MD Education Insights

Irritable Bowel Disease and the Gut Microbiome Introduction:      When people ask me what specialty I want to pursue, my wife likes to tease me that my response changes based on whatever unit I’m on in medical school. And there is some truth to that. I’ve tossed around cardiology and orthopedic surgery. Right now, my response might be gastroenterology or endocrinology, which, as you might have guessed, means we are currently doing our GI unit.       This week’s topic is irritable bowel disease (I’ll be using the abbreviation IBD from here on out). Why is it important to be informed about IBD? Well, Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of IBD are extremely common. Over 3 million Americans have a diagnosis of IBD, meaning that it is likely that you or someone you know currently battles IBD. Additionally, IBD can be developed at any point throughout someone's life. Even though there is a strong genetic component to developing the dis...

Introduction      The first topic I am going to cover in this blog is cholesterol. It seems to be a buzz word in nutrition circles. What makes cholesterol “good” or “bad”? What are the biochemical pathways for cholesterol in the body? And what are cholesterol’s implications for disease and health? These are the questions I will attempt to answer and discuss. We just finished our cardio-pulm unit in medical school, and I’m on spring break right now, so it is fresh on my mind. I will first explain the biochemistry of cholesterol and then its applications. Since the biochemistry of cholesterol is probably the most interesting thing you will learn all week, you should read it in its entirety. But, if your eyes glaze over, I will understand if you skip ahead.  Biochemistry of Cholesterol      Cholesterol is a type of lipid, or fat, meaning that it does not mix well in water. Its chemical properties make it essential to many processes in the body and a key...

     Since the start of medical school, I’ve received a few phone calls from Mom to make sure that I’m alright. With all the studying, assignments, research, and projects, it’s easy to forget to stay in touch with friends and family. And because I am going through medical school with a wife and almost 2-year-old daughter, I try to spend as much time with them as possible. So, for you Mom, I’m partly starting this blog so you can know that I am alive and well.      In addition to life updates, I often find that I would love to share some of the pearls I am learning with a broader audience. Medicine has so many pertinent topics since disease is something that we all face in one way or another, whether we ourselves are battling an illness or someone we love. Furthermore, I am convinced that the human body is one of God’s greatest creations. The processes that govern the development of organs and systems, healing after an injury, and disease progression are inc...