Dang cool

 So, we're plugging along in lecture (we have 4 hours each afternoon) and the prof is starting to sense the anticipation in the lecture hall.  We all know what is coming and have been waiting all day....

The clinical correlations.

At the very end of lectures, the somewhat droll topics suddenly take on a life of their own ~ literally.  We are presented with how biochemistry or anatomy or histology can be applied to our future patients.  It solidifies what we learned on the cellular level and is sooo much more interesting.

For example, the other day we learned about the body's ability to maintain the proper blood pH (7.4) which is very near to the pH of water (7.0 ~ nice and neutral).  When a condition such as diabetes causes the blood to become acidic (ketoacidosis), the body tries to compensate for it by breathing out the acid quickly, or hyperventilating.  The body can get rid of 13,ooo mEq units of acid a day by breathing out CO2.  On the flip side, if you overdose on aspirin, the blood becomes basic (alkalosis) and so the body compensates by signaling to your brain to slow down the breathing and retain the CO2.  So, the pH returns to normal - just by the incredible technological advancement called breathing....

Another fortunate system to have is the water/salt balance in the body.  In the blood, there is just the right ratio of water and salt to make your cells happy.  Therefore, drinking too much water can actually kill you.  It causes the blood to become too dilute, which in turn, causes the brain to swell (edema) that then compresses the blood vessels in the brain carrying oxygen.  With no oxygen going to the brain, seizures and death will result.  To counteract this result, a little table salt is all that is needed for a full recovery.  That's it.  Salt.  Another scientific breakthrough.

Personally, I wish I had a buffering system for all the material I have to learn.  It would be great if I could just achieve that perfect balance between what I need to know and what is not really important.  Part of my training is to learn, on my own, what is critical and what is extraneous.  Much like a patient with a complex medical history, I need to be able to decipher what is pertinent and what will only cloud the real diagnosis.  While it can be frustrating, in the end, it will make me a better physician.  

Pass the salt, please?