Health and Wellness Repertoire

  • What are Psychedelic Mushrooms and What can They do for us?

    What are Psychedelic Mushrooms and What can They do for us?
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    Introduction

                Psilocybin, otherwise known as magic mushrooms, “Bammers”, psychedelic shrooms, and even a plant of the Gods. I am sure there are all different kinds of names for these on the streets since they were considered a schedule 1 drug back during Nixon’s presidency and the War on drugs. Schedule 1 drugs in the United States are those that are purported to have the following traits: 1) The drug or other substance has a high potential risk of abuse 2) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment within the United States. I don’t know if you have tried them, but you won’t want to do them twice in one day, or every day at that! So, the probability of abuse is nearly non-existent! Furthermore, there are so many more medicinal properties than almost all “Big Pharma” medicines, without any side effects.

    In June of 1971, Nixon established that drug abuse was “Public Enemy Number One”, with psilocybin mushrooms being among that list. However, the thing about mycology (which is the study of all fungi) began making some progress towards positive effects of almost all safe mushrooms, and psychedelic mushrooms. Magic Mushrooms and other mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Red Reishi, Oyster, and so much more have shown proof of enhancing all kinds of human qualities. Mental clarity, immunological enhancement, neurogenesis, neuro-generation, neuro-regeneration, and even neuroplasticity has all been shown to enhance our minds. Reishi is even called natures Xanax since it helps lower anxiety. Neurogenesis is the origination of newborn nerve cells from stem cells within our body. The more active cells we have the better we will be in almost all aspects of life. Now Neuro-generation and Neuro Regeneration, does exactly as it sounds, generating new neurons, while regenerating helps atrophied neurons. And finally, to top it all off, neuroplasticity which consists of synaptogenesis where more nerves begin branching out more conduits for more connections (JRE, 2019). Neuroplasticity, in other words, is the brain’s ability to adapt to new situations or changes in their environment. Psychedelic Mushrooms just make you feel like a happy person, in almost everything you do.

    How Do They Work?

                The way these mushrooms work is quite exceptional actually. People used to think that you were just basically getting food poisoning, which in too high of a dose, you would just raulf it up. But even then, the effects will still last. We will touch base on Micro-dosing, moderate dosing, and even heroic dosing which all have their own benefits within themselves. But first, the chemical response that is happening in our bodies. There are over 200 mushrooms that contain psilocybin which is the naturally occurring chemical compound that makes you experience a psychedelic spectacle. Psilocybin is considered a pro-drug, which is a compound that is inactive by itself, but when metabolized, it can turn into a pharmacological compound in the body (Psilocin). When we consume psilocybin-containing mushrooms (which is the most terrible tasting experience, if it isn’t boiled into a tea, or put in chocolates or capsules), our bodies begin metabolizing the psilocybin into psilocin, which is actually able to bind to our serotonin receptors. Serotonin’s chemical structure is fairly similar to that of psilocin, but it is a monoamine neurotransmitter, which is the source of all those wonderful happy feelings we get from something we enjoy doing, or around people we love being around. It can also be boosted through chemical assistance, where we can establish a new sense of well-being in this life we live. Psilocin is actually considered an agonist, meaning it can initiate a physiological response for our serotonin receptors (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). The following picture will show how closely related the chemical molecule structures are to one another.

    So closely related, don’t ya think! (Science Direct, n.d.)

    As a neurotransmitter it can assist in relaying messages from one part or section of the brain, to the other. Research from back in 2016, states that there is a sensory overload that happens when someone “trips”, which is caused from the psilocin. This makes the brain become more hyperconnected; that is, it allows for greater communication between parts of the brain that otherwise wouldn’t talk to each other. The process is called Synesthesia phenomena which is said to reorganize connections and strengthen weaker ones, enhancing our mental acuity. It is also something that may make your senses interact with one another. Such as, if you hear music, you may see shapes, or if you hear the name Jake, you may see the color green. It is something that brings all your senses in line with one another, creating a higher acuity of your senses (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). You will see me constantly go back to primal times, comparing what these mushrooms may have done, and how they potentially corelate with our existence today (Stoned Ape Theory), but we will get back to that. This Synesthesia may have helped our primal ancestors to hunt and kill food, pick other certain plants, and even stay alive amidst so many predators.

    Our minds have evolved to constantly filtering out any non-useful stimuli in our new world, enabling us to focus on the important task of living our lives, or simply being a human being. It saves our minds resources, and extracts things that can be considered trivialities. Not everyone counts how many cars are being tugged behind a train when stopped at a train crossing. Certain areas of the brain that inhibit distracting stimuli and help maintain our attention, such as the hypothalamus, have been proven to show decreased activity when under the effects of psilocin. Another area is called the claustrum (derived from the Latin word for “hidden or shut away”), which is an extremely thin sheet of neurons deep within the cortex, yet it reaches out to every other region in the brain. The true purpose is also “hidden away”, however there are a few speculations of why it’s there, and what its true purpose is. One is from Francis Crick of DNA-discovery, which he believed the claustrum is responsible for our awareness and sense of self, or the seat of our consciousness (John Hopkins, 2020). With this in mind, Johns Hopkins tested 15 people, whom some took psilocybin, while the others received a placebo. They found that the ones that took the psilocybin, showed a reduced neuronal activity in the claustrum by 15% to even 30%. The lowered activity seemed to be associated with stronger subjective effects of the drug, such as emotional and mystical experiences. The researchers also found that the drug changed the correspondence between the claustrum and brain regions that involve hearing, attention, decision-making, and remembrance (John Hopkins, 2020). This is what ties in with what people claim as typical effects of psychedelics, including feelings of being connected to everything, and more importantly, reduced senses of self or egotistical behavior. New technology, such as the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have given researchers the ability to track certain brain activity. Thus, making more breakthroughs on certain effects of mind-altering drugs, such as psilocybin mushrooms, and many more. There has been proven research that shows that they can help manage, or even cure people with PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and even substance abuse disorder. And to think these are still in the “Schedule One” drug category.

                These regions of the brain are usually some of the most active, which play important roles of our sense of self, organizing incoming sensory information, and regulating internal impulses. Aldous Huxley claims that each person is capable at any moment to remember everything that has ever happen to him/her and can even perceive everything that is happening everywhere in the universe at that certain moment. He also believes that the central nervous system and the brain is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant information that we don’t currently have any use for (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). Usually after the effects wear off, these connections go back to normal, and we won’t experience synesthesia anymore. Most people claim that they feel dulled out after experiencing something so marvelous, and even eye opening, when it comes to sense of ego. There are other ways of reaching this feeling that is being tested currently too. These are pharmacologically similar to psilocybin, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phenethylamine-containing alkaloids (mescaline).

    Different Types of our Mushie Friends

                Enough about the anatomy of the human body, and words that are extremely hard to say at first. That stuff can continue to drag on, and on, and on……… and on. To start this off, we will touch base on what mushrooms start off as. If you are familiar, you will see most mushrooms have a long stipes (stalks/stems), and convex heads or “caps”. Typically, you will see gills up underneath these caps, and this is where the mushroom stores, these tiny microscopic spores (poet and didn’t know it!). When the mushroom matures fully, thousands of these tiny spores will fall to the earth, causing more mushroom growth. That is why you will see mushroom cultivators, smack the cap before taking the mushroom from its base. However, instead of acting like seeds, and gather energy through photosynthesis–they germinate to produce a mass of interwoven, single-cell wide structures known as hyphae, which is also considered as Shiro. A collective mass of hyphae is known as mycelium.

    Mycelium is the plural form of the word Mycelia, which has New Latin and Greek origins, literally meaning more than one. In order to understand the greatness of mycelium, we have to get a little more technical. Fungi absorbs nutrients from the environment such as a substrate (certain conditions of soil), a log, etc., through its mycelium in a two-stage process. First off, those little hyphae (which reminds me of Hefe) secrete enzymes into the decaying wood or other substrate. They break down biological polymers into smaller units called monomers. The mycelium then uses a combination of facilitated diffusion and active transport to absorb these monomers (The Conscious Club, 2017). There is so much more that goes into mycelium, that you can look up for yourself. Some people believe mycelium to be the way that all fungi life communicate in the forest. Fun Fact: The largest single fungal organism is found in the Malheur National Forest, and it belongs to the species called Armillaria Ostoyee. It covers a whopping three and a half square miles or 9 square kilometers in the state of Oregon! Paul Stamets has even found that mycelium can help retain our bee population, to continue pollinating the earth. By protecting them from detrimental diseases that hinder their wing growth. Really interesting stuff if you ask me!

    The following is a progression of a mushroom, from the beginning mushroom spore, all the way to the developing fruiting body that you typically will see above ground. Even though the larger, more branched out aspect of the mushroom is below ground.

                            Quite the Cycle (Mycologic, n.d.)

    Though there are many different species of psilocybin containing mushrooms, we will only touch base on the main species that hold the most affect. The most potent types of psilocybin containing mushrooms belong to the genus Psilocybe. You can find all kinds of information of the different types of mushrooms, and their poisonous look alikes, in Paul Stamets book: Psilocybin Mushrooms of The World: An Identification Guide (1996). All of these different species carry three different “ingredients”, Psilocybin, Psilocin, and Baeocystin. There are 12 species but there are only 7 that have high enough percentages to account for: Psilocybe Azurescens, Psilocybe Bohemica, Psilocybe Semilanceata, Psilocybe Baeocystis, Psilocybe Cyanescens, Psilocybe Tampanensis, and the most common Psilocybe Cubensis. We won’t go into the description of each, however, they are in order from the most potent, to the least potent in all three “ingredients”. Go take a look at the full descriptions if you have time.

