Biology Week Fourteen: Which Way Forward

"..the antimicrobial pesticide (triclosan) has been proven to be no more effective at killing germs than regular soap and water..." What is your view?


Sure, but it takes the good bacteria with the "bad." More effective is not necessarily a good thing. I prefer to let my immune system have its natural exposures and stick to regular soap and water. Antibacterial hand washes smell gross and create superbacteria out of the .1% that the antibacterial/antimicrobial soap does not kill.

Biochemistry Week Fourteen: Living Diviersity

“..the human species is living as if it had more than one planet to occupy…”
What is your own view?

I think this statement implies humans (or more specifically, Americans) have thought about the affects of a materialist lifestyle. I don't think humans live as if we have another planet, I think we live as if we have no concept that there are consequences to our actions. Scientists have been warning us for decades but only now that it may be too late are people beginning to adjust to more sustainable lifestyles. Unfortunately, many industries have not yet got on board. Mining and logging companies, tech manufacturers, etc aren't going to give up the bottom line.

If you want to get real depressed, here is a collection of photos of the devastation of pollution, global warming, and overpopulation that I came across the other day. Definitely ignore the link if you don't want to see sad images.

http://www.boredpanda.com/environmental-pollution-overdevelopment-overpopulation-overshoot-global-population-speakout/

or just google pictures of pollution. The magnitude of humanities' destruction of the only planet we have is mind boggling.

Bioology Week Twelve: Free Radicals and Antioxidants

"People should still eat healthy food" - do we rely too heavily on supplements to provide antioxidants?

Modern life makes it very difficult to maintain a healthy diet purely through eating well. Maybe we are too busy to cook or maybe we can't afford to eat as we would like. Either way supplements seem like a way to access nutrients we can't get through our diet. Unfortunately, supplements do not actually give us the nutrition we think and in some cases may hurt us. As hard as it can be to make happen, nothing is as effective as eating a diversity of nutrient dense food.

“Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk” What are your own thoughts on this?

I need more information to form an opinion. It is well known that aspirin can have negative side effects and the article does not address this. If aspirin has some benefits but harms our bodies in other ways, are we really better off?

Biochemistry Week Thirteen: Cell Biology and Radioactivity and Avogadro's Number

"An act that would create uniform GMO labeling throughout the United States passed the House..."
Are you encouraged?

Its unfortunate that this bill is so sneaky. Sounds like a good thing until you realize this is a means to pacify consumers by giving the appearance of GMO labeling. I hope it does not pass and stronger measures to label GMOs are put into place.

Biophysics Week Three: Bionics

Would you support the development of a “bionic” person?

No. I think its great that technology exists to give amputees or people born without limbs replacement limbs, but ultimately I do not trust where this technology my lead.

Would your opinion be any different if this were for a military purpose?

Nope nope nope. The article on military robotics sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I realize there is nothing that can be done to stop a future with bionic super soldiers and that to me is bizarre. A few years ago such a statement would have sounded like a looney conspiracy theory and today national military leaders and strategists are in talks to make it happen. Yikes.

Biology Week Eleven: Vaccination and Public Health

Should “parents take a more active role in designing their children’s immunization schedule”?

Parents should definitely take a role in understanding and designing their children't immunization schedule, but with fully informed information on the vaccines. I believe there are some very real concerns regarding vaccinations, but that the pros generally outweigh the cons. So perhaps parents should use discretion regarding a flu shot or a vaccine that is new on the market, particularly one that was rushed to the market such as Gardisil. But the tried and true vaccines that have nearly eradicated some very dangerous diseases should only be questioned if their child is immunocompromised.

Would you support making vaccination programs “compulsory”?

This is a hard question. On the one hand, it is unfair for parents to spare their children the risk of vaccination and rely on other vaccinated children for herd immunity. On the other hand, my first thought with this question was to think of Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade does not protect our right to choose to end a pregnancy, it protects our right to privacy. It protects our right to make decisions about our health without the interference of the community or the state. While I want people to take an active role in community health and I believe many public health interventions are important and necessary, I have a pretty intense distaste of the government forcing anyone how they may live their life or what they should do with their bodies. Where do we draw the line in regards to state intervention?

Chemistry Week Eleven: Cell Biology and Radioactivity

I looked a little into the group that wanted to build a power plant in Fresno, which I spoke about last week. It looks like the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group had planned on building an European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) but have since switched their efforts to other energy projects. Despite claims of safety and nuclear as the "greenest" energy source, it seems that the EPR had some design-safety issues that were cause for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and nuclear safety officials in various European countries to challenge the makers of EPR.

Its strange to me that proponents of nuclear energy continue to claim that nuclear energy is safe and green despite what we know about the incredible amounts of water wasted/polluted to cool down the reactors. Additionally, perhaps they could convince me nuclear is safe as long as the reactors are in 100% prime working condition and no errors are made, but proponents of nuclear energy clearly have more faith in humanity than I do. What makes them believe that human error is out of the question?

I would like more information. I want to understand why they believe in nuclear energy. Is it really safe as long as there is not human error? Is my opposition to nuclear some knee-jerk reaction of a person who doesn't know any better?

