Melanin Poem-Dmac

by Devonte M.

Melanin's not to be neglected

Your skin must always be protected

If you don't treat your skin right, then you'll regret it.

If you don't apply the sunscreen,

Then that would be a dumb thing,

But there are lots of benefits that the Sun brings.

It's all about moderation

Staying away from skin cancer's our obligation

For max skin health, you must have the proper patience.

Melanin is nature, it protects us from the rays

If we didn't have it, our bodies would be done today

We must eat the right foods and drink the right beverages

We gotta respect skin, not sever it.

If our color vanishes, then the person's gone

Skin disorders don't preserve the person's worth, it's gone.

The darker the skin, the less likely to get burned by the Sun

The Sun's great, we should not turn on the Sun.

The Sun gave us our color, and gave us health

It keeps us away from pain and hell.

No need to break our flesh

Tanning beds are fake, they bring hazards, see

They leave behind tragedies.

Your skin burns like meth, you burn to death

Those beds extremely hurt your health.

They lead to melanoma

Skin spots that grow are very dark like Dr.Pepper soda

It's not a rumor that this disease can give you lots of tumors

Melanin is beautiful,

Melting it is cruel to do.

But natural creams are helping us

If you have less color, you tend to have less life,

But that doesn't mean you have less fight

If you have more color, you have less light,

But that doesn't mean you have less might

We gotta use the medicine

That will help our skin to stay elegant.

We must make the best of our lives

Skin disease is hard to squash like deadly flies

Let's like our natural melanin types,

So we won't become sediments and die.

Let's stop Vitiligo from making our cells sick and die slow

It whitens your skin and messes your eyes, though

Albinism is a huge skin problem

It causes you to have vision problems

No wants to see the skin doctor

We gotta quickly solve these big problems.

If you don't let your skin shine,

Then your skin health won't incline.

Embrace your type

Or your skin will pay the price!

For more info, please visit these websites:
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001479.htm
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/skin-color/modern-human-diversity-skin-color
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitiligo.html

Visit From a Physical Therapist!

                 Earlier this summer the Health Science Explores were visited by a rather interesting physical therapist, Dr. Craig Hensley. When he first got into the lab room on the east side of the second floor, he showed us some facts about how to follow the path on becoming a physical therapist. What seemed to be a presentation that lasted a little under an hour turned out to be a experience changer and an eye opener to some of these teens. Within Dr. Hensley's presentation of the life of a PT (physical therapist), he told us about his adventures to Ghana and how this career field can work with the common Joe, war veterans, and babies to professional athletes. 

            
     Not only did he show us the fun of being a therapist, but the struggles of actually becoming a PT. On one of his slides there was a visual map of all the schooling he went through and HOLY COW, it was a lot! Dr. Hensley currently works at The University of Chicago Medicine and when he can, he likes to travel so he can help and teach people.  By the end of his presentation he let us volunteer to try out his cool gadgets and learn some procedures for a common PT check-up. At the end of the day, all of us were left with a little more knowledge in our noggins.   

Dr.Lara Pullen World's Greatest Stay At Home Mom

Dr.Lara Pullen (Doc) is a Medical Writer who loves science and believes that science is the way of thinking. Doc studied biology at Nothwestern University (downtown) and has a degree in Microbiology and a minor in Immunology. After working at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency Doc realized that she wanted to have a family and work in the comfort of her own home so she left her job at the EPA and became a Medical Writer which was inspired by her pregnancy. What's interesting about her job is she gets to fire her own bosses based on how much work they give her within a year and the type of work she is doing. 

She told the students about her son which had a serious illness and how it could possibly lead to autism. Doc was determined to keep her son from getting autism so she studied hard ro help prevent her son from developing autism and wanted to help mothers around the world. She, along with her brother-in-law, created the largest Autism therapy website (www.healingthresholds.com). This website touched the lives of many because it was free. Doc tried her hardest to break it down to a sixth grade reading level for parents who knew very little English so they could be able to comprehend the different types of treatments. 

Doc also spoke to us about her career as a medical writer. One of the students asked her "So how do you keep your readers interested in what your writing?" She walked out the classroom took a deep breath jumped back in and hit us with a big hook. She then told us a hook is what gets people interested. Dr. Pullen's visit was great for our program because she gave us a little more detail on how to write a paper for our blog and showed us how cool a stay-at-home mom's job really can be.

Taking Action For Your Health!

This is an excerpt from a journal response to the following prompt:
If you could change one thing about your community what would it be?

Something I would like to change is the food we consume. Our food is filled with chemicals and other things we do not know about, and we as humans need to stand up find out what is entering our bodies. I do not want my children growing up on this food like I am, so the we as citizens need to take action before our lives flash before our eyes, and the government needs to step up and not provide so many foods with such
things in them that affect our world!

seasonedcitizenprepper.com

Acne Vulgaris

Acne

Acne Vulgaris (or simply known as acne)is a common human skin disease. There are 4 types of acne: comedones, nodules, and papules. The more common acne is face acne, but ordinary acne would be chest acne, back acne, as well as acne on the scalp, shoulders, neck, and on the upper arms. Most teens suffer from acne, but they all suffer at different ages. Although acne can be very severe, the proper treatment and good skin regimen can control acne and prevent it. Acne occurs when the pores of the skin become plugged with oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. 