    Dosing Types: Micro, Moderate, and Heroic Dosages

                The thing about mushrooms being blacklisted all those years ago, they weren’t able to be assessed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to find the proper dosing for an actual supplement. It isn’t like your traditional dietary or nutritional supplement that you will find at the local drug store, where recommended daily allowance has been arduously tested. So, the following dosages aren’t proven, and should be taken lightly, especially since there are numerous factors that must come into play. What is the species? What is the potency of that specific mushroom? Is it consumed wet or dry? How much do you personally weigh? Of course, there are all kinds of unknowns out there, and skepticism makes people think it is all just for the “hippies”. In some of the pioneering psilocybin studies done at Johns Hopkins University, controlled doses of psilocybin were administered to patients.

    ***Let it be known, I do not perform any illegal activity, and I do not suggest that anyone does anything illegal. This is just information that I have gathered for the purpose of education. NONE of this information has been tested by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used as a remedy for any mental illnesses. Please consult with you physician, therapist, or psychiatrist for any means possible to help with your specific illness. I need to notify you of this before you proceed. This disclosure is here for your safety and understanding (and mine of course)***  

    Micro-Dosing

                Micro-dosing is exactly as it sounds, where you take just enough to have the mental effects, without the full body high and altered visual perception. It just enacts the happy feeling that you get from taking a larger dose. According to Curative Mushrooms (2020), A proper dosage for micro dosing would be 1/10th of a gram, which may change to your certain body type. So, remember, there are 1000 milligrams in one gram, so you would take 100 mgs for the traditional micro dose. There is also the body weight method, which you take .25 mg per kilogram of bodyweight.

    I will also bring in the infamous Paul Stamets, and his patented micro dose formula, where he stacks psilocybin with Lion’s Mane and niacin. Lions’ mane is another delicacy mushroom that is legal and has shown proof of helping with nerve regenerative properties. Other benefits of Lions Mane are as follows:  Increases memory, increases focus, increases concentration, Anti-inflammatory, supports gut health, improves mood, increases energy levels, and Supports insulin sensitivity (Microdosing Institute, n.d.). So, this mushroom alone, can give anyone a lot of supporting health benefits. His stack is as follows:

    DAYS 1-4: Micro dosing days

    DAY 5-7: Non-micro dosing days

    • No micro dose
    • Optional: Niacin
    • Optional: Continue implementing Lion’s Mane

     CYCLE: continue for four weeks

    RESET: Stop micro dosing with psilocybin for two to four weeks. You may continue supplementing with Lion’s Mane during this reset (Microdosing Institute, n.d.)

    Moderate Dosing

     Again, it is exactly how it sounds, a moderate dose. You will find all different kinds of numbers when it comes to a moderate dose. Curative Mushrooms (2020) states that a typical moderate dose would be 1-4 grams. While others say anywhere from one gram to 3.5 grams. That is where the traditional eighth that most people enjoy taking comes from. This is a practice that can be conducted every so often, such as every month or two. All depending on your schedule and ability. You won’t have the full dissolution of self that you would a heroic dose, but you will feel the effects, both physically, visually, and emotionally. That nice word, synesthesia comes back into play at this dose, where your senses begin to cross. Of course, there isn’t many studies conducted on this dosage practice, since again, they are illegal…. But I am positive that there will be more as the days pass. This helps keep your empathy levels higher throughout the time span in between dosages.

    Heroic Dosing-Lets Get Ready to Rumble!!

    Now for the large dosage, that completely dissolves your sense of self. The dissolution of self sounds intimidating; however, it is only for the duration of the trip, and there may be some lingering feelings for a few days after. This feeling is something that is thought of coming from the claustrum (as stated earlier) where it is thought of being our seat of consciousness. It can be more looked at as, the dissolution of our ego, instead of our self. Because, well, everyone always remembers their name, and who they are after the fact. Sometimes you may begin questioning who you are, and what your purpose is in this finite life. But more often than not, it always pushes you towards something more positive. You may learn that you must quit putting so much effort in finding the negative aspects of life and begin focusing more on the positive aspects of it. Or maybe even quit taking yourself so seriously and start having a little more fun in life. Another trait that people have found they experience after a heroic dose, is they become more empathetic with the people around them. When we can start feeling other people’s pains, then we may even be able to stop being the root cause of their pain. It is sort of like an eye-opening experience, helping us to be a bit more introspective in our actions. When you begin looking more inwards, you may be able to find that you are at fault for your own tribulations. Thus, creating an avenue to changing for the better.

    I will bring up good ole curative mushrooms, yet again. According to Oliver, a heroic dose would be 5-7 grams (2020). However, there are also others claims of it being anything above seven dry grams of psilocybin. It is kind of like the old saying with beans: “Beans, Beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot”. So, besides the tooting part… it is a lot the same. Taking anything above six dry grams, you will find yourself in an altered dimension almost. Again, this sounds scary, but it really isn’t that bad. You will see the whole world waving in a sense, which is really neat when you look at the horizon, or even some cool art. Synesthesia begins to set in, where you think you are hearing colors, and seeing sounds.

    Johns Hopkins has found that one heroic dose has shown to have long lasting effects, where people claimed to have a personality change. They claimed to have a more openness feeling when it came to life, looking at life in a whole new lens almost. Openness includes traits such as imagination, aesthetics, feelings, abstract ideas, and general broad-mindedness. They also claimed to have more of a spiritual side after the experience. Most of the individuals were over the age of 30, which it is thought that we don’t really make any drastic personality changes after 30 years old. These lasting affects lasted anywhere from 12 months to 15 months in the 51 people that they tested. Reduction of anxiety, fear, and sad thoughts was also found throughout this study. So, I mean, why wouldn’t you want to do this every six months to a year? Of course, it needs to be in a comfortable environment, where you have someone that is sober (and knows what the experience is like) to be able to keep everyone and everything in line. People have even tried conducting therapy sessions during these experiences, to help guide people into changing certain traits of their lives.

    If this stuff interests you, then I know you have heard of the word (or person), Shaman. A Shaman is someone that is believed to have a connection with good and evil spirits or is influenced by the afterlife/before life. They typically enter a trance state during a ritual to practice divination and healing for the people participating in the ritual. You may also look at them as your guide into your psychedelic experience, where when you begin to venture off, they can center you back into your purpose. They believe that they can obtain healing powers whilst in the ritual, for almost all of the people around them. They are admired as one of the more powerful human beings in this present life. You can find the biggest influence in these people in remote areas of the Amazonian Forest. Where nature is more important than the smart phone or computer you are currently using. They are these peoples Google in a sense, where they can give them answers to the most important questions about life. These people are found to have almost nothing in their possessions but are some of the happiest people on the face of the earth. There must be a connection to the psychedelic experiences they endure.

    Stoned Ape Theory

    First proposed by a main stream ethnobotanist Terence McKenna (1946-2000) in his early 90’s book “Food of the Gods,” the basic concept is that the consumption of psychedelic fungi may have played a crucial role in the development of human mind and culture (Lamb, 2021). Of course, he believed that the “Stoned Ape Hypothesis” misrepresented his theory, but it is still the name that stuck. Terrance and his brother Dennis McKenna (who is an ethnopharmacologist) must have had some DEEP, late-night conversations when it comes to something as intense as this theory. Dennis claims that they put forth the evidence during their conversations to come up with this theory. Long story short, the hypothesis suggests we owe the emergence of language and self-reflection to ancient, sustained consumption of psilocybin mushrooms all those years ago. They know that the human brain doubled in size about two million years ago, which is of course evidence that would need to be dug into more, but we will just roll with it for the sake of description. It is also thought to have been apart of the “Creative Explosion” that happened around 40,000 years ago. Where homo sapiens began living in their own creations, making tools, and hunting in a more innovative way. This again made the development even faster all the way up to where we are today.

    With the effects of psilocybin making our mental acuity higher, and deeper visual perception, they may have been able to think and react faster. This would make them be less susceptible of getting attacked by larger predators, or even finding, and killing their food for daily rations. The long tale of Vikings drinking ale and eating mushrooms before battle runs congruent with his hypothesis. Where it is thought that they fought harder, moved faster, seen incoming attacks, and even weren’t afraid of death. Of course, none of us lived in this era, and the probability of finding more documentation is slim, so it will remain that… a theory. If we could travel back in time and find that we adapted to our surroundings because of mushrooms, then I bet they would get legalized that same time. But I guess, if we had the technology to time travel, then our superficial problems wouldn’t exist anymore… or we would create even more problems!