Honestly, theres a part of me that thinks "if nuclear energy is good enough for the Star Trek universe, shouldn't it be good enough for me?" But I can't imagine we are anywhere near the technology necessary to actually make nuclear safe.

Below are two links with some information about the proposed plant and the switch the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group made after they realized their power plant plan was never going to work out. If you want more information about how we challenged and disrupted this proposal, feel free to ask. That action was a lot of fun ;)

http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=2836

http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/11349-fresno

Biophysics Week Two: Energy Medicine and Energy Fields

Acupuncture as effective energy medicine

In yoga, I have heard instructors talk about the potential for emotional experiences through hip work because that is where we hold our trauma. I have never consciously experienced this myself, but friends have. The only way this effect makes any sense is to look at the energetic body and how it connects with the physical body.

Acupuncture works on the body in a way that doesn't always make sense to a westerner. How can sticking a need in a point on my head relax my entire body or cause euphoria? Or how does a needle in my hand or foot help ease the chronic back pain I have lived with for years? It is hard to understand without a firm grasp of the principles behind TCM, and yet it works.

Clearly the body is far more powerful and energetically charged then the western viewpoint will allow, acupuncture is an incredible medicine for healing on both the energetic and physical level, and more importantly, for helping to shatter the dichotomy that tells us those are two different things.

What conclusions can you draw from Kirlian photography

I would love to see an example of Kirlian photography or have my photo taken. Until then I can't draw any conclusions as there could be other explanations than photographing an aura.

Human intent as it affects health

Intention is probably one of the most powerful medicines. TCM encourages us to be active participants in our health, a drastic difference from allopathic medicine. Whereas some people just want the doctor to prescribe a pill rather than make lifestyle changes, TCM engages our intention to wellness.

Intention is a powerful driving force for outcomes. I think of my grandmothers. My Grandma had a stroke 15-20 years ago and gave up. She never regained full use of her right side despite the fact that with PT she could have and her health has declined ever since. On the other hand, my Granny is 10 years older than my Grandma and still active, smart, growing as a person. She has been in the hospital for various heart or hip issues plenty of times and every time her attitude is admirable. Intention is powerful.

Biology Week Ten: Restoring the American Bison to its rightful range

How would you prioritize the reintroduction of the American Bison?

I would prioritize the reintroduction of the Bison and many other natural resources by redirecting the country's priorities entirely. I would adjust all foreign policy to an isolationist stance and domestic policies would focus on redistribution of wealth and resources so that we could on the one hand rebuild the infrastructure of this country and on the other hand do so in a way that worked with the natural environment instead of against it. By this I mean, the investment in infrastructure would focus on renewable resources, would find ways to fix our roads with out relying on mining, and would not cut off habitats from each other (I believe it was in this class that we read about land bridges that allow ecosystems across highways to remain connected).

All of this is to say, I would prioritize the ecosystem in general and endangered species such as the Bison would be a part of that vision.

“...we had six grizzly bears, and the Canyon pack of wolves that were all visible in the morning, and throughout the day. And really, all week.”
Do you feel we are resetting the natural balance here?

I think it is a start but we are far from resetting the balance. To think that upwards of 60 million bison were slaughtered and today there are 250,000, it is laughable to say they are no longer endangered. Six bears and a pack of wolves over the course of a week is probably not very much compared to what the First Nations saw before the settler-invaders came.

Chemistry Week Ten: the Chemistry of Life

Post a comment on one of the discussion items in class

The article on the overuse of antibiotics and their effect on weight is quite ironic and kind of infuriating. On the one hand, the western, pharma-driven medical model stuffed us full of their antibiotics well past what was medically responsible and that may have caused children to gain weight. On the other hand, the western medical model's attitudes towards weight gain is incredibly problematic. To this day, doctors use the BMI, an incredibly useless tool that tells us absolutely nothing about a person's health, and focus on weight as opposed to health, despite evidence that "moderately overweight" people tend to be some of the healthiest. So irresponsible medical practices likely contributed to the "overweight"-ness to begin with, then chubby patients have to deal with doctors who practice sloppy medicine by judging the weight instead of the health behaviors. Fellow classmates and future doctors, please, for the love of all things, don't use the BMI in your future practice. A tool that only considers height times weight tells you nothing about your patient's bone density, muscle-to-fat ratio, eating habits, exercise routine, genetics, etc. Don't use the BMI. Just don't.

Select one of the "Definitions of the Chemistry of Life" and post your thoughts.

"Biochemistry is an excellent foundation for the study of Medicine"
Biochemistry is an important foundation for my path to medicine. I was not raised utilizing TCM, although I did receive acupuncture for back pain in high school. I believe in the medicine but was not raised within a TCM paradigm, so the view of the body and how the medicine works is still something for me to piece together. Learning about the biochemical processes of the body are particularly useful for me to get some grounding as I begin this path to TCM.

Biophysics Week One: Life and Living Systems

I know I’m a “living system” because…….
I assume I am a living system because this body I live in is relatively functional. I know it is hard at work to keep me moving around and it lets me know when its time to fill it with snacks and water to keep it going. When I eat good things it works well, when I fill it with sugary or processed food like substances it doesn't work as well. The system essentially rejects my use of subpar fuels. I believe this system to be "living" because as far as I can tell the whole system works according to my conscious and unconscious intentions, which leads me to believe that the system and I are a cohesive unit. And I'm pretty sure I'm alive. I doubt they have things like rent and bills wherever we go when we die, unless we reincarnate, in which case I would be alive again.

