Organic

      Organic foods are a very up and coming item.   There are many pros to using organic versus non-organic foods.  Organic foods use no chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, additives or preservatives.  Farmers that grow organic do not participate in GM (genetic modification) programs.  Research indicates that organic foods contain more nutrients, taste better, are more satisfying and contains no hydrogenated fat which can contribute to cardiac disease.  Organic foods have been proven to be more environmental friendly and are healthier for the people and animals that are ingesting the foods.  

       Organic means that the food has been grown on land that has been chemical free for at least three years without the use of pesticides and they must be processed and packaged without the use of artificial preservatives, colorings or any other additives. Organic farming does not pose the threat of pesticide and chemical run-off which may contaminate watersheds and drinking water. These farms tend to maintain richer, more sustainable soil through the use of cover crops, crop rotations, composts, have slowed soil erosion and vary the nutrient demands on the soil. The food has more nutritional value than non-organic food and contains lower levels of heavy metals.

      Despite the increased nutritional value of organic foods, there are some cons to consuming organic foods. Manure used in organic compost may be more harmful than the health risks related to pesticides and chemicals used on non-organic farms. Manure often contains E. coli bacterium, which can spread harmful animal diseases to humans. Furthermore, organic foods are not producible at the same rate as non-organic foods. Organic farming methods often produce lower yields than modern intensive methods. This is why food grown organically can often cost twice as much as food grown on non-organic farms and have increased spoilage rates. If large farms started replacing modern farming methods with organic methods, the world may see a food shortage emerge. Because of the lower production rate, increased spoilage rate and increased cost organic foods may not be affordable for many family budgets.

      My concern about organic foods is some products may be sold as organic when they have not been raised organically. The USDA does certify organic foods, but the product is not ensured to be chemical free and the grower must be honest in their farming techniques. My personal preference is go organic because it’s better for the environment.

Reade, Candis. Ezarticles.com, 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. .

Breasts

Endocrine glands release hormones into the bloodstream to be transported to various organs and tissues throughout the body. Hormones are the chemicals that travel through the blood stream. These hormones can regulate body functions such as temperature, thyroid activity, growth during childhood, urine production; testosterone, estrogen and progesterone just to name a few.  Two endocrine glands that work together are the hypothalamus gland and the pituitary gland in the stimulation of hormones. The pituitary gland secretes eight different hormones.  These hormones affect many different parts of the body for example the mammary tissue. 

Mammary tissues, also known as breasts, are located in the male and female body. The pituitary gland plays a very big role in the changes in function, particularly in females, when secondary sexual characteristics occur. These hormones regulate the body's growth, metabolism, sexual development and function. Oxytocin is a hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary that has specific target cells.  The target cells for oxytocin are located in the female uterus and breasts.  A high level of oxytocin is secreted during childbirth to aid in uterine contractions and milk production. A transfer of information from one set of cells to another is coordinated. There are 15 to 20 lobes that contain mammary glands. Oxytocin circulates by a neuroendocrine reflex that causes contraction of the smooth muscles that ejects milk. The milk produced by a lactating female is produced within the mammary alveoli. Breast milk is secreted into a network of mammary ducts which receive the milk from the mammary alveoli. Near the nipple the duct expands to allow the flow of milk. The milk leaves the body from the tip of the nipple. The circular area around the nipple that contrasts in color is the areola. These glands increase secrete of fluids during lactation.  Although males do not bear children or breast feed, their bodies have oxytocin hormone as well.  The presence of the hormone in the male contributes to their sexual arousal and satisfaction.

http://www.medicalook.com/human_anatomy/organs/Mammary_glands.html 2012

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1093.htm

Updated by: Shehzad Topiwala, MD, Chief Consultant Endocrinologist, Premier Medical Associates, The Villages, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.

 http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/minc/skullbase/pituitary/index.html

2001-12 Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh.]