    Summary

    So, I know that if you are reading this, then you are obviously interested in this topic. And honestly, throughout the duration of this article, I told myself that I wouldn’t take a stab at big pharma. But in my opinion, I think marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms were both outlawed so that “man-made” remedies could begin to corner the market. I feel like they already knew about the medicinal properties of both these NATURAL remedies, but they knew they couldn’t regulate it, since they could easily be grown at home. Sometimes I feel like money turns most people into greedy individuals. Most man-made products have been proven to lead to more side effects than the initial illness that is trying to be healed. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love innovation, and it is one of the best times to be alive, however, I feel like we are all being controlled by the elites of our world. They may not think they are, because that is what they were taught as they were coming up. But it all started somewhere. It only takes 30 years to completely change the outlook of an entire generation, and I believe we are beginning to yet again, change the outlook, of an entire generation. If mushrooms didn’t get blacklisted all those years ago, just think about the amount of research that could have been done by now. I don’t know about you, but I truly believe that if it worked all those years ago, why ON EARTH wouldn’t it work now!? I think if every person on earth took a heroic dose once a year, our world could potentially be a better place. The absence of ego would bring more people together. The increase in empathy would make people think before they acted in a negative way. And finally, the closeness that we could all experience with our fellow humanoid, would rid us all of division. We wouldn’t all resort to tribalism, where it is thought that we all MUST reside on one side or the other, or one country or the other. Instead, we could all reside in one harmonious connection of fellow humans, who are all on the same, good ole’ Pursuit of Happiness.

    I hope you enjoyed my article, and I look forward to hearing any feedback you may have. Please stay tuned to more information on mushrooms, not only Psilocybin mushrooms, but all medicinal mushrooms. If you know of any new research pertaining to this topic, please feel free to reach out to me at any time via email, socials or anywhere else. Just search the unique name, you will find it.  

    Have an excellent day, and remember, “Every situation you are in, is a test of who YOU truly are”

    -Cyral I Callender III

    Post-Script: The world is just a reflection of yourself. Whatever you put out into the world, it will get reflected onto you. If you stare into a mirror, and you hate what you see, you cannot attack the image, but you can change it. Whenever you transform, the world will transform around you. In a state of non-acceptance, you will attack the image. But if you accept yourself as is, then your image won’t attack you. Mental illness is not the problem, you are the problem. As long as your Ego mind thinks of it that way, you will never get better. DO NOT blame life for treating you unfairly, but do not blame yourself either, all that is, is resistance.

    Much love people.   

    References

    Curative Mushrooms. (May 3, 2020). Magic Mushroom Dosage-Heroic Dose & Microdosing Correctly. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6TDMK3IUc2LqgyJBIMtBhZ?si=ATBrfxn3RhWMo69Eu-IFIQ&utm_source=copy-link

    Conscious Club, The. (Oct. 31, 2017). Mycelium-The Future is Fungi. Retrieved from: https://thegreentemple.net/articles/mycelium-the-future-is-fungi

    Haze, V., Mandrake, K. PhD. (2016) The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible. 1st Edition. Green Candy Press.

    Joe Rogan Experience. (Nov. 14, 2019). Episode #1385-Paul Stamets. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VdrsKSyOmm5iNr8eCUy0y?si=17gVkv1vRq2yVpQnivxUMw&utm_source=copy-link

    Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2020, June 5). How psychedelic drug psilocybin works on brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 23, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200605121512.htm

    Lamb, R. (Jan. 27, 2021). The Stoned Ape Hypothesis: Did Magic Mushrooms Influence Human Evolution? Retrieved from: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/stoned-ape-hypothesis.htm

    Microdosing Institute. (n.d.) Stamets Stack (Stacking Lion’s Mane and Psilocybin Mushrooms). Retrieved from: https://microdosinginstitute.com/microdosing-101/substances/lions-mane-stacking/

    Mycologic. (n.d.). Biology and Life Cycle of a Mushroom. Retrieved from: https://www.mycologic.nz/life-cycle Science Direct. (n.d.). Psilocybe. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/psilocybe

  • Who is Cyral I. Callender III

    Who is Cyral I. Callender III
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    Hello my friends! Having my Bachelors degree in Health and Wellness, I have studied all different types of–well– Health and Wellness. Everything stemming from physical activity, to anatomy and physiology, proper diet habits, and stages of change. While also studying the possibility of integrative medicines or alternative medicines to Western Societal Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicines worked all those centuries ago, so I mean, It has to work in some way, shape, or form. I started my college career as a diesel mechanic at my local college, but I did some digging into my future goals and desires. I knew I didn’t want to work on heavy machinery for the rest of my life. Getting doused in oil, smashing my hands taking off a bolt, or digging through the cold snow to get to a certain part. Nuh uh… that wasn’t for me anymore, my time of field work was finished. I was always told that if you do something you love, then you will never work a day in your life. I asked myself, “What was something that I absolutely loved doing”. One, physical activity and healthier lifestyles. Two, helping every person that I possibly can throughout the duration of my time on earth. And finally, constantly learning new ways to make those two aspects of life a reality and relevant to the current time. I searched for schools within my range of travel, however, the closest place would have been Denver, Colorado. (Which is a four hour drive!) You know the saying that everything happens for a reason? Well at the very same time that I was searching for schools, I had an opportunity of a life time of starting my own small business with a friend. I knew we would have made this partnership work, so I couldn’t leave him behind. So, as I was building the limited Liability Company, I was searching for online schools. All while working 10 hours a day, attending in-person college, getting my workouts in, and fitting in small stretches of sleep here and there. One night, with my eyes heavy, I found a school through the slits of my eyes, just before they closed for the night. Purdue University Global was accentuated in its black and gold colors on my screen. I quickly requested more information, and dosed off right on the couch of my apartment. Just to wake up five hours later to start my day again with a solid workout. I got the grants, and funding to attend Purdue University Global for my bachelors in Health and Wellness. It hasn’t been easy. Being a father of three (almost four), a small business owner (which did all the accounting, data, and traditional work), a board member for the State of Wyoming and for our local disc golf group, and to finish it off, training as a combat sports player. Fast forward four years, in May of 2022, I finally graduated. I must say, the long-term gratification of finally graduating was the best feeling in the world, after my children being born of course. With my past history of being a delinquent in my late adolescent/early 20’s, that feeling was more intense than any substance known to man. The possibility of changing, and becoming who you want to be is obtainable, no matter how deep you think you are. It isn’t easy, but you must be willing to put forth the effort. I am just a casual guy, trying to assist anyone I possibly can into changing their lives for the better. Please reach out at any time of day, no matter what it is. Much love and respect, and I appreciate the support. Thanks for reading 🙂

    -Cyral I Callender III

  • Foodborne Illnesses

    Foodborne Illnesses
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    Foodborne illnesses are something that have become more and more prevalent in today’s society. FDA’s CORE (Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation) Response team has been tracking outbreaks within the Unites states for years. There have been different outbreaks that have started in certain areas and spread outwards throughout the nation. In order for the FDA to snip an outbreak from spreading even more, they must be one step ahead of different means of transportation and contact. There have been outbreaks that started on the east coast and have made it to the Midwest within days. Following along these outbreaks and determining how they could potentially be avoided in the future. The outbreak that will be discussed is the Salmonella outbreak from Bright Farms Packaged salad greens in the upper Midwest area (U.S. FDA, 2021).

    According to the FDA (2021), their CORE Response team located an outbreak after Bright Farms recalled some of their packaged salad greens on July 15th, 2021 out of their Illinois facility.  Within days of them recalling this product, it had spread to the surrounding states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and even over in Pennsylvania. Most of the cases were in the Illinois state, with 11-18 ill people reported from this recall. Overall, there was 31 people that got sick from this outbreak. It was a small outbreak, but it could have been worst if the recall didn’t happen sooner. Moving this product out further could have been worst to anyone that decided to eat this product.

    To prevent something like this in the future, the company needs to be more precarious with their products during production and packaging. Keeping each harvest of leaves in its own segregated area will help with cross-contamination to other harvests. Since Bright Farms had to do a second recall on some of their spinach leaves, they obviously didn’t keep things segregated. Another way would have completely sanitized the area that the leaves were proceeded and packaged. Stripping everything down and cleaning it, from the cutting boards, to the machine that weighs and packages this product. It may take time to do these preventative measures, but it is better than continuously putting out tainted products. That is something that Bright Farms has done, is completely clean out their warehouse, and sanitize literally everything within the facility. Trucks that delivered the product would have to of been sanitized as well.

    The impact on the global food market would be tremendous if it would have gotten out even further. Let us put it on a large scale, and say it made it to other corporations and restaurants that used this product. Putting the leaves on their sandwiches, selling to customers, or even making small “house” salads at restaurants could have made this outbreak expand even further. A large outbreak like that would shut down every company that was in contact with this product, whether it was a company, restaurant, or small deli. This could have been detrimental to the restaurants because they would have had to throw away all their product, clean their whole kitchen, and lose out on revenue for the duration of time. The global market could have slowed down if a supermarket/hypermarket were to sell these tainted leaves, and their stock potentially plummeting.

    So, in conclusion, if it wasn’t for the FDA’s CORE Response team, most foodborne outbreaks could spread across the entire nation. The one outbreak that has been tracked is the Bright Farms Spinach leaves that was giving people Salmonella in the midwestern area. Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania all got affected by this recall. If the company took the proper precautions when packaging their product, then they could have avoided this outbreak in the first place.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Estimates of foodborne illness in the United States. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/attribution/attribution-1998-2008.html

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2021). Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Typhimurium: Bright Farms Packaged Salad Greens (July 2021). Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-typhimurium-brightfarms-packaged-salad-greens-july-2021

  • Lobbyists Impacts on Nutritional Guidelines

    Lobbyists Impacts on Nutritional Guidelines
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    Lobbying for certain topics within our society can have both a positive and negative effects on national guidelines. Guidelines like physical activity and nutrition in different stages of life. Of course, there are lobbyists that shoot for their own personal gain, or the company they are lobbying. However, there are lobbyists that strive for positive repercussions within today’s communities. Bringing in accommodating companies or non-profit organizations that have a positive vision, can help all kinds of people. ProMedica is one of these companies that have “prescribed” foods for certain individuals to help with nutritional health. In order for us to grow as a society, we all must come together and work towards the greater good. A healthy society produces healthy innovations and offspring.