Post a comment on one of this evening's discussions
At different points in the term we have talked about the universe in both the most macroscopic and microscopic terms. From the vastness of the universe to infinitely small subatomic particles, we are exploring the rules, structures, habits, and perspectives of the natural world. In "Sondra Barrett found God through a microscope" I was struck by the similarity between Barrett's drive to show people the art of the microscopic world and the reactions to the first image of the earth from space. Each represent a paradigm-shifting look at the world in a whole new way. Each were an opportunity to show the general public that the universe is far more complex then we could ever comprehend. Call it god or call it science or whatever name you choose, but we can't ignore that what we see through a microscope, the microscopic innards of a plant or some such specimen, is proof of a world that is complicated and beautiful!

Biology Week Nine: Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

What do you think about the “eight-point Deep Ecology Platform”?

I imagine this list was quite radical when it was first proposed, and maybe it is still radical for some. I believe we live in a beautiful and diverse world and I don't understand the inclination to waste or use and abuse any of it. Growing up in the central valley there was always some environmental issue being raised. Depletion of the salmon in the San Joaquin, whether or not to allow a cement company to rip the top off a mountain (that just so happened to be sacred to the Choinumni Yokuts), increased asthma due to smog. Politicians and business men are so willing to sign away our natural world in exchange for profits or political backing. I just don't get a worldview that sees nature as a lifeless thing to be conquered. The earth is not a big box store full of resources to plunder, it is a finite resource that will continue to produce for us only so long as we DO NOT DESTROY HER. Seems simple enough to me! I think the Eight-Point Deep Ecology Platform is a very concise way to address the paradigm shifts that are necessary if we as a species want to survive or at least leave behind a planet that can overcome the damage we've done once we plunder our way to extinction.

Can you explain why “Ecosystems are both strong and fragile”?

The earth is incredibly resilient and I hope it will be able to recover from the damage done by humans. Ecosystems are both strong and fragile as they are adaptable and yet the smallest change can have devastating effects.

Physics Week Nine: Synthesis

My E-Prime Day - describe your day, only using English Prime

I woke up and wondered what time it was. My room seemed cool and dark enough that I did not think it was late yet in the day. I saw Hollybear, the dog laying next to me, wag her tail slightly, a movement I took to mean "good morning." Slowly I stumbled upstairs into the house and said "good morning" to my roommate. We talked as I chopped vegetables. I finished preparing my meal and sat down to eat. I felt a sense of gratitude for the abundance of food I have access to. I washed my dishes and grabbed Hollybear's leash. She jumped with what I assume to be joy and wagged her tail, a movement I took to mean "I approve, human." We walked our usual route, saying hello to a woman I used to work with and then to a neighbor. The neighbor has a pit bull who seems very sweet and well taken care of to me. Hollybear and Taya, the pit bull, wrestled around in the yard for a little bit as the neighbor and I talked. I then took Hollybear home, pet the other dog that is staying with us for the week, and got my things together. My bike ride to the coffee shop was relatively short, but enjoyable. The breeze seemed just right to me, just cool enough. The coffee tasted good and strong and left my cup quicker than I would have liked. And here I sit, listening to music, typing, enjoying some coffee, occasionally getting distracted by the comings and goings of other people in the coffee shop.

How might you synthesize eastern and western ideas in Physics?

"As above, so below"

Whether you turn to science, religion, or spirituality, we are all trying to describe the same thing. We use different languages and systems, and some approaches to description may be more "accurate" than others, but essentially we each use our own cultural/idealogical framework to describe the structures and mechanisms of the world around us. I say "accurate" with respect to traditions I disagree with, but aware that some descriptions of the structures of the universe are more verifiable than others. This class has given us a basic foundation in natural philosophy to articulate the structures of our reality in a way that aligns with eastern traditions such as Taoism and Hinduism, and vice versa. I have had the opportunity to learn from a professor and classmates who have a deeper connection to their spiritual path then I, and to interweave their insight to a better understanding of physics. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I often feel pressured to deny the interconnectedness of this world, ideas that Taoism and Sufism have bolstered in me, but that I did not have empirical evidence for. I see now that quantum physics does present scientific evidence for a deeply interconnected universe (and that sometimes you have to live with uncertainty to get closer to the Truth). I look forward to continuing to learn about those connections, from both a physics perspective and from the Taoism and TCM perspectives.

Biology Week Eight: Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

Until recently we actually had a very strong approach to HIV, in the bay/California anyway. HIV is one service area that used to get very strong funding to reach people in the way that worked for them. Many HIV service organizations are more or less harm refuction based and generally "for us, by us." Meaning that staff at many HIV orgs are either living with HIV, currently or previously high risk for HIV, or have been in the fight since the beginning of the epidemic. There used to be ample funding for HIV specific clinics. Which is really important, especially a place like Oakland where both the rate of HIV and stigma. against HIV are very high. People living with the virus go to great lengths to hide their status, and deal with a lot of stigma even from non-HIV trained providers. So highly specialized clinics staffed with providers with strong counseling skills are crucial in the fight to get to an AIDS free generation. There are finding streams to ensure that anyone living with HIV can access medical care and medicine, as well as other services.

