hasn't gradually disappeared from the body if it had served no purpose for so many centuries? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in second grade, my best friend at the time had kidney stones and at the time, I was so confused as to what it was. When I asked my mother, she told me it was rocks in your body and it would never hurt me, but obviously she was lying only to not scare me. What is funny is as I got older I got more acquainted with the possibility of kidney stones and other problems that can occur in males. My doctor always asks me and notifies me whenever I go for a checkup. "These Stones Pack a Punch to the Kidneys" is a very interesting articles and wicked informing. I feel that in life conditions and problems are hidden from us because people don't want to live in fear, and as a result, I think it only hurts us more because we are not informed. Honestly, I am scared because males are more likely to have kidney stones in their lives, but I will not let it affect me. Also, now that I know the pain and other facts about kidney stones, I am going to be more cautious and now have great tips that the article listed to prevent stones. Overall, I thought it was wicked helpful and needs to be shared widely. Similar to Jazmin, I have heard many misconceptions about kidney stones and also I know the ways to take care of kidney stones i.e. catheters. I still enjoyed this article.
ReplyDeleteI never really knew what kidney stones were, when i was little i thought that they were litterally stones, or rocks that were in your body and won't comeout. I agree with Michael, that its seesm strange that most kidney stones happen in males. i beliver this is becauase most females are very cautious, and watch what they eat compared to how males do not pay as much attention to what they consume. But I don't understand why kidney stones are such an issue, there seems to be effective way to prevent them, yet one out of seven men will get a kidney stone. To me it seems that kidney stones are ignored until someone gets one, and then for that one person it becomes relevant, but not many people worry about kidney stones unless they have had one before.
ReplyDeleteThe first very shocking thing about kidney stones was the ubiquity of them. Ive heard about them before, but I never knew that one in seven men are prone to having at least one kidney stone issue in their lives. Even more shocking was that after the kidney stone has been treated, over fifty percent of those men areprone to having it happen again! I never really understood what/why kidney stones were harmful or occured. Yet it is still very hard to believe that something as simple but dangerous as dehydration can causesuch a huge issue with your kidneys. Even ore shocking was that the overconsumption of meat and animals can lead to kidney stones. After reading these causes of kidney stones however, it is very reasonable how these things can all cause kidney stones. All of these things are in relation to the kidneys' functions and lacking/overconsuming the certain things can definately cause a problem.
ReplyDeleteThese are very terrible conditions that people have to face everyday. However they seem unimaginable until people actually have them. At the same time nobody ever knows their chances of getting kidney stones, diverticulitis or appendicitis because they can happen to anyone, so should people change their habits so they can prevent such conditions from happening to them in the future especially regarding kidney stones ? Like Lizzie said, she used to think that the appendix was insignificant but has realized that the appendix actually has good bacteria in it. Although the appendix might have good bacteria, is the appendix worth keeping in someone's body if they might face unbearable pain from it in the future ? Doctors should develop a way to stop appendicitis from happening so less people have to undergo the pain from it. I hear about kidney stones all the time, but what do you think the biggest kidney stone is that someone has been able to pass without having medical interference ?
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother had a kidney stone not too long ago. When I asked her about the feeling of this concentration of chemicals, she said "It felt like I was peein' out a rock." Of course this statement excited my interest but not enough to actually research this topic. What shocked me the most was hearing the number of people who have had a kidney stone (one million people) resulting in a cost of almost two billion dollars. Similar to Jake’s point, if there are proven ways to help prevent this occurrence then why is there still so many people being treated for kidney stones? This ignorance shows humans’ unwillingness to change even when there health and well-being are on the line. I feel like many people have misconceptions of kidney stones and there should be more accessibility to information about this. Like I said earlier, I was interested in the topic but not enough to find the information myself. Others probably feel the same way I do. People should be informed earlier on ways to prevent this from happening to them. As simple as drinking more water can significantly reduce the risk of getting this infection and people should be aware of this
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Jake and Michael, when I was a kid I did not really know what kidney stones were. I just thought that little rocks somehow got into someone's body and caused them a lot of pain and then they had to urinate to get them out. I thought it was interesting that they are actually chemical deposits that crystallize, and also thought it was crazy that they can be caused by a bunch of factors that many people are effected by. I agree with Brandon as well that it is really surprising how common they are, since I've only ever heard one person ever talk about having them, which is probably because it is an awkward thing to talk about if they have experienced it, I suppose. The craziest thing in this article to me is how big kidney stones can grow. I could never imagine some rock like structure the size of a golf ball hanging out inside me causing me all this pain. But, I'm glad I read this article and know more about the causes and prevention of kidney stones. Although they are less common in women, it is never a bad thing to have some form of medical knowledge on topics like this.
ReplyDeleteLike many of you, when I was younger I believed that kidney stones were legit rocks. Also, I immediately thought of the Friends episode when Joey had a kidney stone and appeared to be in more pain than Rachel when she was giving birth. I genuinely feel bad for people with kidney stones because they probably never actually see them coming since they are not aware of how to prevent getting kidney stones. I think that there should PSAs or methods used in order to inform the public about kidney stones because in reality people have heard about them and know they are painful but they never really know how they can decrease their chances of actually getting kidney stones. I never really thought that simply drinking more water and staying hydrated could help decrease chances of kidney stones. However it actually makes a lot of sense because water has the ability to dilute all the toxins and chemicals that are present in your urine. If your urine is yellow maybe you should think about drinking some more water because if you do you will be able to decrease the risk and chances of actually getting a painful kidney stone.
ReplyDeleteI read the article on the appendix and it was very interesting. First off, I never knew there was a such thing as good bacteria. I always assumed bacteria was bad and can make you sick. But it is amazing to learn that there are "good" bacteria in the body that can actually clean out the body. I always wondered how a body part can no longer function in the body. Years ago, I believed in creation, but learning that the appendix no longer serves a function makes be believe in evolution a little bit. I would never want to have pain in my stomach to find out that an organ in my body is infected. That just sounds extremely scary, How can the appendix even get infected? I definitely want to study this more in college.
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