    Nutritional guidelines are set each year, for America to retain its healthy image. Of course, companies like McDonalds and Burger King share some of the world’s leading marketing companies. This is an unfortunate quality of nutrition since these companies influence more obese people, out of convenience and misinformation. They promote all their products, all perfectly atoned on the screen, when none of the sandwiches turn out anything like on their marketing platforms. They don’t share certain important information with the people they are marketing to. Information like the amount of sugars, fats, calories, and high fructose corn syrup that their products are composed of. When someone eats this type of food daily, they are more prone of becoming obese.

    Furthermore, there is always good in the midst of bad. There is a company called ProMedica that is “prescribing” foods to individuals that aren’t meeting certain dietary requirements, resulting in them being obese or lacking in nutrition (Morrison, 2017). In order for us to meet certain guidelines, we must reach a certain caloric intake and other micro and macro nutrients. It all depends on our own proprietary weight, age, and physical activity level. ProMedica is giving people that are in low-income families that possibility of obtaining their proper nutrients. Of course, they can only help as many people as possible within their society, but it could expand to higher non-profit organization and branch out further.

    Meanwhile in the year 2021, there are 213 current companies that are being lobbied within the nutritional field. These mainly are major companies that span all the way across the world. Furthermore, there are numerous smaller organizations that are organized as well. Some place local is the Wyoming Food for Thought Project, that grows, and gather foods through donations and other means for people in low-income families (Wyoming Food for Thought Project, 2021). This may not be nationally known; however, it is something that has been lobbied a lot here in Casper, Wyoming. It directly effects the nutritional guidelines, especially in our younger generation since they focus on food for children. I personally volunteer at this facility, and there was a moment when we made 400 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for child’s lunches.

    So, in conclusion, we can all focus on the negatives of this world and our nations guidelines. Or we can look to the other side and prove that the grass really is greener on the other side. Going into our daily endeavors with a positive outlook, we can put forth a stronger positive influence on ourselves and those around us. There are companies that shoot for their own personal gain, however companies like ProMedica are enforcing positive change into our societies. It may be in one city, but through the right streams of media, it could expand into a national level. Implementing guidelines that are obtainable, realistic, and complete for proper nutritional status.

    -Cyral I Callender III April 12, 2022

    References:

    MORRISON, I. (2017). TAKING ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. (cover story). H&HN: Hospitals & Health Networks, 91(11), 20–24.

    Open Secrets. (n.d.) Issue Profile: Food Industry. Retrieved from:  https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/issues/summary?cycle=2021&id=FOO

    Wyoming Food for Though Project. (2021). Changing the System for Good. Retrieved from: https://www.wyomingfoodforthoughtproject.org/

  • Holistic Client and Self-Physicality Assessment

    Holistic Client and Self-Physicality Assessment
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    The following is an assessment for a client scenario that was described before writing. The way I would apply these holistic approaches to a diverse population, is through continuous testing. Being able to assess our clients before and during a workout regimen can be used diversely between all demographics. Taking “Whole-istic” approaches to almost every client can make it easier for them to become “Whole”, and obtain a great sense of self-love and admiration.

    Self-Assessment

    In today’s exercise world, we have several different assessments that can determine a person physical ability, and what they need to work on the most. Of course, most practitioners want to complete these assessments with their clients at the beginning, and throughout the duration of their progress. They can determine if what they are doing is moving them into progression through their workouts. Some of the assessments that are out there are the Rockport Walk Test, Pushup Test, Sit and Reach Test, Body Mass Index (B.M.I.), and the Waist to Hip Ratio. These are the assessments that we are going to focus on, between my own testing, and what I evaluated for my client, Jennifer.

    I do not have any limitations in completing these assessments, which turned out to be a fun activity. With that being said, there wasn’t any modifications I had to make for myself, but with the sit and reach test, I just used a tape measurer and a toolbox which made it seem to be accurate enough. Not having the actual test box for this sort of thing made it hard to accomplish accurately. With the Rockport test, I just walked half a mile from my house, and turned around to complete the full mile. I have a smart watch that was able to track my distance and heartrate throughout the duration of the test.

    The Rockport Walk Test is a test that is conducted by the person walking at a brisk walk pace as fast as possible without jogging. This test is administered to determine cardiovascular fitness which is aimed at determining your VO2 Max. According to Wendy Bumgardner, your VO2 Max is that amount of oxygen your body can process during a workout, measured in milliliters per kilograms per minute (ml, kg, min) (Bumgardner, 2020). The pushup test is evaluated for cardiovascular strength as well, with showing how many pushups the client can do without pausing (exrx.net, 2020).The Sit and Reach Test is done by sitting the client on the ground in front of a box with legs outstretched. With 15” hanging off the box towards the client’s chest, while parallel with their legs. They need to overlap their hands and with a straight back, reach as far as they can towards the box while evaluating the distance they cover in that short jolt with the best out of three attempts (exrx.net, 2020). This is done to establish a person’s flexibility at the beginning of their regiments, and throughout them as well. Body Mass Index takes the individuals age, height, and weight to establish their body mass. This is done through a calculation of the three to see if the person is at a certain level in weight, whether overweight, underweight, or average. With the final assessment, the Waist to Hip Ratio is done by measuring around the smallest part of the waist, as well as the biggest part of the hip area. Figuring the difference between the two, while hoping the be the closest to a solid One ratio. This helps determine a person’s risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes (exrx.net, 2020).

    My physical testing was all average or above average. Though I haven’t done a set of pushups like this in a while, it surprised me with the amount that I did until pausing. On the Rockport Walk Test I walked the mile in 15:05 burning 73 calories and finishing with a heart rate of 103 BPM. My population average was 44.3 and I scored a 74 with an overall good rating. Like I said, the pushup test caught me off guard since I used to be able to do 77 pushups in two minutes. I was only able to complete 36 reps until I took a slight pause, as well as a 33-population average and an average rating. The sit and reach test is something I have always been proficient at. I was able to press 21.5 inches with a 15.25 population average and a score of 87 that put me in the excellent bracket. With being a long-time combats sports individual, I need to remain as flexible as possible. My BMI has always said I was overweight, ever since I was young. Being 6-foot 2-inches tall and 197 pounds now I scored a 25.3 BMI with the population average being 25.9, whilst being overweight. On the waist to hip ratio I scored a 0.886666 [repeated] and my population average was 0.89. I was set at a moderate risk for coronary heart disease and diabetes, which is a good thing.

    Overall, I was satisfied with my scores, all besides the pushup test. As I stated earlier, I used to be able to do 77 pushups in my boot camp assessment that I used to conduct. In my defense, throughout that whole boot camp experience I was doing nothing but body weight workouts. Now that I am doing more heavier lifting on bench press, I feel as though my muscle endurance has diminished. I want to be able to get back to that muscle endurance I used to have, instead of being as big as I am. This is something that I have already been working on, since you can’t really be a big bulky boxer, because the sport calls for more endurance. The Rockport test is something I like to assess with my clients at the beginning of their regiment, and every month their after, especially if we are focusing on losing weight.

    Client-Assessment

    With Jennifer being a single mom, it seems as though she is really self-less, which isn’t a bad attribute by any means. Taking care of three boys would be a handful on a daily basis for sure, but I am sure that they have a lot of pent up energy that could be released. She does state that she takes the boys to their daily activities, but without specifying what those activities are, it is hard to say if they are reaching their 60 minutes a day of physical activity that is recommended. On her fitness tests, I don’t see any modalities that she would have had to do since her doctor cleared her for exercise due to the regulatory taking of her blood pressure medication. Even though her doctor cleared her, she would still need to take caution when getting her heart rate to an elevated state.

    With the tests that she performed, they all vary in participation and the reason for them being done. The Aerobic test she did for running for 12 minutes as fast as possible, is used to see how much distance she can cover in that time. This is to assess her VO2 Max, and how well her aerobic ability is while putting her cardiorespiratory system to the test. The YMCA Bench Press Test is conducted through bench pressing 35 pounds to the rhythm of a metronome. Once the individual breaks the rhythm, they document how many repetitions the person performed. This tests muscle strength and muscular endurance (exrx.net, 2020). The half sit up test is performed by placing the individual on their back with arms laying down to the side and knees bent up in a 90-degree angle. Two pieces of tape are placed at the fingertips, and another one 12 cm. away from that one. They set a metronome to 40 beats per minute and after the first beep, the client performs as many sit-ups in that fashion as possible, then they document that. It is used to evaluate core strength and endurance (exrx.net, 2020). The sit and reach assessment was just like the one that I performed with legs laid out in front, with a box that has 15’’ hanging off towards the client. With hands on top of one another, they reach as far as they can with the best out of three tries. This is used to evaluate flexibility.

    With her body composition being 5 foot, 6 inches tall at 175 pounds her BMI rating is 28.3 with a population average being 24.9. This does put her in the overweight classification. On the 12-minute run test, she ran 1.1 miles in the 12 minutes, and she scored a 17 with the population average of 33.3850 [repeated] giving her a fair rating. Her VO2 Max was 28.280525 and METS rating was 8.0801558. She did 12 repetitions on the YMCA Bench Press Test yielded a score of 27, which is a population average of 19 and a fair rating. On the YMCA half sit-up test she did 31 repetitions which gave her best rating yet at an average rating, a score of 45 and a population average of 33. Finally, with the sit and reach test, her best trial was 13 inches giving her a fair rating, a score of 21, and a population average of 17.45 (exrx.net, 2020).