Unfortunately, this is changing. Funding sources have been cut year after year. Now that people are living longer, the powers that be are moving towards integrating HIV care into the medical home model, which would be incredibly problematic!! There's been a move towards focusing on treatment of pos people as prevention and less focus on education and testing/counseling. As the funding goes away and the emphasis on specialized services erodes, we're basically shooting ourselves in the foot.

Physics Week Eight: Classical Physics

Descartes really does have a lot to answer for! Its understandable that, in a time that was resisting the politically potent superstition of the Church, many scientists would develop a paradigm that drastically removed any hint of mysticism from their research methods. However, the idea our beautiful bodies (and fellow creatures) are simply mechanical devices goes too far in the opposite direction. Neither view point has the balance or nuance necessary to adequately explain the world around us. I think the concept of objectivity is such a fallacy and the last few centuries have produced copious amounts of biased research that deem themselves objective and empirical and infallible cuz "Hey! We Tested it! We Have Proof!" However, unexamined biases have "proven" all sorts of sexist, racist, imperialist, and speciesist nonsense. Now we must battle against the hegemony of Cartesian "reason" and deconstruct deeply held notions regarding the mechanical world of clock humans and dumb, soulless beasts. Thanks a lot Descartes!

Biology Week Seven: Cell Biology and Cancer

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?

Sometimes I think our understanding of cancer in western medicine is so overly complicated its a matter of not seeing the forest for the trees. Its compounded by the political and financial interests of pharmaceuticals and proponents of the American medical model.

How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

TCM gives the individual far greater responsibility to make healthy choices and more tools to protect one's health. The approach to cancer is vastly different than the American medical approach. TCM empowers us to eat well, access the wealth of herbal medicine benefits, and to control our treatment of cancer or any other illness. It gives us options other that using toxic radiation to target malignant (yet ultimately naturally occurring) mutations in our cells.

Physics Week Seven: Chaos Theory

The idea that the seat of consciousness is outside of the skull, consisting of an electromagnetic field, was very interesting to me. I'm curious of the implications this has for understanding empathy and intimacy. How does the proximity of two individuals' heads (such as while kissing or cuddling) affect one another's EM fields? If you spend time with another person for long periods of time, is there any crossover between fields? Does this explain affective empathy? Partners having the same dream? Knowing what someone else is thinking?

Biology Week Six: The Nature of Life

How would you distinguish between living and non-living systems?

I guess I don't really think the difference between living and non-living systems is the most pertinent question. What is the reason for the question? Often we find dividing lines between the creatures worthy of rights and the creatures (sub-human) that do not deserve rights. I think a more pressing question is what is our responsibility to all-that-is and of course living systems deserve rights and our responsible behavior, but where does that leave aspects of the natural world that are not recognized as living? If we can't identify cognitive behavior amongst stones, does that mean we have no responsibility? Many people would say "heck no you don't have responsibility to rocks!!" But a) those rocks are connected to living systems so when we mine stones and minerals from the ground there is a devastating impact on the habitat and b) those rocks are part of a time scale much larger than us so who are we to decide their worth?

DNA doesn't determine race. Society does" Would you agree?

Yes, race is a construct determined by geography, culture, history (which can be stored in genetic memory), and politics.

Physics Week Six: Vibrations

Are all vibrations “good”?

Depends on who you ask. The vibrations of an earthquake seem like a bad thing to us, but Mama Earth is going to shed her tension whether it benefits us or not. For her its good, for us it is terrifying. I think her needs and timescale trump ours so does that mean her good trumps our pain?

Resonance in my world

This makes me think most about people I resonate with and what makes someone so easy to get a long with. I've had several experiences of being at parties or events, not particularly talking to anyone outside of the group that I was with, and then I turn to talk to a random person and find out they are from my home town/region. Is it just coincidence that I would find someone in the Bay (not too far from home) who went to my high school or grew up in a nearby town, or is there something about people from the Central Valley that just call to me?

Connections I can make between Energy and Qi

Music is one of the most powerful expressions for me, something that moves me, empowers me, brings me happiness. I think of how the vibrations of sound at a house show or concert fill up the crowd, getting under our skin, moving people to dance or fight or flirt. Its clearly not just our ears experiencing the sound. The article "Is Energy a Dirty Word?" proposes the idea that cerebro-spinal fluid may express itself throughout our fascia as a qi-circulating system. I think this articulates a lot of what is felt when a person gets caught up in listening to music. Its an energy that feeds the soul.

Biology Week Five: The Complexity of Life

In class we compared the idea of diverse humanoid species living at the same time to a variety of species of monkeys or birds, etc living in a jungle. While it makes sense that various hominids lived alongside each other, I couldn't quite picture it until we connected it to how we are already used to seeing animals coexist. Of course there were different species! Of course different species would have evolved to spend more or less time in the trees or teeth that ate from this or that source, therefore coexisting without being in direct competition with one another. And of course interspecies mating would lead to the next branch in the evolutionary line.

