Lifting OThers: Journey of a Future OT

 One of the main functions of acetylcholine (ACh) in the peripheral nervous system is to change the membrane permeability to sodium ions that determine whether or not a signal is sent. In the central nervous system, ACh has been associated with memory, learning, and attention. Because of this, one of the first things I thought of to represent was a troll guarding a bridge, specifically the Grumpy Old Troll from my childhood. Not only is it a memory, representing acetylcholine's function in the CNS, but the troll guarding the bridge reminds me of how ACh can regulate whether or not sodium can get into a neuron.

A little finger seems like it would not be a big deal. It is so small and seems fairly insignificant to many people. However, it is responsible for a large portion of an individual's grip strength and not having one could impact a person's ability to complete simple daily occupations. As a member of the navy and a person in general, the soldier in "Man from the South" probably uses his hands quite frequently in day to day life. Initially, pain might keep him from using his left hand as much requiring him to use mainly his right hand which would weaken his left hand even more. He would also have to adjust to not having his typical grip strength and the lack of a digit due to the loss of his pinky. The loss of his pinky could impact some of his military duties such carrying supplies or firing a weapon, but it could also impact his ability to do his day to day activities. When carrying something, having a good grip on it is essential to completing the task. One strategy ...

Picture this:  The year is 2015. You show up to school and everyone is arguing. You have never seen a divide like this. You rack your brain to try and remember any big events that were coming up. Was this a political debate? Was there a fight? You reach your friends, and they show you a picture of a dress and ask, "What colors do you see?" Your answer will decide everyone's perception of you for all time. This is the experience that many people had with The Dress. Okay, not really, but The Dress was a major topic of discussion when it first made its appearance. While it was officially determined to be blue and black, many people, including myself, saw it as white and gold. In basic terms what is happening is that our brains are adjusting certain aspects of the lighting which can influence how the dress is seen. It is almost as if our senses are playing tricks on us, and we see what we want to see.  In a talk by Isaac Lidsky, he says, "Seeing is believing. Sight is tr...

Many people have biases, or tendencies to classify groups into categories based on preconceived notions, whether they know they have them or not. When people are aware of their biases, they are called explicit biases and the person is aware of it; however, when a person is unaware they hold a bias, they are called implicit biases and exist in their head outside of their awareness. What stood out the most to me when learning about this topic is that we should not try to suppress our biases and pretend that they do not exist. By doing this, we do not only hurt ourselves but also others. It is important to become aware of biases that we might hold in order to acknowledge their existence. By doing this, we are not trying to get rid of any implicit biases that we hold because they are often subconscious, but bringing awareness can help prevent a person from acting on them. By knowing what thoughts or assumptions you might hold towards a certain person or group of people, one can be aware th...