Nutrition?

I had an excellent education in nutrition, unlike many doctors. I also had an excellent education in biochemistry and physiology. As an undergraduate, one of my professors assigned us the task of finding "at least one error in basic molecular biology on every page" of what was then the latest fad diet book (Atkins).
It was a slam dunk.
Perhaps it is because it is so important, or because it is associated with so many positive things, or just because it tastes "so good" (thank you, Mrs. White), but we are obsessed with food. There is more crap science out there about nutrition than almost any other scientific subject. Very early in my public school tenure I had to attend a "Best Practices" (??) session on nutrition given by District health (?) teachers. They gave out so much wrong information that I had to leave the session in order to keep from making a scene.
I am convinced they learned their nutrition on the internet.
The result is that Americans are malnourished. Overweight, underexercised, obsessed with "fat burning foods" and perpetuating lies about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and related food products, and totally misinformed about vitamins and minerals, Americans are what they eat.
Very bad news.
As health professionals and responsible consumers we owe it to ourselves and our patients to be scientifically literate about nutrition. I will be teaching that class and that will be my standard: scientific validity. In the meantime, look for one basic error in metabolism in every article you see about food.
It will be a slam dunk.

You've come a long way....

Today the first class of students in the new Chicago Chamberlain BSN program start orientation. It is primarily to work with these students that I have been given this great opportunity here at DeVry.

I have tremendous respect for nurses. During my career as a physician, nurses have been a constant source of inspiration and support, often saving my butt as well as patients' lives despite my "expertise." Nurses are the real caregivers in medicine.

Here's to you, ladies and gents!

Science and History

POLYNESIA
The more science finds out about history, the more changes need to be made in our traditional whiteocentric view.
The 11 June 2010 issue of Science, which often features articles on anthropology and related sciences, has a fascinating piece on evidence that Polynesians, certainly history's most intrepid explorers, visited South America long before Europeans invaded and ransacked that continent. If so, their contact was much gentler--went to trade.
Homo sapiens is a species that evidenced its intelligence, curiosity, and flat-out derring-do wherever it settled. The mythology of western Europeans "discovering" the other 80% of the world, which is not only untrue but BORING,
has hopefully been dispelled once and for all,
thanks to science.

Health Care Professionals: Scientists in Action

Two of my heroes are Florence Nightingale and Joseph Lister (I think you can figure which is which). Florence was a nurse who used her love and knowledge of science to revolutionize the practice of medicine in England during the Victorian era, saving an untold number of lives. As demonstrated during her service in the bloody and destructive and, like all wars, ultimately indecisive Crimean War, she was a damned fine nurse, too, who showed doctors how patient care should REALLY be done. Joseph Lister was a doctor who bucked the status quo in 19th century London by using science to invent antisepsis, thereby saving countless lives. He was also the best physician in Britain, who demonstrated real care for his patients rather than the usual patronizing exploitation. This man and woman were what I call clinical scientists, or scientist clinicians. Their love of science made them the best in their fields and allowed them to care for patients in a way no one else had done to that time. Flo and Joe, here's to you! I want to be like you when I grow up!

Rain, Rain Go Away

It has been raining, and raining, and raining in Chicago for days. I think most people don't realize that Earth contains all the water we are ever going to have or have ever had. No more, no less.
It's difficult to picture the fact that every single atom that is in a living organism today has been here--in existence--for billions of years. It's not only picturesque but true--we are made of stardust. Far from making us insignificant, it is the miracle of the first order.
When people ask me how I reconcile science with faith, I respond, "And God said, let there be light."
All the rest is detail.

Spacetime

Actually, living organisms are a great example of this difficult-to-understand concept.
Living is a process of moving inexorably in real time to a different place tied unshakeably to the other three dimensions of spacetime.
Every moment is defined by a new set of coordinates within the continuum of life,
totally distinct from its predecessors and successors.

Beginnings

Everything had or will have a beginning.
As I get adjusted to this new place, my spacetime geography is growing, just like this seed's.
I look forward to the next days, one day at a time!

Balance

Sitting here listening to the noise of passing thunderstorms, I am struck by what an incredibly well-balanced system is Earth and its atmosphere. What is really happening in these storms is that energy, unbalanced in its types and distributions, is coming back into equilibrium. It sounds like chaos but it's correction. The calm that comes after a storm is no illusion!
Energy is back in balance.

Welcome

Welcome to the the weblog for Dr. Scott Smith, assistant professor of biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at DeVry University, Chicago.

The purpose of this blog is to share my excitement about and love of science in general, and biology or life sciences in particular.

The material posted here is for the "edification" of my family,friends, associates, and, most of all, students. Please feel free to contact me through this site or by email as you wish. I solicit your input and feedback.