The answer given for the chicken or the egg question was so hilariously simple. Just as breeding across humanoid species led to the first modern day humans, breeding across bird species led to the first chicken to crawl out of a chicken egg. But that just opens up new questions. If the chicken didn't come first, who/what were mom and dad?!

Physics Week Five: Symmetry and Sacred Geometry

As I think about the concept of particle symmetry applied to "my (a)symmetrical world," I think of the drive to have someone complete us, whether it is a partner or best friend or a community of loved ones. We find people on similar "wavelengths" or whose qualities in someway complement our own. While a particle and anti-particle will combust if ever they meet, in relationships we may explore different operations of symmetry. Maybe we seek out friends/partners who are much like us (reflection) or maybe we seek out our opposites, a partner whose strengths and/or weaknesses complement our own, a balance like the yin yang (rotational symmetry). And lets face it, sometimes relationships are much like the particles, highly combustible.

It seems that the frequency of the Golden Ratio found in nature would demonstrate a connection of sacred geometry to quantum mechanics. For some reason many plants, animals, even galaxies organize themselves according to the spirals of the Fibonacci sequence. This beautiful continuity indicates to me some underlying organizational unity at the deepest level of the universe's structure.

Biology Week Four: The Pattern of Lfie

The damage done by the idea that animals are mindless, soul-less "stimulus-response machines" is terrible and far reaching. We hunt them to extinction for convenience or sport. We breed, cage, and slaughter them by the millions for industrial farming. We torture them into amusing us in circuses and fights. In the case of the first two examples, this leads to massive devastation of our environment.

The animal automaton/enlightened human duality hurts us in ways I see as a profound soul wound. It is a cornerstone of the Western drive to dominate nature. One result of that old belief that we are set above the earth and its inhabitants (who exist to serve us) is that we are conditioned to repress our most basic animal urges and taught to feel shame for what comes natural. And incidentally, as a result we also construct specious experiments to measure animal intelligence inadvertently designed so that the animal will fail, thus confirming our superiority.

It is encouraging to see examples of how researchers have started to recognize and address that bias. More and more studies have begun to show that animals routinely use tools, have languages with which they communicate, live in a variety of social structures including cooperative communities, have the ability to understand human body language. And maybe most importantly, have evolved specialized traits that surpass our own, the cuttlefish with the seeing skin being the most exciting (and creepy!) example from the reading.

Physics Week Four: Energy, Matter, and the Four Forces

I feel affected by e=mc2 (for the life of me my computer won't do superscript. We're just gonna have to deal with it) every time I engage in a form of exercise. I especially think of yoga. As I move through the flow, I feel my mass stretch into different poses and the energy that is raised inside me as I do so. I take deep breaths and hold the pose. Despite a minimal amount of movement, I feel all the energy that is reflected within my body matter. As I leave the yoga studio or get up from my backyard practice, I feel grateful for those moments of feeling light and energized within my body.

Gravity is the fundamental force of attraction. It keeps us where we ought to be. Gravity keeps our planet in the orbit around the sun necessary of life to exist and keeps us attracted to the earth that sustains us.

Biology Week Three: Stems Cells and Genetic Evolution

Its exciting to read about the growing understanding of stem cells and their implications for regenerative medicine. As we learn how stem cells function, we may be able to dramatically reduce the prevalence of diseases that are the result of tissue dysfunction. The possibilities of carrying this research out to the fullest are endless. Perhaps we could even attack the root of the problem, finding cures for gene mutations that lead to tissue degeneration in the first place. On the other hand, maybe playing with gene mutations will have unforeseen consequences on human evolution. A single team of scientists meddling with a process that usually takes millions of years could be problematic.

Furthermore, while researchers have seen evidence that stem cells are safe for long-term use, such studies have only yet followed small numbers of patients for a handful of years. We do not yet know how manipulation of stem cells will affect a human over the course of their entire life or through generations. How will a promising procedure, such as the one discussed in the article "Stem cells help nearly blind to see" in which a mere 18 patients were treated, affect a wider variety of patients, for example an individual with mutations not represented in the original 18 patients? Regenerative medicine is still too new to identify genetic contraindications. Maybe this concern is merely another example of me responding new technologies with skepticism and worry (however much I'm also excited about the possibilities), or maybe its a response born out of the results of bio-medical interventions such as the impact of overuse of antibiotics. As pointed out in "Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Tutorial," bacteria get the last laugh when humans inadvertently encourage the evolution of drug resistant bacteria.

Worry-wartery aside, another interesting medical development is the use of acupuncture to administer or augment western medicine. Such a crossover would likely be a benefit to both modalities. Acupuncture is often seen as a "miracle cure" in the West, a result of our collective ignorance of holistic and/or d.i.y. healthcare practices. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the body as a network, working on a larger scale than western medicine, which targets specific organs/tissues or systems. I am curious to see how the use of the two systems impact one another.

