Free Write 1 – 5:15
I feel like this is a class where we cover things that most people at our standing in school are aware of, and maybe even think a fair amount about. But what makes this course so different is its way of framing topics and analyzing connections between circumstances that we may never have considered before in classes that only pay the microbiome the attention of a side subject. I think it’s this deep dive into an otherwise fringe topic that has really surprised me. From claims of the microbiome being an additional endocrine organ (which is a claim so bold that it still blows me away), to the idea that gingivitis or periodontitis can be closely connected to coronary heart disease , I think the newly emerging importance of the human microbiota is fascinating.
Free Write 2- 5:03
What makes this course so different is its way of framing topics and analyzing connections between circumstances that we may never have considered before. I know I’ve already mentioned it several times, but the claim that the microbiome is important enough to be considered an additional endocrine organ is a perfect example of this. With all of my studies so far being centered around medicine and the tangible causes of disease or physical complications, I’ve always had the mindset of finding one particular issue that is causing havoc on a much larger scale, but this course has made me start thinking about how minor imbalances in systems that most people consider largely unimportant (ie disbiosis in the microbial community) can open the door for exceedingly awful chronic conditions for which there is no known cure or clearly defined causative agent. It’s an interesting field that opens so many new avenues of consideration for me, and I’m really appreciating my new viewpoint on disease.
Looking at everything I’ve written hear and that has gripped me in the class so far, I think that the controversial issue I’m going to want to cover is whether or not the human microbiota can actually be considered an additional endocrine organ. If that doesn’t feel right, I’ll start researching phenomena where the microbiome is being connected to physically presenting symptoms (like a cardiovascular incident.)
