Pharmacist nowadays.

Pharmacist nowadays.

    When I had to choose a profession, I had an idea that it would be important to have a career to help people and that I could develop new drug to assist in everyday life.  I would like to be pharmacist because I can deal directly with the public, showing what the best option is for fighting a disease and how to use medications in a correct way and without risks.  

    In my opinion, the importance of this profession goes beyond what we can imagine. Each day brings new diseases, which affect millions of people worldwide, but it is our duty to develop ways to end or reduce such adversities.

    In my view, we can all do better,  especially when we talk about life. Pharmacy has a huge variety of opportunities for areas of research. Every day, I study and see every new opportunity, I  love this career more.

    Pharmacist are pleased to study the drug and its users, and the objective of the research. They also study the development

and production of new drugs, using as source plants, animals, minerals and living beings in general. They study manipulated drugs, creation and application of methods of quality control. Lastly they study the application forms of user guidance in rational drug use, creation and implementation of methods for identification and determination of toxic.

    I think in the future I want study the composition and all production processes of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and processed foods. I want to research and prepare new drugs, cosmetics and toiletries. One of the many reasons for choosing pharmacy as a career is to examine and test substances and active ingredients that go into its composition and observe the reactions provoked in the body.  I want to register new drugs, distribut and market the products, and verify it reach the consumer within the health standards.

    In clinical analysis laboratories in Brazil, researching, recording and performing clinical and laboratory and toxicology tests to aid the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. In Brazil pharmacies, they distribute and prepare customized medications from pharmacies formulas as the ancient apothecaries.

    After considering some of the areas that can act as pharmacy it is easy to understand why this is my passion. Researching and testing new drugs and active principles in pharmaceutical industry is a dream that gets closer every day, as researching and testing new drugs and active principles in pharmaceutical industry.

Acting on clinical observation of patients receiving new drug on the market and especially in the area of oncology that are both growing in the world.

    For these reasons I believe that with this opportunity to study in the U.S., I will have more new ideas to brighten this profession. I will also be able to share what I have learned in the area of ​​pharmacy and show new students how stunning this area of ​​operation is in combating the diseases and the defense of the population.

Why you should go to the gym?

In my opinion working out is one easy way to get a healthy life. If you want to feel better, have more energy for doing activities during the day and even live longer. Exercising regularly has these benefits and many more. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all adults should spend 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. It is a little bit of your time. If you disagree, think about how many hours you waste in front of a television or your computer.

I am sure that exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you go to the gym every day and do some activities, you can control your weight. Expending 3,500 calories per week will help you to lose 1 lb. per week. Also if you change your diet, will be easy to lose weight. I believe that all of people who go to the gym have a different diet. They eat more healthy food and drinking less soda.

I think that one of the best ways to combat diseases is working out. Some diseases, for example: heart disease and high blood pressure can be combated by doing exercise. It may lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, allowing blood to flow more smoothly through your arteries. According to The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, regular activities may lower your risk of developing diabetes, some types of cancer and metabolic syndrome. If you have a good gym where you can combine aerobic exercise with strength training, it will help your muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons, making you stronger and more flexible.

In my view, going to the gym, can lift your mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals and it leaves you feeling happier and relaxed. You will sleep better if you exercise each day, which may give you more energy during your day. The stress levels and symptoms of anxiety and depression are decreased while you exercise, and feelings of happiness, calmness and pleasure will increase.

We all know about the benefits of go to the gym (flexibility, increases in strength, calories burned, weight loss), but there are even more benefits. I am sure that you will improve your sex life and sexual stamina. If you can feel sexy, you will be more daring, confident, friendly and more capable of talking with other people. Certainly people that go to the gym will be in a good shape. It makes both men and women more attractive.

I think that the gym is a good place to increase your network. Think about how many people going to the gym every day during the morning, afternoon, and night. It is a great opportunity to meet people who think like you or have the same goals. It is a new social circle instead of your lazy friends that you already have. They have more active lives as kayaking, swimming, and hiking.

Because of these reasons, the health benefits of go to the gym and doing regular exercise are hard to ignore. I believe that you will feel great in front of a mirror. Working out will boost your self-esteem and self-confidence.