    Her scores weren’t the best, especially from someone that is overweight and is sitting in front of a desk 8 hours of the day. I would recommend that she sacrifice a little bit of sleep in the mornings to go for her walks, even if it is for 30 minutes, it will start her metabolic rate at a higher level throughout the day, helping her lose weight. She also could incorporate her boys into it in the evenings as well. Getting out and playing with them in the yard or going for walks will be beneficial for all of them. I am assuming that the boys can participate in some sort of physical education class in school, so they can reach more physical activity time. Even participating in some yoga classes can enhance her flexibility and clear her head of stress. Being able to take time for herself from time to time would be a great stress reliever, which in turn would help lower her blood pressure.

    I am a huge advocate of physical activity, and I attempt to get everyone around me to be a little bit more physically active. I have influenced many people across my personal life, business life, and even my fellow church goers. I love being able to help people reach their health, fitness, and personal goals which may take some time, but I am able to reassure them that taking at least one step towards that direction can help them in the long run. Peer motivating my clients and family members helps drive them to a point of being able to self-motivate themselves on a weekly basis. That is my main goal in life now, is to be able to help as many people as I can through physical activity, education on nutrition, and just being a well-rounded good role model to everyone.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Exercise Prescription on the Internet (2020). Fitness Testing Calculators. Retrieved from: https://www.exrx.net/Calculators/

    Bumgardner, Wendy. (Jan. 4, 2020). Rockport 1-Mile Fitness Walking Test Calculator: Self-Administered Test to Measure Your Fitness Level. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellfit.com/rockport-fitness-walking-test-calculator-3952696#:~:text=The%20Rockport%20walking%20test%20is,ml%2Fkg%2Fmin).

  • Complimentary and Integrative Medicine and Wyoming’s Local Practitioner

    Complimentary and Integrative Medicine and Wyoming’s Local Practitioner
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    Complementary and alternative medicines are something that I have become more interested as my degree passes. Between the holistic approaches to almost everything in life, or the alternative ways of healing. Now incorporating that with conventional western medicines, a person can heal properly and more efficient. There is always something different that we can do as a person in order to obtain healing for our bodies. In which our bodies can defend itself against almost everything, as long as you take good enough care of it. However, there are means of healing that we have been blessed with through technological advancements now days that can fix almost every symptom. But that isn’t what complementary and alternative medicines focus on, they focus more on the person, instead of the symptom which can accumulate more healing throughout the body. I am a firm believer that if we take care of our bodies, our bodies will take care of us. Through alternative means of healing, we can obtain a greater sense of self, and develop more of an immune response, without all the side effects of man-made medication.

    The practitioner that I ended up interviewing and researching more into, was Laura Johnson at Casper Reflexology and Spa. Due to limited contacts here in Casper-Wyoming, I was only able to find a couple alternative and integrative practices here in town which come to find out, are the busiest ones in town. She recently moved her practice into her home due to complications within her office during COVID. Of course, we all had to overcome and adapt in order to make it through this pandemic. She is a very friendly lady who is 74 years old and has been doing these practices for almost 40 years. She focuses on the whole body, and looks at the word Holistic, as whole-istic. Her view on it is that the word hol reminds her of a hole in the ground, and that isn’t what she is trying to obtain when healing people. She looks at it as a whole, where she sees the entire body and adjust her healing practices to that. It is a great way to look at it, though most people might have other opinions. I had gathered a copious amount of information pertaining to the practices that she completes.

    Reiki is one of her practices that dates back to the 1800’s when a woman of the name Mrs. Takata brought the practice over to Hawaii from Japan. She began to practice there, with a method called the USUI Method. This is the same practice that Laura practices today through all the certifications and licensure that she has received over time. She also does other practices like Reflexology and Myo-Fascia release (MFR) while also doing other means of holistic practices like feather-tapping and essential oils. Each one of these practices focuses on the person’s well-being, and fixing the individual as a whole, instead of just the symptom.

    Reflexology is a hands/feet modality that uses different pressure points to relieve separate problems and was created in the 1920’s by a person named Unis Engam according to Laura (Johnson, 2020). While Myo-Fascia Release was created by an athlete by the name John F. Barns years ago that hurt his back while he was lifting weights. This deep tissue massage type is used with rollers and other hard surfaces to penetrate deep into the muscle tissue. It helps to release tightness in muscles and relieve stress areas. It was thought that the harder you pressed, the better it would work. However, they have found that doing less pressure over a span of a few different appointments, it tends to work better.

    Feather-tapping is an old Native American practice that is done to release the dark energies within the body and engulf you in light energies. It is done by listening to a guided meditation and listening to Native American drum and flute music while wearing a heavy buffalo hide blanket. She then will place them in a coat of feathers to wipe away all the dark energies. This is done to realign your chakras and relieve pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and inflammation. Now with essential oils, it is exactly how it sounds. She will determine what the patient’s problems are and adjust the type of essential oils in the air or applied directly to the body. Of course, some people may opt out of this one, for the fear of allergic reactions. Also, most essential oils are bad for animals, so it should be done away from them.

    The social impact of her practices is slim in our area. Since Wyoming isn’t that much of a progressive state, most people don’t understand anything about complementary and alternative medicines and are usually stuck in the old school ways of things. This is a result in not very many clients that are mid-aged individuals. However, the knowledge is beginning to get out there more and more every day, so people are starting to find an interest in these practices. The younger age groups have been taught more about these practices in health classes in school. So, their interests are there, and more elderly patients are beginning to appear. As we get further into the processes of these practices, more and more people tend to find interests, and are willing to try it out.

    The economic impact that these practices have, is that Wyoming isn’t a license state. Meaning that people don’t need licenses to practice some of these modalities. Of course, they are voting on this to be a license state so that people that are licensed can continue to practice. With people having the ability to just open their own clinics, has been hindering people that are actual practitioners to lose clients. This could have an economical impact on people that have taken the time to get their licenses and certifications in order to practice safely. On the other hand, though, with more clinics, more people could be paying back into our economy. Also, most CAM practices aren’t covered by insurance unless it is considered massage therapy. There is a “flexible” expenditure within insurance policies here in Wyoming that allow massage therapy to be done on patients that are needing it. However, reiki, and other alternative practices don’t get classified under that criteria. So, without insurance paying for it, most people might find it hard to justify spending money on these kinds of things.

    According to a study done on reflexology, patients were found to have a significant reduction in depression and anxiety, while also improving their quality of sleep at night (Wang, et al., 2020). This study was done with 26 randomized control groups with a total of 2,366 individuals that met criteria (Wang, et al., 2020). They found that the longer they performed the reflexology on the feet, the more the patients sleep quality improved. Being able to increase patients sleep quality can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by itself. However, improving all these mental incapacities can improve one’s life tremendously.

    According to Lewis on a peer reviewed study, our body’s natural healing response is improved with complementary and alternative means through more holistic approaches, while conventional practices can diminish our healing response (Lewis, 2002). With a more improved natural healing response, we can kick most illnesses and diseases more easily, while also not contracting new ones. For example, with the current pandemic, they were using ventilators at the beginning of the pandemic. They soon found out that since their patients were breathing synthetically, their bodies natural healing processes weren’t kicking in, resulting in more deaths at the beginning. Once they figured out that the right vitamin supplementation, enough sleep, and hydration they were able to heal quicker. Though our interview had been postponed a few times, I was finally able to get it done. I asked all the required questions, while also asking a few of my own. It was over the phone to minimize exposure of COVID, and to make it more accessible for her. The following is a part of the interview from our Unit 7 Assignment:

    Question 7-How long have you been doing each profession?

    In her 74 years of life, she started as a flight attendant for 40 years, and since then, she has been gathering knowledge and certificates to practice in the Unites States. She has gathered almost 42 years’ worth of knowledge and certificates to be able to know what she is doing and continues to find new things to learn. She has been doing Reiki for almost 12 years, with all the others surpassed that.

    Question 8-What gave you the desire to start these practices?

    She started having an interest in these practices through her own personal experiences of these practices. She has found that conventional western medicine was killing more people than healing, since they only focus on the symptom, not the person. She is super sensitive to most anti-biotics, and other medications that prevent her from being able to take them. She found that energy healing practices have had more of an impact on her, and now on her patients.

    Question 9-Any Other Comments?

    She is always promoting other holistic healing practitioners within our region. She tells her patients that just because they come to her, that there may be another practitioner that may work for that persons needs more. She is fully committed to the individuals healing, even if it means she loses a client.

    She also believes that people’s immunity should be their priority above all else. Along with taking care of themselves, while also taking at least an hour to decompress each week.

    She is also an astrologist, where she believes that since the moon affects the tides here on earth, that the moon must affect us as well, since we are 70% water.

    Her outlook on certain aspects of our lives and our world aligned with some of my beliefs, which made our interaction more pleasant. I too believe that the moon has more of an affect on us as human beings, since it can control the height of the tides in our massive oceans.  Of course, the moon is massive within itself, yet it is so far away, and it still affects our oceans tides. So why wouldn’t it have an impact on us at all? I also believe that everybody needs to take time out of their week to decompress and take time for themselves. Whether it is going for a hike, doing something that they love, or even sitting in silence for an hour. Either way, taking those moments to get your mind off of everything going on in your life, could help reduce stress and anxieties. Most of us are so focused on what we are doing on a daily basis, that we never take time for ourselves, or we are always putting everyone and everything else above our own needs. Reaching a level of self-love can increase your mood, and your social interactions as well. If we don’t love ourselves, how could we love anyone else, or anything else around us?