Different Types

Comedonal Acne 

Comedonal Acne is skin-colored, small bumps(papules) frequently found on the forehead and chin of those with acne. Open comedones are blackheads because of the surface pigment(melanin).  Closed comedones are whiteheads: the follicle is completely blocked. Microcomedones are so small that they are not visible to the naked eye. Macrocomedones are facial closed comedones that are larger than 2-3 mm in diameter. A giant comedo is a type of cyst in which there is a clear blackhead-like opening in the skin. Lastly, solar comedones are found on the cheeks and chin of older people and are thought to be due to sun damage. A comedo is formed by the debris blocking the sebaceous duct and hair follicle. Some other causes of comedones are, excessive activity of the male sex hormonal 5-testosterone, free fatty acids, over hydrated skin, rupture of the follicle, smoking, certain dietary factors, and contact with certain chemicals. If one has Comedonal acne, he or she should choose oil-free cosmetics and wash twice daily with a mild soap and water. It is also best to stop smoking and to have a diet that is low in sugar, fat and  dairy products. Choose comedolytic topical medications. These should be applied once or twice daily to the area affected. It may take several weeks or months before improvement occurs.

Nodular Acne


Nodules are the large, painful bumps that appear during the later stages of acne breakouts. Nodules are large, raw, and sensitive to touch. Popping a nodule will only make it worse and causes scars. Aggravated nodules can cause deeper infections in the skin and grow bigger. Acne nodules may form when too much oil is produced. The oil may mix with bacteria and dead skin cells causing mild forms of acne or more serious forms. Some home remedies for nodular acne may be vitamins and minerals. They can reduce the the swelling of nodules, remove the bacteria and get rid of the toxins produced from the bacteria. Tra tree oil and aloe Vera are also two examples of home remedies. They help kill off the bacteria and heal the skin. The most popular drug that dermatologists use to treat nodular acne is cortisone which is injected into the nodules. Cortisone is great for nodular acne because it is a treatment for inflammation, skin disease, and swelling. 

Papules


Papules are small bumps that appear on the skin and have a rough texture. Papules occur when the wall of a hair follicle break and cave in. Papules would be classified as moderate acne. Papules are closed, red and surrounded by skin inflammation. This type of acne begins when sebum, a type of oil  
Released into hair follicles, clogs the follicle and becomes trapped. There are plenty treatments for papules, but the most common and best acne treatments for papules are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide is an organic peroxide that kills bacteria on the skin's surface and deep in pores. Benzoyl Peroxide also reduces excess oil which is one of the main causes of acne. Salicylic Acid is a mild acid that helps unclog pores from dead skin cells on the skin's surface. It also shrinks the pore's diameter and help prevent it from being blocked again.  There are more organic ingredients, but these are the top two to use when treating papules.

Results From Acne Survey

1.Most were females=60%(9 out of 15 teens)

2.Most people had combination skin=47%(7 out of 15 teens)

3.Most are African American=60%(9 out of 15 teens)

4.Most have episodic acne=73%(11 out of 15 teens)

5.Most rated their acne at a 2 (sometimes)=67%(10 out of 15 teens)

6.Most said their acne last for days=73%(11 out of 15 teens)

7.Most people do not use make-up=67%(10 out of 15 teens)

8.Most people do not used over-the-counter or prescribed medications=80%(12 out of 15 teens)

9.Most people's first outbreak was between the ages 12-13=53%(8 out of 15 teens)

10. Most were in their teens 14-18=100%(all of the teens)

11.Most people have home remedies they use=60%(9 out of 15 teens)
12.Most people feel that their acne is caused by Stress, Food, & Sugar=60%(9 out of 15 teens)
13.Most people do not just use soap and water, they have their own way of cleaning their face=67%(10 out of 15 people)

About 17 million people in the United States struggle from acne. From this survey I see that teens around my age struggle with acne. From my research and my servey, people suffer from the more common acne. Some things I learned from my research and survey was that other teens around my age go through the same things I go through with acne and most of the teens I survey do not use make-up. Also, I learned that we also feel our acne is triggered by food, stress, and sugar. From my research I learned that there are various types of acne, but the more common ones are blackheads, whiteheads, papules, and nodular acne. Acne can be triggered in different ways and there are many treatments for it, but one needs to know how to use it and how to prevent it. 

Works Cited

1.Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "Seborrheic Dermatitis." Seborrheic Dermatitis. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 May 2013. Web. 15 July 2014.

2. "Exposed Acne Treatment." Acne Treatment. Exposed Skin Care, 2010. Web. 24 July 2014.

3. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 Dec. 1986. Web. 24 July 2014.

4. "Exposed Skin Care." Scientific & Natural Actives: Exposed Acne Treatment. N.p., 2014. Web. 24 July 2014.

5. Youn SW. "The role of facial sebum secretion in acne pathogenesis: Facts and controversies." Clinics in Dermatology. 2010; 28(1): 8-11.

6. Kern, Daniel W. "What Is Acne?" What Is Acne? National Institute of Health, 1996. Web. 24 July 2014.

7. "Acne." Kids Health - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Patrice Hyde. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.