A BEVERAGE CALLED CHIMARRÃO: Why It Is So Consummated

Chimarrão is traditionally consumed in subtropical South America. This is an infusion that is prepared by steeping dry leaves of the mate plant in hot water rather than in boiling water. It is consumed similar to a tea. I choose to talk about it because this beverage comes from my home state and because I love this amazing beverage. People that drink chimarrão do not have a specific reason to drink it. As I said before it is a traditional beverage and people grow up drinking chimarrão. But this beverage has a lot of benefits and some of this could explain why people from South America drink chimarrão every day. Some people like to drink chimarrão so early in the morning, some people like to drink it after work to feel relax, and some people like to drink it at work.

A good reason to drink chimarrão is because it brings people together. People enjoy something that is called a “circle of chimarrão”, where the cuia (a cup made from the calabash gourd) is passed around for everyone to drink. Chimarrão is a symbol of Southern hospitality: who arrives as a guest in a house is greeted with chimarrão. Many times people go to some beautiful places to enjoy each other and to drink chimarrão.

            In addition, people enjoy drinking chimarrão because it is a traditional custom from past generations. This beverage is common in a particular place in Brazil called Rio Grande do Sul that conserves traditions, and there people are very proud about their traditions. For them to keep traditions is a lifestyle.

            Another good reason to drink chimarrão is because when you drink it you feel good. This beverage has several healthy benefits. I heard many times people talk each other about the chimarrão benefits, so I will list some of them:

1.      Yerba mate tea is very high in antioxidants. Yerba mate has significant immune boosting properties. Yerba mate also helps reduce stress and insomnia.

2.      Enhances your ability to focus - Users report increased mental energy, clarity and focus.

3.      The chemical compounds and nutrients in yerba mate affect your metabolism to make your body use carbohydrates more efficiently. You'll also burn more of the calories your body has stored in fat cells as fuel when you drink yerba mate regularly.

4.      Yerba mate helps keep your colon clean for effective and efficient waste elimination.

5.      Yerba mate has stimulant qualities to help you feel full sooner after you begin eating.

6.      Yerba mate also helps prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and prevents blood clots that may cause heart attack or stroke.

For these reasons, I like to drink chimarrão every day. As it is a typical beverage from South America and i is hard to find anywhere else around the word. But if you would like to include this wonderful beverage in your life, you can look for it on Brazilian web sites. I know that it is hard, so you can replace it for other type of tea. In my opinion, tea is always welcoming. However, I am not trying to convince you to drink chimarrão regularly. I am just explaining why people from South America like to drink chimarrão. People from Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil like to drink Chimarrão because it means culture, hospitality, friendship, and its healthy and the most importantly it is a tradition.

Pharmacy the best major ever!

     I believe that pharmacy is the best career that someone can choose. This is an interesting major where one can learn a lot about the body, chemical reactions, about drugs and how to synthesize them. According to a list compiled by U.S New & World Report of 2013, working as a pharmacist is the third best profession in America. I am sure that if one chooses this career they will never regret it.

     The job market for a pharmacist is huge. They can work in a myriad of professional settings. There are seventy-eight areas of expertise for this profession as well, including hospitals, nursing homes, the pharmaceutical industry and clinical analysis. Pharmacists can work independently and build their own business, as a pharmacy. So, a pharmacist can choose their setting of work according of what they want.If they like to talk with people and want to work directly with patients they can choose work in the dispensation of drugs. If they are more shy and do not like to talk, they can choose work in a closed environment, like a laboratory. Therefore, excellent job opportunities are expected.

     In my view you can help millions of people. There are those that are in the line of development and researching new medication and they sometimes get to combat major diseases successfully. Even though they do not want to work in the pharmaceutical industry, they will help people individually. According to American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, pharmacists play a key role in helping patients feel better and get well as soon as possible. They can be instrumental in improving the health of patients by choosing the best medicines and helping to avoid side effects.

     Pharmacists can be financially stable. It is essentially one of the best paying jobs today in the United States. Pharmacy careers are one of the best careers because the chance of decline in demand for this industry is very slim.

     In my opinion pharmacists can have a healthier life style than other people. They know the most minute details of the body. They have knowledge about nutrition, diseases, and drug reactions. If they studied about medicinal plants, they can produce their own medicine naturally at home. They see in practice the importance of exercise, balanced diet, and the hygiene of the body.

