Another three
months passes by, which means another quarter knocked out in chiropractic
school. Time just keeps on flying by at an exponential rate. We got a lot of
work done and passed all of our finals right before the Christmas break. Here
is a little taste of the classes my classmates and I took to give you a little
idea of what I have been up to.
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Full Spine II
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Lab Diagnosis I
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Hard Tissue Pathology
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Phys Exam I
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Endocrine and Reproduction- This 60-hour
comprehensive lecture course covers the normal function of endocrine tissues
including human hormonal control systems, the functions of individual hormones
and their interactions, and reproductive physiology. The course also introduces
a variety of disease states that affect these endocrine tissues. We also
learned about the male and female reproductive systems and their specific
physiology. Along with nutrition, this was perhaps my favorite “academic”
course so far during my 18 month stay at Sherman College. We learned some
fascinating stuff about several of the major hormones in our bodies and how they
interact with each other. A lot of what I learned in this course helped me
learn about my fitness and how I treat my own body with eating, sleep, and
exercise.
As I mentioned
three or four blog entries ago, Dr. Duke is perhaps the most renowned name in the
academic world of Sherman College. He teaches four grueling classes that make
up a 12-month sequence that students refer to “Duke University” due to the
demanding work it takes just to pass. I am very happy and relieved to announce
that my classmates and I have officially “graduated” from Duke University this
past December and are on to better days at Sherman College :-). I can’t decide
which was more satisfying, completing the 9 months of smelling cadavers in the
anatomy lab, or the 12 months of Dr. Duke’s neurology classes. I will let you
know if I ever decide between the two. All I know is I would never want to take
either again, I learned a lot, but am so glad to be done with those portions of
the curriculum!!
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Orthopedics/Neurological Exam I
Going back to
endocrine class, I learned a lot about the relationships between growth hormone
and insulin. I also learned about the importance of omega 3’s versus omega 6’s.
You hear some of your friends say I take an omega 3 fish-oil supplement for
their hearts. Yes, omega 3’s can support good cardiovascular health, but it is
responsible for SO MUCH more! The relationship between omega 3’s and omega 6’s
has been reported to play a HUGE role in our immune system function. In the
typical American diet, we tend to get plenty or more than enough of omega 6’s.
However, a large portion of the population doesn’t have a high seafood diet
which is necessary if the person does not take an omega 3 supplement. But,
remember this; 1) I’m not a doctor, yet. 2) Everyone is different. Do the
research on your own. It’s important to listen to what health care
professionals say.
“Many nutrition experts believe that before we relied so
heavily on processed foods, humans consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in
roughly equal amounts. But to our great detriment, most North Americans and
Europeans now get far too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s.
This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma,
coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative
diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The
imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to
obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence.
Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions,
according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of
Health, and perhaps the world's leading authority on the relationship between
fat consumption and mental health. At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference
sponsored by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and Columbia
University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study
showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3
oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners' diets.”
Some websites in
case you were further interested: however, be sure to google negatives or
dangers of omegas 3’s, there’s always someone playing antagonist. Get educated,
and make your decisions.
Like I said in the
beginning of the blog, time keeps flying. The quarters, the months, the weeks
seem to just breeze by. It’s not just my academic life that is flying by so
quickly it’s hard to grasp, its many aspects. After dating the love of my life
for over five years, I feel very comfortable that God has blessed our
relationship, and my heart feels content about spending the rest of my life
with this beautiful blessing. So, after following my heart, guided by God giving
all the glory to Him, I got a ring and asked my now fiancé, Becca, to marry me.
How did I do it? A few blogs back, I told you guys how she went on a 4 month
mission trip to Uganda to build an orphanage and spread the love of Christ.
Thank you so much for your prayers. She got back safe and is doing great. So,
right when she got off the plane, I had her little brother and two of her best
friends waiting for her at the airport and dropped the hammer as soon as she
got off the plane. She had no freaking clue. I know the Charlotte airport might
not be the most romantic place, but it was perfect for her and perfect for me
and we couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to spend every day with her and
continue life’s journey with the love of my life.
So,
another quarter down. 24 months and I will be an Upper Cervical Doctor! By
completing sixth quarter, we are heading into 7th quarter, which
happens to be our first national boards quarter. As I mentioned previously,
chiropractors have to take four to five (depending on what state) national
boards in order to be licensed in the United States. This is the first exam of
the 4-5 for my classmates and me. The exam consists of six individual tests
covering the previous 18 months of information that has been crammed into our skulls.
The six individual tests are General Anatomy, Spinal Anatomy, Physiology,
Chemistry, Pathology, and Microbiology. Each test contains 110 questions. Students
from all over the country and the world will be taking these exams on March 16th-18th.
So, if we ever find a way to manage the seven classes we are already taking
this quarter, we will be studying the 1.5 year’s material non-stop. The month
of March is going to be absolute madness, pun intended. We have March Madness
going on with the NCAA basketball tournament, national boards which consist of
six individual tests the weekend mentioned, and then seven final exams from the
20th-23rd. So, we will be taking 13 final
exams/liscensing exams in a span of 7 days! Madness. That’s part of the journey
though. Should be a great Spring Break when all of this is over :-).
Words of
encouragement:
“So whether you eat
or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
In whatever you do, if it’s being a student, a teacher, a
lawyer, a fashion designer, a stay at home mom picking up toys, a dad playing
with his children, a friend going the extra mile, or just taking out the trash,
do everything for the glory of God. He’s our creator, we are made in His image,
it’s all His.
May God Bless you guys, I hope you have a blessed New Year and
enjoy God’s constant grace and love.
Till next quarter !!!!!
Josh Dalessandro
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