Physics Week Four: Helpful website

Hi classmates, I found a really helpful website called Particle Adventure. Definitions, designations, bad puns. Hope it helps!

http://particleadventure.org/index.html

Physics Week Three: Synchronicity

Tuesday's class on synchronicity provided some beautiful food for thought. In our small group discussion, we talked about synchronicity as a result of a greater connectivity within ourselves and the universe. What my classmates described sounded to me as if quantum exists at the center of a series of rings much like the rings of a tree. These particles are our world at the microscopic level, which extend out through our cells, through our bodies, our communities, the various systems we exist within, onto the macroscopic universe. All are part of one (divine?) collective unconsciousness, however aware of that connection we may be.

Many of us go through life without really understanding that connection. The fierce individualism of this culture prioritizes our own urges and uniqueness and discourages a sense of communal unity. One classmate pointed out that this distinction gives us the sense of our inner world as relating to our own free will and the outer world relating to external forces outside of our freewill. As we spoke of the intelligence and intention of the universe, as manifested in synchronicity and connections, I couldn't help but feel that free will and the duality between inner and outer world might be a false construct or maybe a distraction form a larger purpose.

This thought would likely anger anyone who resists the ideas of collective unconsciousness or the universal will. Nobody wants to feel like a puppet. Yet, I felt a strange sense of relief as another classmate reflected on how it feels to connect or disconnect. She said that when we feel the most in tune with our purpose, often expressed as feeling like our most authentic selves, these are the moments when we experience our connection to something larger, or to the purpose we have within this greater framework. On the other hand, when we suffer from depression, anxiety, isolation or other forms of dis-ease, we are locked within our inner world, unable to experience that wholeness. Being caged away from wholeness is as horrible an experience as those moments of profound connection are truly joyously beautiful.

We may not be able to prove the existence of this connection or its expressions through synchronicity, but can it still serve us? If we can work towards that sense of wholeness, perhaps through meditation or following the breadcrumbs synchronistic events leave for us, then I believe that is evidence enough to believe in synchronicity.

Biology Week Two: Evo-Devo

In class we've looked at the unique skills or traits of animals such as dolphins and crows alongside discussion of our own evolutionary development, what we can piece together through archeological evidence anyway. We talked about this notion humans have of being the supreme intelligence on this planet and therefore the top of the food chain. However, Western researchers are increasingly acknowledging that the unique talents of many species have been missed, ignored, or rationalized away thanks to the biases of researchers who measured animal behaviors and rituals to our own. If you believe that intelligence is proven through verbal communication and complex manipulation of tools, or that animals are purely fueled by mindless instinct, there are many forms of communication and communal bonding to miss. Not to mention the blow to humanity's ego to find that perhaps more intelligent or perhaps more cultured creatures exist.

The possibility of cetacean communication through projection of auditory images, and therefore their vastly more complex correspondence, is just one of their many potential advantages over humans. As we've discussed, the West has a troubling commitment to "rationalism" and "objectivity" that I believe is a pillar of injustice to ourselves, our plant and animal relations, and to the earth. Neurobiologist Lori Marino's research into the brains of killer whales revealed that their limbic system is so large it merges with the cortex, allowing for a mixture of emotional and cognitive thinking. While humans divorce emotions from "rationality," killer whales may very well naturally consolidate the two. What must this do their notions of community, responsibility, and survival?

Looking at the minimal amount of time humans have actually been present on this earth, it seems that our purpose here is a bit more humble than we've been led to believe. Rather than being plunked down in a god's image with the earth ours to reign, we are the result of millions of years of natural selection working its way out of the waters, down from the trees, into a fantastically vast and diverse phylogeny. We can follow scraps of the archeological trail through the many hominids that seem to have evolved into today's human. We can look at the long struggle from the first tools to agriculture to industry to the digital age. We can attempt to look away from the rapid decline of natural resources and the likely effects this will have on humanity's future. In our readings, it was suggested that the next great evolutionary leap may only be possible once humans have mastered space travel. Whether we settle in a foreign atmosphere or if future generations have to make do with polluted soil, air, and water, how might humanity adapt? Give the destruction wrought by Western arrogance, how should we adapt?

Physics Week Two: Quantum Mechanics

I am sitting in the coffee shop listening to music and reviewing our reading packet, web links, and posts from last week's class. I can't quite figure out how I want to respond to last week's questions. Somebody unplugs my computer, causing the old piece of junk to shut down. Startled, I remind myself not to get mad, dude didn't mean to mess me up (even if he tells me "Its ok, I only need one outlet" as I mumble to myself about losing everything I had up on the screen). Waiting for my laptop to boot back up, I notice notes I made in my packet from last week I hadn't noticed minutes before when I reread the article. I read the notes, reread the passage, and take a moment to appreciate these instances when an accident puts me in the right place or right time or right frame of mind to receive...a nice precursor to the readings on synchronicity I'll be working on shortly.