     They will learn how to have patience and that is also good for health.  Believe me, they will need a lot of patience when you are going to work in the laboratory or in the dispensation of drugs. It is hard to work directly with people. But as my professors ever say: “Patience is the virtue of the pharmacist”. For these reasons, to be a pharmacist is the best choice that one can make. They will need a lot of patience but the results are gratifying.
 

Édina Liara Schons

Wearing a Smile and Being Healthy

The smile has an important function: to express emotion and create bonds between people. But also it has an important role in people’s health. I believe that if you smile often you will have a healthy life. According to research, good humor improves people’s health and people who are happier have a healthier life. Good humor is the expression which says that the body is well.

Laughing makes you feel good, and the good feeling helps you keep positive and optimistic. In my view, when you are laughing you forget the bad things around you. As reported by Dr. Antonio Carlos, a person in good mood suffers less because it produces more endorphins, also called the “happiness hormone”, which makes the body and mind relax, improves sleep, controls blood pressure, and increases the immune system. These substances are produced in situations of laughter, joy, or in any situation that gives you a certain good mood. Along in the same lines, I witnessed an event that proves the action of humor in health. Some days ago, my mother had a terrible migraine. I called her and we started to talk about funny things that happened to me the day before, and about twenty minutes after talking she told me that she was getting better. The good feelings promote sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

While good mood improves health, bad mood causes sickness. In my opinion our bodies react to the state of our minds. When we are sad, worried, or angry, we have more chances of getting sick and also making the people around us feel the same way. Happiness is contagious, and so is sadness. Our mental health depends on the state of mind. Negative emotions affect the body. In keeping with Dr. Antonio Carlos, a grumpy person gets upset constantly, which triggers the release of a hormone called adrenalin. The adrenalin induces cardiac arrhythmia, headache, stress, difficulty digesting, and irritability.

As people always say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” It is a cliché, but it is getting the attention of the doctors and scientists. Laughter has a potential in people’s lives, such as the physical health, mental health, and social benefits. Cardiologist Michael Miller, University of Maryland, United States, led a research about the benefits of laughter to heart health. He got excellent results. Comparing the life attitudes of 150 people with history of stroke to the same number of healthy people, Miller found that those who had never suffered from heart problems were those that showed constant good mood. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against heart diseases.

In addition to helping our health, I believe that laughter is important to our social life. It has big impact in our relationships because good mood is an expression that the body is well. It also strengthens relationships by triggering good feelings which promotes an emotional connection. People want to be closer to happy people and laughter attracts others to us and unites people. It means that the way that we feel affects our entire life, for better or for worse. 

Camila Duarte

Bees and Pesticides

Bees and Pesticides

            After many discussions the European Union banned the use of three types of pesticides used to kill bees. The primary reason was that bee populations were disappearing quickly.  In my opinion, the European Union did a great job, and I strongly believe that all countries around the world should follow this example. In short, the use of pesticides negatively affects the environment and human life.

           First of all, studies show that the current pesticides used in agriculture have been mostly responsible for the decrease of pollination. According to Johnston and Simon, pesticides are responsible for causing changes in the behavior of bees.  Intoxicated bees are incapable of moving efficiently, and consequently most of them are unable to come back to the hive. In addition, Johnston and Simon state that their ability of olfactory, smelling, and memory fall sharply.  In 2013, the European Union suggested a ban on pesticides that threaten bees. One of the reasons is because some types of pesticides called lethal pesticides are directly related to the immediate death of some bee populations. Studies show that some chemical elements present in the pesticides help  develop several diseases that result in the extermination of many bee populations.

         A second reason is that, in my opinion, the pesticide also contributes to pollution of the environment. Current data shows that around 50% of the applied pesticides reach the soil causing serious environmental disorders.  According to an article published in the Journal of Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship, the pesticides used in agriculture are killing the organisms that regenerate the terrestrial ecosystem. In other words, the  organic material is accumulating in the soil and causing poor distribution of the nutrients to the plants. Other research in ten Europeans countries estimates that around 48 different types of pesticides are present in the rainwater. Accordingly the surface water is also being contaminated by pesticides.

        A third reason is that, in my view, the use of pesticides negatively affects the health of humans.  According to Ribas and Matsumura, most of the families who live in rural areas are affected by diseases related to exposure to pesticides. Researchers in Camocim de São Félix state that of 159 people, 45 of them feel bad when they are applying pesticides in their farming. Another disconcerting factor is that 70.6% of the women of this city already went through miscarriages. Another relevant factor is the unhealthy feeding caused by insecticide residues on the food. In the city of Paty do Alferes, samples of tomatoes were found inappropriate for consumption because they contained high levels of toxic traces.