Unfaithful

The second counseling session I think went ok, but it was harder this time even though I maintained good soler skills. I showed interest in what my client was saying while maintaining fantastic eye contact without appearing too intense and I was somewhat relaxed. In the beginning of the session I greeted the client and attempted to make him feel welcome. I felt this would make me less threatening to him and show to him that I am a person with interests. I then asked very casually “what would you like to talk about?” This was an attempt to end chit chat, get down to the business at hand and give control of the conversation to him.

I used direct leading by saying “what do you want to talk about today?” I asked closed ended questions to gather information such as “are you in college and do you have a family?” I used indirect leading by asking “tell me more about the relationship before you found out about the affair?” During the session I kept thinking how I can relate to the client’s situation. I used an empathetic voice toned statement when I said “you feel scared because he threatened you.”  I used open ended questions “do you think you could survive on your own without your husband”? I am not really sure and I did take accountability for this by stating that I was not sure and that I did not have the answer to everything. I have never experienced anything in my personal life like this situation so I felt that I had no bias, but on the other hand was not really prepared for the situation because I had never given such an issue any thought.  I feel that this message of no bias to his situation was indicated when I showed no facial expression that would convey negativism. I did not try to out talk or over talk my client and gave him sufficient time to express himself.  In the interview I noted that by doing this technique he sometimes would hesitate and then go on and elaborate without any further encouragement. I do know there were a couple of times during the session that I hesitated too long with a period of silence that could cause feelings of awkwardness.  I realize that timing and keeping pace in the session is important. 

 I tried to be empathetic toward the client but I found it difficult because I have never been married nor had a partner that was unfaithful. I have had some experience through my sister who was married for seven years and found out that her husband was cheating.  She made the decision to file for divorce and now is very happy with a new partner. Divorce in my family is acceptable, if necessary, but for my client and her family, divorce is not to be considered. I can somewhat relate to this client’s issues because of my sister’s experience, but otherwise I can only offer support and empathy because I wasn’t sure what was the true root of the problem.

                              The presenting problem was my client being cheated on by her husband of nine years. The working problem is that she was scared, threatened and she wanted out of the relationship, but didn’t want to disappoint her family by getting a divorce.  I used minimal encouragers by nodding my head and saying ok to encourage her to continue and I summarized the main themes.   My plan of action was to find out what the problem was and help the client sort out the issues.  I had difficulty initiating the flow of the session a few times and I was aware that my pauses were too long while I searched for what action to take next. I used silence hoping that the pause would probe the client to go further into the discussion.

                  I provided no feedback and was unable to indicate how the client was progressing because I had met the client for the first time and felt that I did not know her well enough.  I felt the client’s behavior did not affect me because I stayed neutral with the issues presented and I was able to accept her viewpoints. I did not provide immediacy which is a type of feedback that refers to the present, outside of the session, that is not directly related to the session. I did not explore with the client outside situations that surround the current issue. I felt the session maintained momentum and had direction, there was no physical distance between myself and the client, trust was not an issue, there was no power struggle and I felt no sexual tension. I did not offer information or confront the client because it was our first meeting and the details she shared seemed consistent.   Because she did not show inconsistencies during the session I did not probe deeper into the issues that she presented, but would plan to do so in a future session.

                 I did not set any goals with my client. I never really got under the surface to determine the reason for the problem. She led me to believe that the marriage was great and there were no other issues except her husband cheating with multiple women. I never determined the cause for the infinity and it was obvious that she wanted to leave the relationship, but felt constraints due to her family values and children. I was frustrated as a counselor because I did not know how to help her figure out what to do because I did not know.  I hope that talking it through with me helped her organize some of her own thoughts.

            I feel more comfortable doing the counseling sessions but I really do not like to role play. I feel I do a better job being the counselor than when I am being the client. Even though I was the counselor during this role play I found this session was difficult for me. I really felt that I did not know what to ask or how to go deeper into the issues. I wanted to give her advice but I should not offer my opinion and I found it hard to hold back. I was confused about what to say because she had conflicting values. I felt a little more comfortable with the role play, but I feel that I have not demonstrated improvement in my techniques and by watching this session I realize how much improvement I need. I have gained a lot of skills from both video tapes. I have learned about myself and what I am good at.