The passage from "Quantum Mechanics and Uncertainty" refers to the Copenhagen Interpretation and the limitations and implications on the act of measurement. While we are supposed to believe that measurement is a simple and objective act, the Copenhagen Interpretation holds that "measurement is thus regarded as something intrinsically different from anything else in nature," an intervention that impacts and influences the subatomic particles it seeks to measure. It strikes me that measurement is an entirely man made act that exists only to satisfy human curiosity, as the author points out a limited, "left-hemispheric thought" process of rationalistic society. We westerners like definitive answers, demonstratable facts. Pre-quantum physics scientists, developing their theories within and in reaction to particular religiopolitical constraints, held a rabid commitment to this silly notion of "objectivity," a supposedly neutral concept that I believe is laden with bias and hegemonic blind spots. The Uncertainty Principle directly contradicts the idea that the observer is ever neutral.

I often have trouble reconciling my longing to be a more rational, scientifically informed person (in the Western sense, some hegemonic conditioning I haven't yet shed) with my interest in more metaphysical modalities. In one breath I might denounce all things "woo," and in the next breath begin a rant about how we are all connected in ways far beyond our current perceptions. During those moments when I feel insecure about my beliefs regarding such things as tarot cards or the wisdom of symbols from ancient belief systems or the knowledge we glean from the natural world, I find myself having intense arguments in my imagination with certain friends committed to objectivity and atheism. I want them to see beyond the skepticism to a deeper world of connections and influences that I feel more than I can articulate. Its interesting how this class is giving structure to ideas I didn't have words for.

In "Quantum Mechanics and Uncertainty," the writer goes on to encourage the act of standing in wonder, the subjective experience of which "is a message to the rational mind that the object of wonder is being perceived and understood in ways other than the rational." The author ends with a quote from Gary Zukav that implores the reader to freely feel awe without trying to understand it. "You will find that you do understand, but in a way you will not be able to put into words. You are perceiving intuitively through you right hemisphere." Intuiting and wonder, as scientific tools, I think are powerful however much, as Zukav notes, such skills have been dulled by centuries of repression. The universe is in fact a very weird place, a place that we cannot yet truly comprehend in its entirety, although the greater implications of the Uncertainty Principle and opening our minds to the myriad of ways quantum physics acts within the macroscopic world will likely help get us closer to understanding just how weird this place is.

Biology Week One: Our Biological World

Well hello again. I am Ashley, I wrote a bit in my first post about why I came to TCM, but here I'll just say a little about myself. I am originally from Fresno and although I love my home and who it turned me into, I have absolutely loved the last three years living in Oakland. My undergrad consisted of History and Women Studies with a minor in Philosophy. My personal and educational experience led to working (paid or unpaid) as an outreach worker and at the Fresno Needle Exchange. Harm reduction is incredibly important to me and along with the idea of trauma-informed care will greatly influence the sort of acupuncture work I do in the future. My hobbies include going to punk shows, yoga, and hiking. I have a dog named Hollybear and she's about the coolest dog and if you get to meet her I promise you'll love her. We hike a lot and take good care of each other. I also like to read, make my own lip balm/lotions/tinctures, etc, and veg with my roommates and friends. I like to garden but never seem to get around to doing it. I am REALLY REALLY REALLY excited about being back in school!

I really appreciated the conversation in class yesterday. Coming at biology from an integrated framework is refreshing and exciting. Our readings really spoke to one another about our responsibility on this earth as the species most able to affect change. Western science discourses have worked so hard to minimize and dismiss the knowledge and experience of the natural world, and that naivete has created havoc. Not that its all scientists' fault, but as innovators and creators of new knowledge, their inventions are not created in a political vacuum and their cultural biases have a greater impact than some would like to admit. Invention for the sake of glorious discovery without an eye to the greater implications is both naive and dangerous. The atom bomb is an excellent example that many scientists and philosophers have already explored, and our conversation about GMOS and synbio yesterday spoke to the dangers as well. Yesterday morning I read an article about Hawaiians protesting the building of a telescope on a sacred mountain and how astronomers are absolutely baffled why anyone would object. They feel they are working toward the betterment of humankind and there are no detrimental effects of astrophysics, so what's the problem? The problem is the complete ignorance and erasure of the very real needs and rights of the indigenous people to whom that mountain is sacred. Science and scientists do not exist outside of history, war, cultural oppression, or colonization, however much they may want to believe they can hide away from all those horrors. Maybe synbio will be the next big technological revolution, or maybe it'll have subtle effects on earth's ecology that trigger a chain reaction of catastrophic proportions (on the geologic time scale). In the final article of our packet the question of nature's value is raised. I hope that those driving movements such as GMO and synbio will in time be influenced by the economic data (because let's face it, nature's intrinsic value isn't enough to sway most decision makers). If synbio's impact is anything less than 110% positive it could be truly devastating, a cost we are not ready to shoulder, let alone the cost to future generations.

Physics Week One: The Meaning of Time

Hi there. I am Ashley. This is my blog for my physics (and biology) class at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. I'll write some stuff, hope its enjoyable....or at least makes sense.

To start let me say a little about what I'm doing at ACCHS. I'll write a more proper bio for my first biology post.