    Self-reflecting on the interaction with Laura was sort of humbling, for the reasons of her vast amount of knowledge that she had obtained over the years. I have been going to school for almost four years now, and I know that even though I have learned a lot, there will always be something more to learn. Especially with the ability of relaying the information as fast and as well as she had during our interview. It showed me that in order to be good at what you do, you need to continue to refresh your knowledge and continue to research new topics within these practices. I have always loved seeing someone do something that they are really good at. Though I hadn’t watched her do it physically in person, I know that she is going to know exactly what to do if I were to come in for an appointment. Which might be a possibility in the future for the reason of interest in these practices. I would like to experience what it is like to sit in as a patient before I begin dabbling in it some more. I am a hands-on learner, so if I could even sit in as a shadow and observe what she does, I think she would allow that to happen.

    Our relationship grew over the past several weeks, from the first day I had spoken to her, to the point of saying good-bye on the phone after the interview. She had even offered to allow me to get some sort of practice done for a discounted price. I think furthering our relationship would help introduce me into these practices more, so that I could advance my knowledge with more hands-on knowledge. She had integrated her practices on her own self just recently, since she had slipped on ice, and broke her arm. She got the conventional surgery to realign her arm and did the pain management that the doctor had prescribed her to do. However, after being released from the hospital, she had begun to do some of her own practices on herself, limited to what she could do of course. She went to a fellow practitioner and had them complete some of the practices that she couldn’t do herself. With her having complications to man-made medicines, she tried to stray away from them as much as possible. She had found that the essential oils, and reflexology that was conducted on her, alleviated her pain within her arm.

     All in all, this whole past 10 weeks has been inspiring and has drawn me to this lifestyle even more. I knew I wanted to use these practices in my life in order to help as many people as I can, and now it is even more of a desire. I look forward to seeing what this degree has in hold for me in the future, and it has all started with learning of these practices. This course has invited me to look out in my own community in order to find a practitioner and has shown me that the possibility of doing something along these lines in Wyoming is actually there. I had continued to believe that doing some sort of alternative practice in small town Wyoming was nearly impossible. However, I have found a clientele base, and a potential colleague to work with and further my education. Through my personal trainers’ certificate, this knowledge of complementary and alternative/ integrative medicines, nutritional counseling, and my desire to help people, I may be able to make a difference within my community, and potentially even statewide.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Johnson, Laura. (2021). Casper Reflexology and Spa. Retrieved from: https://casper-reflexology.abmp.com/home

    Lewis, P. (2002). Integrative Holistic Health, Healing, and Transformation: A Guide for Practitioners, Consultants, and Administrators. Charles C Thomas. Retrieved from: https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=4557106a-7543-4f29-9b57-4363080bbcc1%40pdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=446310&db=nlebk

    Wang, W.-L., Hung, H.-Y., Chen, Y.-R., Chen, K.-H., Yang, S.-N., Chu, C.-M., & Chan, Y.-Y. (2020). Effect of Foot Reflexology Intervention on Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality in Adults: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (ECAM), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/2654353

  • Piaget’s Theory & Bronfenbrenners’s Ecological Systems Theory

    Piaget’s Theory & Bronfenbrenners’s Ecological Systems Theory
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    The following is a short comparison between these two Cognitive-Developmental Theories. I really like ecological systems theory, since it brings up a big aspect our surroundings. I truly do believe that we are influenced by the people around us, even from a young age. I know personally, alcohol was a huge influence in my home. I remember being 5 years old, and running to the cooler or the fridge to grab my parents a beer. It is something that I took with me into my early adulthood and even late adolescent years. I found that drinking more than one beer in a sitting is considered to be an excess amount of beer. That is something that seemed foreign to me, since if you didn’t drink a whole 12-pack, then you weren’t drinking. I soon found out on my own that it isn’t normal to drink beer every night like I seen growing up. So next time you feel something is normalized in your life, you may need to think about it a little bit more, because sometimes what was normal to us as kids, is completely different for ourselves. Try not to be influenced, be the influencer as a good image, especially for our younger generation.

    Please contrast two developmental theories – Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory and a second theory of your choice that has been covered this semester. Identify your theory choice by listing it in the table. Contrast the theories by filling out each cell of the table.

    TheoryPiagetBronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
    Main Characteristics of Theory        Cognitive-Development of a child through their earlier years, where they actively acquire knowledge as they progress into and manipulate the world (Berk, 2020).Ecological Theory was centered on a child’s complex relationships within multiple levels of their environment and surroundings (Berk, 2020).
    Domain of focus (physical, cognitive, social/emotional, or combination of several domains)Cognitive, with a touch of emotional.Combination of physical and cognition
    Continuous or Discontinuous Development?DiscontinuousContinuous
    Stance on Influence of Nature and Nurture?    NurtureIt is based of nature, with nurture being a more complex aspect
    Example of Theory Concept applied to child development (cite textbook information/research findings to support your ideas)  An example of Piaget’s theory would be learning from their mistakes and not doing them again (Berk, 2020). Placing their hand on their mothers curling iron and burning their hand. Doing this action will teach them that this is something not to touch in the future.An example would be the amount of people a child meets throughout their early childhood years. Whether those interactions are more or less complex. Meeting a bad individual, may cause the child to long for that attention (Berk, 2020).
    Two Strengths of Theory        A child can progress into the world with an acquired knowledge of common mistakes. They can begin centering their knowledge around certain likes that they can carry into the future.It can be gauged throughout there whole early life. And can learn from other people’s mistakes.
    Two Weaknesses of Theory        If the child has lived a sheltered life, they won’t be able to learn from mistakes. Problem-solving can begin to be diminished into adolescents, causing impulsivity (Berk, 2020).The child can learn to emulate an individual that they meet, which may not be a good influence. A child can begin learning bad habits from other complex individuals.

    1) If you had to choose a theory that completely describes child and adolescent development, which of the two theories from the contrast above would you choose or would you select certain components of several theories? Explain your choice.

    I would select certain components of several different theories, since there is logic pertaining to being diverse. Having a diverse upbringing from different positive aspects of different theories, can enhance physical, cognitive, and emotional/social development. Taking a little bit of cognition and applying it into a child’s life as they meet new individuals, they can assess things better. Having a heightened cognitive ability with Piaget’s theory, Bronfenbrenner’s theory can begin bringing them closer to the complexity of relationships.

    2) What aspects of your theory (or theories) make it more attractive than the others?

    The main aspect that makes these theories attractive than single ones, is again, the diversity of the child’s development. Their cognitive, emotional/social, and physical development can all be enhanced into late adolescents and early adulthood years. Stemming a little bit of all theories together can develop a child into a great individual as they age.

    3) Does your theory describe development from infancy through adolescence completely? If yes, would you consider your theory the ideal child development theory? If no, what else would need to be added to your theory to completely describe child and adolescent development?

    These theories do stem from infancy all the way to adolescent years, which would be considered an ideal developmental theory. The only thing that would need to be considered, is the child itself. One child may be different than the other, even in an immediate family. So understanding each case is going to be different, you can begin to adapt to the child’s certain needs.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References Berk, L. E. (2020). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (9th Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9780135494271

  • Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease

    Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease
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    Glen has been noticing his hands shaking when conducting daily activities such as signing his signature. He is 45 years old and his family also notices that he shuffles when he walks and muffles his speech when talking to them. He is seen by his family doctor and is diagnosed with Onset Parkinson’s Disease. This is something that can affect his day to day living tremendously. By shaking his morning cup of coffee to the point of chattering against his teeth, to taking a shorter step then normal with a bit of a jolt along with it. He can also find it difficult to thread that needle to sow his fishing hat, or to thread the hook to even go fishing. There are all sorts of difficulties that he can face with this sort of disease, and a lot of different aspects that are affected with this as well.

    Early Onset Parkinson’s is usually diagnosed with patients that are 21-50 years old. Even though Parkinson’s is traumatic at any time of life, being diagnosed with it at an early age can thoroughly impact a young person’s quality of life and of their family around them. Most diagnosis of Parkinson’s is with patients around the age of 60 years old, so younger people can be misdiagnosed or even undiagnosed for some time. At this point, doctors have not found a cure for this disease. Only about 10 to 20 percent of people with this disease are diagnosed at an early age. Some symptoms include confusion, memory loss, and problems with balance. They may also experience problems with involuntary movements such as jerking or tics that they have now control over. It could be due to the disease, or to a prevention medicine is called levodopa.