           Furthermore, these are not the unique problems related to the use of pesticides on bees. Unfortunately the use of these chemicals do not contribute to the development of a sustainable world. In fact, besides us, the future generation will suffer the negative consequences of the polluting actions practiced at the present.

       After all these reasons we have to think about our environment and how to protect  it against the pesticides issued on our environment. If we do not ban the use of pesticides on bees we will feel the terrible effects as soon as we can imagine.

                                                                                                                                         

REFERENCES

European Union bans three pesticides that kill bees. Available in<http://pt.euronews.com/2013/04/29/ue-proibe-tres-pesticidas-que-matam-as-abelhas/> accessed April 25, 2014.

JOHNSTON, Paul; SIMON, Gergeli.  Bees in Decline - A review of factors that put pollinators and agriculture in Europe at risk. April 2013. Greenpeace International. The Netherlands available in< http://sos-bees.org/wp content/uploads/2014/04/BeesInDecline.pdf> accessed April 20, 2014.

Journal of Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship - Cocktails de Pesticidas Prejudicam a Saude do Solo. Available in<  http://www.cienciahoje.pt/index.php?oid=58476&op=all> accessed April 20, 2014.

LIPINSKI, Jéssica. União Européia propõe Banimento de Pesticidas que Ameaçam Abelhas. Available in< http://www.institutocarbonobrasil.org.br/ecossistemas1/noticia=733115> accessed April 20, 2014.

RIBAS, Priscila P.; MATSUMURA,  Aida T.s. A química dos agrotóxicos: impacto sobre a saúde e meio ambiente. Revista Liberato, Novo Hamburgo, v. 10, n. 14, p. 149-158, jul./dez. 2009 available in< http://www.liberato.com.br/upload/arquivos/0120110910074119.pdf > accessed April 20, 2014.

The use of pesticides in agriculture. Available in< http://www.sigrh.sp.gov.br/sigrh/arqs/relatorio/crh/cbh-alpa/1121/Uso_de_agrotoxicos_na_agricultura.html > accessed April 20, 2014.

Google Drive: The Powerful Tech Tool

Google Drive: The Powerful Tech Tool

Nowadays, technology is improving every single second. It is increasingly becoming a part of our lives.  Therefore, we have to know how to use it to our advantage.  Powerful tech tools can make your life easier. A good example is Google Drive also called GDrive released on April 24, 2012, and it has innumerable benefits.

First of all, GDrive enables user cloud storage, which is useful because you can store any file on it. According to Google, the service starts with 15 gigabyte of free storage, which is more than enough. You can still buy more storage if you need it. Also you can keep pictures, stories, designs, drawings, recordings, videos and anything that you want. I believe that this tool can replace the small memory stick, which is easy to lose or forget and can get you in trouble. Many things can happen, such as your phone goes for a swim or your laptop takes an infinite snooze. No matter what happens to your devices, your files are safely stored in Google Drive. Additionally, many people do not know that GDrive can work well without Internet access; this powerful tech tool offers us offline access. It is easy enough and anyone is able to configure it. In this way you can view documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, organize folders and edit files that are stored in your Google Drive folder.

The second great benefit is that you can see your files anywhere and access GDrive everywhere. Your files in it can be reached from any smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you install GDrive on any of your devices, you can keep your files safe and easy to reach from anywhere. Wherever you go, your files follow. In my opinion, it is a brilliant idea so that if my computer does not work, I will not get worried because I can get my files with another device.

Another exceptional function is sharing of files and folders with exactly whom you want and edit them together from any device. You can quickly invite others to view, download, and collaborate on all the files you want and no email attachment will be needed. GDrive gives you instant access to Google Docs, a suite of editing tools that makes working together better, even when you travel to another country or your teammates are miles away. In my view, it is excellent to work in groups, whether for a job, school, or personal life.

In conclusion, if you use Google Drive you will have all your files ready wherever you are.  You do not have the risk of losing relevant documents anymore. For these reasons, I believe that if you insert Google Drive into your daily life, it will become simple and better. I see it as a vehicle of progress. It is not our future. It is our present. I am sure that Gdrive is the best tech tool ever. You should not miss it.

Debbie Brito

April 30, 2014