I came to chinese medicine through a combination of my personal and professional interests. Personally, I love holistic medicine and do not trust western doctors. I recognize that they have their time and place, but I don't think pharmacological drugs are the appropriate place to start when dealing with general health concerns. I've lived with chronic pain since I was a teenager and yoga and tui na have dramatically helped me (as well as acupuncture back when I was first injured). My dad has been in and out of the hospital my whole life and I have seen him take pill after pill to band-aid each health concern, and only recently has he started to actually work toward a healthier lifestyle. My dad doesn't want a healthier lifestyle and western medicine doesn't want him to get healthier either. You don't make any money off of someone who gives up beer and bacon burritos in favor of ginger and garlic and greens. Personally, I'd rather eat my medicine, stretch a lot, feel great, and save the drugs for when they are truly appropriate.

Professionally, I have worked in harm reduction in one capacity or another for the last 7 years. Primarily this has been at needle exchanges and as an outreach worker. Recently I was working for a women's health organization serving HIV+ women and providing HIV tests to women. I loved the work but some of the interventions we used were a far cry from why I thought I got hired. The testing was great and our clients were amazing, resilient, dynamic women, but when you work with women who have every reason to mistrust a white service care provider, offering 'strength-based case management' feels real patronizing. "Well you've been through tough experiences before and you got through it, tell me what you did to overcome xyz." Barf. There was something missing. Not just programmatically, but I won't get into office politics. Anyway, trying to figure out where I wanted to go from there involved a good 6 months-a year of trying to figure out if working in another non-profit would frustrate me just as much (probably) or what discipline I would want to pursue if I went back to school (all of them and none of them).

I'm not sure how it came to me, but suddenly I realized that TCM could address my love for natural healing, my drive to help people, and my frustration with the top-down service provision of the non-profit industrial complex all in one glorious program. I want to help people, but I want to help people who come to me willingly and with dedication rather than trying to convince women who've been taking HIV meds almost as long as I've been alive why they should keep taking them in exchange for a $10 gift card. I want to help people with my own two hands, something concrete and real. I could say so much more about this, but on to other questions.

Honestly, when the question of my thoughts on Physics was first posed I was a little nervous. Its the first day of class, I don't know what physics is, why is he asking this and making me answer it in front of the whole class?!?!?! But as we got to talking I realized that Physics is the stuff the universe is made of (literally and figuratively). Questions of the concept of time, the universe, energy in western vs. eastern terms are all very fascinating to me, although I've never had the opportunity to formally study them. But what young person doesn't look into the sky and wonder whats going on up there, who is going on up there, and how can humankind better itself to deserve the farthest reaches of the galaxy and beyond? Teach me, dear classmates and professor, the inner workings of the universe and I'll do my best to contribute my thoughts! Forgive me if I find myself just wanting to reference Star Trek though ;)

Regarding time, I definitely think clocks are just reference points to help us stay connected to a common structure. Each one of us lives in a reality of our own, with our own perspectives and perceptions that may or may not align to the next person's. As such, time is either a ridiculous joke, or a fluid measure of when we need to be somewhere and what we need to do at certain expected times. I experience "time" speeding up and slowing down all the time, based on how in or out of the moment I may be. As many of us said in class, I often experience enjoyable moments as moving too fast, the day is suddenly over and I don't know how its gotten so late or why I have to go to bed and say goodbye to such a delicious day. On the other hand, those times when I'm unmotivated or waiting for friends to get off work to come hang out seem to tick by so slowly that I begin to think the joyous moments will never come again. On the other hand, there are those times completely outside of time. Traveling usually seems like a vacation from real time. Life exists back in Oakland where clocks exist and this adventure is hiding in a cove off of the river of time. When I am at my best I live in moments where time moves fast and yet I am not aware of it. I love not being aware of time.

When I was younger I was compelled to live by the clock. My school conditioning taught me that you should be somewhere a little early if not exactly on time. Unfortunately most of my friends did not live according to traditional time and I found myself waiting around for hours while a friend got distracted by her guitar on the way to pick me up. I don't believe there is anything natural about monochronic time. As I mentioned, it is a reference point to common structure, but a common structure is a symptom of modern, capitalist society and not a reality for cultures that value a responsibility to live over living to serve responsibilities. Eddie's comment in class about having time for life and joy and sex and yes also work in Brazil reminded me of my best friend's story about traveling in Brazil and how normal it was for people to get caught up in a spontaneous dance party in the streets on the way to where they needed to be. If you got somewhere late it wasn't the end of the world. My American brain couldn't comprehend how you could show up late to work because you were busy dancing, but it could certainly yern for it.

I know plenty of people in Oakland whose lives somehow fit into that polychronic view of time and I envy them. I sometimes think people who somehow afford to work a couple odd jobs and spend most of their time hanging out and playing music live in some sort of alternate reality. They've somehow accessed something closer to the reality the universe meant for us. I often joke that we live in a bizarro world. How can we live in a place with so much violence, homelessness, depression and other states of mental dis-ease, where we are expected to work, work, work, if we want to eat or have shelter, and yet America has the resources to feed and house us all. Its soul-crushing in its malevolence. As some of the traditional American values of sexism, white supremacy, heterosexism, etc are slowly chipped away at by social justice movements and the power of social media, I feel a glimmer of hope, but usually its just a glimmer. Maybe the sicknesses of our culture are an example of entropy. Maybe humankind will work towards the sort of egalitarian utopia, or maybe disorder and drudgery is the big cosmic joke on us. This post wasnt' supposed to get so dark, but well, there it is.