    The specific cell type that is affected by Parkinson’s Disease is nerve cells in deep parts of the brain called Basal Ganglia and Substantia Nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra with is responsible for relaying messages that control and plan body movements. Dopamine is a molecule that sends messages to allow certain nerve cells to communicate between each other. Dopamine is super critical to the central nervous system functions such as movement, pleasure, attention, mood, and motivation. Figuring out about dopamine’s role in Parkinson’s Disease changes the field of neuroscience and was able to allow a breakthrough in treating this disease. They found norepinephrine to be a striking resemblance to dopamine with is another naturally occurring prevalent throughout the central nervous system (Parry, Susan 2015). Norepinephrine is a hormone that also helps with burning fat, so along with finding the pleasures in life through natural dopamine, you will become thinner than normal. The dopamine-producing nerve cells of the substantia nigra start to die off with Parkinson’s disease, and once 80 percent of dopamine is lost, Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremor, slow movement, stiffness, and balance problems occur. The synapse of reduced dopamine creates all of this, so blocking the breakdown action of MAO-B can slow disease progression. Also blocking the neurotransmitter glutamate can increase dopamine release. As I mentioned earlier, the drug levodopa can reduce movement problems like tremors, stiffness, slowness, and problems walking. That’s why Glens doctor would prescribe him with a dopamine agonist to raise his level of dopamine. Our body movement is controlled by a complex chain of interconnected nerve cells called the ganglia. Information goes to the central area of the brain called the striatum, that works with the substantia nigra to send impulses backs and forth from the spinal cord and the brain. So, when the basal ganglia and cerebellum are affected by Parkinson’s, movements cannot be carried out in a smooth, fluid manner (Mayfield Brain and Spine, 2019).

     The cause of Parkinson’s disease it not yet known to an extent. However, Parkinson’s disease has crossed over several generations of families throughout the years that could indicate that certain forms of the disease are genetic and/or hereditary. Many researchers think that it can be caused by external factors along with gene pool within the family. As they are continuously working towards the cause or causes of Parkinson’s, the thought of genetics is always number one (American Parkinson’s disease Association, 2019). There are secondary forms of Parkinson’s disease that can be caused by medications as I stated earlier with levodopa. But other medications can cause it as well, such as haloperidol which is used to treat confusion and hallucinations, reserpine which helps with hyper-tension, and metoclopramide which is simply an anti-nausea drug (Mayfield Brain and Spine, 2019). Self Care is the best treatment along with the medication. Maintaining balance and range of motion with your muscles can give you back control of the muscular system. Same as any prevention plan for any type of disease, a good healthy diet, and an according fitness plan, will help keep you safe from disease.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    American Parkinson’s Disease Association. (2019). Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved from: https://www.apdaparkinson.org/what-is-parkinsons/early-onset-parkinsons-disease/

    Mayfield Brain and Spine. (2019) Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved from: http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/pe-pd.htm

    Nall, Rachel RN, BSN, CCRN. (Jan 7, 2018). What is Early-onset Parkinson’s. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320527.php

    Perry, Susan. (Oct 22, 2015). Dopamine and Movement. Retrieved from: http://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/movement/2015/dopamine-and-movement

  • The Most Important Organ in the Human Body: The Heart

    The Most Important Organ in the Human Body: The Heart
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    Human Heart

    The Human Heart is probably the most important organ in the human body for many reasons. It is a muscular organ that is located slightly to the left behind the breast bone and is about the size of a fist. It pumps blood to the cardiovascular system through a network of arteries and veins within the body. It is made up of four separate chambers, the right atrium and ventricle, as well as the left atrium and ventricle. The right atrium receives blood from the veins and transfers it to the right ventricle, where it then pumps blood to the lungs to be loaded with oxygen. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle, which is the strongest chamber so that it can pump it throughout the body. The left ventricle is what creates our blood pressure as it pumps through the body. Blood pressure is the pressure at which blood is pumped against the artery walls. The coronary arteries provide oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle as they run along the surface of the heart. Surrounding the heart is a sac called the pericardium and that also holds a web of nerves that run through the heart that conduct complex signals to control contraction and relaxation of the heart (Hoffman 2014). This organ is critical for survival for many different reasons. The heart acts as the motor of the body, to provide other organs and our limbs with oxygen-rich blood. While the blood is pumped to the muscles, the muscles in turn create heat for our bodies on a cold evening. If our limbs didn’t have blood pumped to them, they wouldn’t be able to receive the required cells to stay alive, and they would slowly begin to die. White blood cells need to be pumped through the body as well to fight off infections and to keep injuries from getting worst. If it wasn’t for the heart, we couldn’t get blood to our brain or other organs that keep us alive. With no blood to the brain, we wouldn’t be able to think, and the nervous system would begin to die as well. It is by far the most important organ in our body for those reasons that were stated.

     The heart is a part of the muscular tissue system and is the cardiac type of muscle tissue. The heart is a cardiac muscle and it has short, branched, striated cells with one nucleus at the center of each cell. Intercalated discs are specialized communication junctions and they facilitate the heartbeat by sending the signal to contract and relax. They are formed from gap junctions and cell adhering proteins, where the knit cell membranes spread the contraction while also binding the cells closely together. The heart is a tissue that can be transplanted along with a couple of the other tissues. You can dissolve the heart into individual cells with something called trypsin, which is an enzyme that destroys the protein glue between the cells. At that point you can see cells called myocytes that will beat independently within the heart. A complex series of gates called ion channels open and close in an organized manner for a single cell beat. If the cells don’t touch each other their beats are proprietary to each and it is the gap junctions, or intercalated discs, that ensure the connected cells work as one. If they don’t beat in unison, heart murmurs can occur, where a pacemaker will need to be placed on the subject to makes sure it beats accordingly (Sullivan 2018). All these cells must work together to ensure a proper beating heart for our bodies.

    Each organ requires different tissue types to work correctly because just like in any type of an eco-system setting, everything must work to complete the cycle. If the heart doesn’t work properly, it cannot pump blood to the lungs to be oxygenated so it can pump blood to the remainder of the body. Just as that, the lungs must work properly so that the blood originally can be oxygenated. With that, the smooth muscle, such as an artery must be able to carry the blood to and from the heart. Without proper transport of the blood, it will never reach its destination sufficiently. The connective tissue is there to keep everything in place so that the body can retain its integrity, and nothing can shift around too much. And the nervous tissue acts as a control center for all the works (Ireland 2018). For everything to work in unison, the nervous tissue must relay messages to each organ within the body. Tissues must be made up of different cell types because not one cell can do the job of many. Every cell must be present to keep the other cells in order, just like the components of a working gear clock, everything intertwines to reach a common group and that is functionality of the human body.

    This is just some of the information pertaining to the Human Heart, that is such a complex organ within our bodies. The heart being a muscular tissue that provides blood to the entire body should be rated as one of the most powerful muscles in the body, because without it, none of the other muscles in our bodies would be proficient. Taking care of our hearts is one of the most important aspects to keep in mind. You can do this through a level of exercise and eating the right foods. Watching your weight and avoid putting too many toxins into your body can help promote proper heart health for a good long-lasting life. Myocardial infarction is something that kills a lot of adults now days, and it is something that is easily prevented if you supervise your cardiovascular system as you get further with age.

    -Cyral I Callender III

  • Professionalism

    Professionalism
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    Health and Wellness Career

    There are so many different career fields in our society now days, where it would nearly be impossible to not find a job, or most of all, a career you desire the most. Having a career that you look forward to and love, you pretty much aren’t going to work, you are just going to do what you love all day. Each person has their own desire on what they want to do as a career, and sometimes it takes a long time to find that specific career. While in that career, we must carry a level of professionalism that is proprietary to that field. Health services is going to be different than engineering, while business management is going to be different than construction. The following will include my desired career field, and the professionalism that comes along with it.

    Part 1: View and Analysis

    I chose the Psychology/ Human Services since I am not quite in the Medical field. Of course, I am incorporated into providing services for people for health, wellness, psychology, fitness, and overall life obtaining life goals. I have information on the anatomy/physiology for the physical activity aspect and understanding of why someone is having some sort of sore muscles, or back problems. I have also educated myself on Complimentary and Alternative medicines to aid people in finding a safe alternative to conventional western medicines. All that, along with psychology for all ages, all adds up to being in the psychology and human services class of career. Owning my own Health club is one of my biggest desires, where I can teach people how to live a healthier lifestyle, promote gym attendance, proper nutrition, and develop a staff of people with the same aspirations.

    The individuals in these slides were exceptionally professional, from their attire, to their body language. One example is the picture of the psychologist reaching over and carefully touching the patient while she is crying. This can create a calming affect for someone in distress, which is something you learn firsthand as a psychologist. Another is what they are wearing. The woman have nice blouses and long dress/skirts that do not show too much. While the men have nice, crisped shirts with ties, with all of them having nice clean-cut hair and well-groomed beards. Having great hygiene is something that would need to be important as well, since most of these interactions will be close to one another.

    All the slides seem professional enough, however the touching of the client should be asked first before being done. We don’t know in the slide if she asked permission before reaching out and touching the lady’s shoulder. With me being a male, I would definitely need to ask for permission before touching a woman’s shoulder. Some other thoughts about my career field would need to be about working out attire. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to wear a suit and tie while exercising, but how long should my shorts be? Should I where a full T-shirt, or would my client be comfortable with a tank top or cut off sleeves? Each client would desire separate needs, so understanding them would my top priority.

    Part 2: Personal Reflection and Connection

    The appropriate attire for a human service provider is good hygiene, clean-cut hair/beard, dressy casual clothing, and nice skirts/pants. According to the University of Denver, dressy casual is something that would be good in human services since it would comfort the client more often, which entails clothes that are nice, yet sort of casual (University of Denver, 2020). In psychology or human services, the client must feel comfortable in order to open up to you about what is bothering them, or what they want to work on. If someone isn’t comfortable with you, they may not disclose as much information that they would need in order to assess and find a cure for their problems.

