Memory:Phonetic Alphabet

0 = s, z, soft c
1 =t, d, th
2 =n
3 = m
4 = r
5 = l
6 = j, sh, ch, soft g
7 = k, hard ch, hard c, hard g, qu
8 = f, v, ph
9 = b, p

*Source: Super Memory-Super Student by Harry Lorayne

Live and Proclaim

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

The LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

O LORD, save us;
O LORD, grant us success.

~ Psalm 118.17, 23-25 ~ (New International Version)

Mind Training

Mind Training has started:

A. Medical Dictionary
Have read up to page 12, right now I am going page by page, currently at "absorption"...colon a.

B. Memory/Learning Exercises
Different types of techniques I am focusing on are...

01. Cognitive Modeling
02. Links = Emotional & Creative
03. Association
04. Phonetic Alphabet
05. Peg System
06. Letter Words
07. Substitute Words
08. Combining: Words and Numbers
• Molecular Formula for Boric Acid is "Ham Bomb" = H3BO3

C. Juggling
Just started practice today and have already been able to sustain around 4 reps in a row

Techniques:
• Maintain the jugging objects close to your body, do not allow them to stray away from you,
concentrate on keeping them "tight"
• Quiet The Mind

D. Testing/Problem Solving

1. IQ Tests
2. Mensa Puzzles, Quizzes, Problems, etc
3. Wonderlic Tests

Aortic Valve Replacement

Aortic valve replacement is a cardiac surgery procedure in which a patient's aortic valve is replaced by a different valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency / regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Aortic valve replacement currently requires open heart surgery.


Two Types of Valves can be used: Tissue or Mechanical

Surgical Procedure
Aortic valve replacement is most frequently done through a median sternotomy, meaning the chestbone is sawed in half. Once the pericardium has been opened, the patient is placed on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, also referred to as the heart-lung machine. This machine takes over the task of breathing for the patient and pumping his blood around while the surgeon replaces the heart valve.

Once the patient is on bypass, an incision is made in the aorta. The surgeon then removes the patient's diseased aortic valve and a mechanical or tissue valve is put in its place. Once the valve is in place and the aorta has been closed, the patient is taken off the heart-lung machine. Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE, an ultra-sound of the heart done through the esophagus) can be used to verify that the new valve is functioning properly.

Bag of Worms
As the patient is warmed and brought back to normal 37 degrees Celsius and the heart begins to pump again, the heart can possibly go into v-tach. This is because it has been "asleep" for around 4 hours and when it "wakes" back up, it may over compensate by pumping all of its muscles at once. It will look like a "bag of worms" as all the muscles quiver and fire together. The patient can be "Charged" with electric shocks to stop the v-tach and regulate the heartbeat.

Pacing Wires and Drainage Tubes
Pacing wires are usually put in place, so that the heart can be manually paced should any complications arise after surgery. Drainage tubes are also inserted to drain fluids from the chest and pericardium following surgery. These are usually removed within 36 hours while the pacing wires are generally left in place until right before the patient is discharged from the hospital.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aortic_valve_replacement

In order to perform the procedure, Cardioplegia must be performed. Cardioplegia is the intentional and temporary cessation of cardiac activity, primarily used in cardiac surgery.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardioplegia

Decision Making: End Of Day Thinking

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
~ Tom Robbins ~

In the last post I mentioned the importance of the 38 Second rule by trusting your training and your subconscious, understanding that the gestalt can sometimes tell you all that you need to know. But to contrast this, I also mentioned how the most challenging decisions should sometimes be the most informed decisions...

Often, especially when time permits, it is best to let your decision making "slow-brew" into your subconscious which will allow you to think things over...another excerpt from Dr Groopman's amazing book, "How Doctors Think" provides us with an example:

Dr. Jeffrey Tepler is a hematologist and oncologist in private practice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Tepler states the following: "I always go back and read the literature with almost every patient who has a nuanced clinical case, a variation of a diagnosis...I try hard to stay on top of my game."

"It's hard to think deeply about patients at the moment when you are seeing them. You need some quiet time to reflect and formulate a cogent opinion," states Dr Tepler.....

Dr Groopman then goes on to say, "For that reason, he (Dr Tepler) often tells patients that he wants to think more about their cases rather than immediately offer a treatment plan. He routinely leaves his office around eight-thirty or nine at night, devoting the end of the day to thinking. "

Decision Making: 38 Second Rule

In our decision making, sometimes the power of the subconscious is paramount. With the subconscious activated, We can see or know the gestalt where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Meaning that we can determine at a moment's notice or upon our first instinctive thought what we want Most of the time, thus knowing the answer fairly quickly. But what can and often does happen is this: We over analyze and fall into the "paralysis through analysis." This normally occurs because we focus too much on details, worry what other people think, or because we are insecure about our own decision making.

Over analyzing can lead us into the worst decision of all: Not Making One...

Teddy Roosevelt once said: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

When it comes to making wise decisions, we must make sure we do not see "false positives." Meaning, "seeing things that are not there." In his amazing book, "How Doctors Think," Jerome Groopman, MD talks about "The 38 Second Rule."

Dr. E. James Potchen at Michigan State University, studied Radiologists and their decision making abilities while reading films. Potchen goes on to say, "Ironically, if you look at a film too long, you increase the risk of hurting the patient." Looking "too long" they found occurred after 38 seconds, and this is where the false positives began to show up.

Dr Groopman states the following of Dr. Potchens beliefs: "this reflects their (radiologists) level of insecurity about what they are observing. Temperament can have a significant impact on diagnostic accuracy, even among doctors like radiologists...."

In our decision making, I totally believe that the most challenging decisions need to be the most informed decisions, but we must come to the point where we believe in ourselves and understand the main idea...the gestalt. Trust Yourself, Know The Main Idea, and don't worry what other people think. Apply the 38 Second Rule to your life and see what you decide!

Amazing Aristotle Articulations

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”

"We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.”

"First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

"The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”