    According to the National Organization for Human Services, human service professionals is an easy term for someone that is a professional or paraprofessional in a community setting, with their main focus being assisting individuals to function normally in all domains of life (NOHS, n.d.). As stated earlier, every individual client is going to be different and is going to hold separate needs than other clients. Being able to remember which client is which and getting close to them is a professional way to approach human services/ psychology. Keeping your workload to a minimum would be considered professional as well, since you cannot remember or be as close to too many clients at once. Doing all of this, while not allowing yourself to get too stressed out to the point where your clients notice, can keep you from becoming unprofessional.

    Behavior needs in human services is something that is the upmost importance, since you are attempting to help people that need someone with a clear head and the right demeanor. You can’t show up for a client’s appointment all upset because there was a fight at home or having problems because of the drive into the office. Keeping a level head, and a caring demeanor is going to assist in the client opening up, since more often than not, the client already has all kinds of problems going on with them. Body language is a huge aspect as well, you may feel right in the mind, but snooty looking in your body language, which could make the client more standoffish. According to Carol Goman, whole body signals can be just as significant in decision making and emotions, which pertains mostly to fear (Goman, 2008). Being able to read your clients body language as well can make you more of a professional, to the point where you can tell when they are fearing about talking about something or doing something.

    The aspects of myself are quite professional. I own my own business currently, so dealing with business related situations has been something I have done for quite some time. Though I have tattoos pretty much all over my body, I have been cognizant of where I place them. I have kept them two inches from my wrist, so long sleeves will cover them, while also not tattooing my hands, face, or neck. However, I have come to notice while helping someone that has their own number of tattoos, they tend to be more comfortable, and they do also become good ice breakers in the beginning of a conversation. These aspects relate perfectly to my career field, since I will be working with all kinds of people, from ex-cons to soccer-moms, or even other entrepreneurs as well. The diversity in human services is quite vast, so again, finding what each client prefers, and what they desire to accomplish can assist me in being as professional as possible.

    In conclusion, psychology and human services professionalism comes with the environment. If I go to half-way houses or institutions, my professionalism will be different than at my health club. The people are going to determine which type of persona I use, though I will always be myself, I will need to accommodate to their needs. Having the right attire, language, body language, and appropriate perception in this field comes with time. And becoming a professional in this field would take understanding of who I am going to deal with that day. Keeping my tattoos hidden for some clients, while also exposing some of them to other clients. It is all up to the specific individual that I am helping at that moment.

    -Cyral I Callender III  

    References:

    Goman, C.K. (2008). The nonverbal advantage: Secrets and science of body language

    at work. Retrieved from: https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=45d3d4ed-d045-47c7-9e94-ef12a04af5c0%40sessionmgr4008&ppid=pp_21&vid=0&format=EB

    National Organization for Human Services. (n.d.). What is Human Services? Retrieved from: https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services

    University of Denver. (Sept. 18, 2020). Professional Attire Basics: Understanding Dress Expectations for the Interview and at Work. Retrieved from: https://career.du.edu/blog/2020/09/18/professional-attire-basics/

  • Short Child Psychology: Parent Rearing

    Short Child Psychology: Parent Rearing
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    The beginning of the description for this journal carries a lot of weight, ALMOST all parents want to be good parents. I feel like that should be every parent, but that just isn’t how things work anymore, unfortunately. I grew up with four older sisters, so my parents only did what they could to maintain five young hellions. We were raised old school, so showing emotion was taboo in our family, again unfortunately. Their child-rearing tactics could have used some revision of course, however, it helped me take the bad tactics and eliminate them for my children. The amount of alcohol that was drank in the house when I grew up, was uncommon. So, I have gotten to the point with my children, that I just don’t even drink. I don’t want to influence them, especially when they get to an older age and understand what alcohol is. Also, my children will be able to show any emotion that they need to, so they can understand them better.

    I think the culture of small town Wyoming definitely affects how children are brought up. The culture is hardworking, tough, oilfield/miner, guys that should work, drink, and sleep. This carried a lot of weight on us as children because alcohol was constantly around us growing up. It made it so alcohol consumption was known as something everybody did. I believe that if people in certain cultures would put forth the effort to learn better child rearing tactics, then things would be different. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity. And my parents always wondered why my older siblings were always getting in trouble. They were enabled at a young age, thinking that some sort of a substance is culturally accepted and is second nature. Now 20 years later, some of my siblings are finally breaking out of that mindset. It all takes time, especially if it is instilled in us at a young age.

    If I were to give a first-time parent any advice, I would advise them to pay attention closely to their child. Observing your child, even from a young age, can enhance your level of understanding with them, and your level of love. Sometimes I find myself observing my one-year-old as she begins learning her fine motor skills. These moments are utterly priceless, and just melts my heart every time. If you have a level of self-love, you will give off more love to the people around you. Furthermore, that level of love for your child, will motivate you to be a better person and a better parent. Leave anger at the door, and don’t allow it to trump other emotions because when your child is crying, it is because he/she cannot speak to you yet. That is their only way of communicating, so if they are crying too much, find what is bothering them. Putting yourself in their shoes for a moment, and you will soon find out how frustrating it is to not be able to ask for what you want.

    -Cyral I Callender III

  • Development of Self-Understanding Through Early Stages of Life

    Development of Self-Understanding Through Early Stages of Life
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    The concept of self is something that we all acquire throughout our lives, stemming from our early childhood years. Understanding oneself is terribly difficult, that is why our parents must coach us along the way to reaching self-fulfillment. Infancy/toddlerhood is the beginning of our self-awareness and self-understanding. As we age to middle childhood and adolescent years, our ability to assess ourselves begins to become stronger and stronger. However, the awkwardness of our limbs as they grow begins to become harder to judge and depth perception’s fault at times. Teaching our children about the growth of our bodies, and the changes we all experience, can enhance their ability to reach self-understanding a lot quicker.

    Self-understanding in infancy/toddlerhood starts as early as just a few months with their ability to see of course. They can determine what their legs look like from their own perspective, while also being able to study their legs from another camera perspective. Seeing themselves in the mirror can show proof of their self-understanding and self-awareness as well. An example of self-control is their ability to know the difference between kicking their legs to the left or the right, which rolls the ball towards or away from them. According to Berk (2020), an infant can access different means of awareness when exposed to separate stimuli that has the potential of rewarding them with what they want (p. 272). As they age, they can begin to make scale errors, where their depth perception isn’t aligned with their arm length or leg length. Parents can help with this by doing exercises of depth perception with their child or allowing them to observe themselves in the mirror.

    Early childhood is when scale errors begin to become less prevalent. We tend to grow fast in this time of our lives, but so does our self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-concept begins to develop. According to Berk (2020), self-concept is the definition of oneself, such as attributes, values, abilities, and attitudes that we begin to find what makes us stand out from other people (p. 355). This is when we begin to take the initiative on certain tasks and interest in figuring out what we can do alone, or with assistance from our parents. An example of this is picking and choosing their own clothes or stating that they are able to wash their own hair since they are bigger now. As they age and learn new things, that is just one more thing they don’t need their parents for. Independence becomes a huge aspect at this point and their self-esteem begins to strengthen. Parents can help by allowing them to explore new items of clothing or playing with the other children nearby.

    Middle childhood years are the years that self-concept and self-esteem characteristics begin to show through even more. According to Berk (2020), social comparisons begin to happen, where they judge themselves or others over appearance, physical abilities, and behaviors among others. Our sense of self begins to be compared to other school aged children through those different social comparisons. An example would be comparing ones-self to how well they can juggle a soccer ball during the physical education class. Self-esteem can begin being targeted at this age with peer motivation and other social constructs. Now days it can be even harder as we age from middle childhood to early adolescent, since there are so many social medias and false portrayals of what “famous” people look like. An example can be a child losing or gaining self esteem through their physical abilities or physical looks. Parents can help with this by explaining that we are who we are, and that comparing or judging others is a taboo ordeal.

    Finally, the years all parents are afraid to face, self-understanding for their child in adolescent years. Later on in these years, their ego’s become some of their most driven understandings of themselves, which can be a bad thing. According to Berk (2020), adolescents, otherwise known as teens, begin to realize the significance of their choices of values, ethics, and moral beliefs that will shape them into young adults (p.593). An example of self-concept would be their decision to perform well in school so that they can get into a great college after high school. While an example of self-esteem would be placing more balance on their social views on the world, whether they feel like a good person or are conscientious of their day to day actions. If they feel like they may be rude, then they can’t do something to change that, they just continue to be rude. While on the other side, they may realize they are rude, and work more introspective to change it for the better. Parents can assist in this aspect of their child’s lives by allowing them to explore the things they love to do, instead of forcing them to do certain things. When a teen finds something they love to do, they find an anchor, and a teen with a good anchor can build a solid foundation going into adulthood.

    In conclusion, self-understanding, self-concept, self-awareness, and self-esteem all work hand in hand from infancy/toddlerhood years, all the way up to late adolescent years. Of course, they all must develop, just like we must develop physically throughout the years. Furthermore, if we as parents can find ways to coach them along the way, while still allowing them to find what interests them the most, then we can have a great foundation built for our children when they go off on their own. Giving them the fundamentals and the outlook of an adult, without forcing it down their throats may seem hard, but it is one of the most crucial aspects of life.

    -Cyral I Callender III

     

    References

    Berk, L. E. (2020). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (9th Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9780135494271

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”-Yoko Ono

Source: Famous People Quotes. Cyral Callender III. Mar. 29, 2022