My personal interest in the pharmaceutical profession rooted for my desire to be involved in the improvement of my family’s and other people’s health. My mother who suffered from asthma and often had shortness of breath. She can’t exercise or stay outdoor for a long period of time especially during the colder weathers. As a young child, I have to witnessed my mother suffer from breathing problems through out the years. This made me feel helpless and I wished I could do more to help her. The only factor that improved her health is medication. Today, I am thankful to see that her asthma condition improves due to the help of medications. After witnessing all the troubles that she went through, I am inspired to become a pharmacist where I can applied my medicine knowledge to improve not only my family’s but also other’s health.
Intrigued by profession, I decided to enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program at Foothill College. Even though it was just an one-year program, the hands-on experience and the Pharmacology courses taught by professor Angela Su solidified my passion for pharmacy. I learned about different types
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I believe that my personal, educational and professional experiences I have accumulated throughout the years have shaped me into a strong candidate to become a pharmacist. With these experiences, I am now a confident, self-motivated and an enthusiastic individual who is not only result driven but also aware of the need to adopt a holistic approach toward any circumstances. I am ready to face the challenges that the profession will bring, and I am inspired to reach my lifelong goal of becoming a dedicated and knowledgable healthcare provider that can improve other’s
...pecific leukotriene receptors on bronchial tissues, therefore preventing bronchoconstriction, mucus secretion, and oedema. These treatments also reduce the influx of eosinophils, which results the ability to limit inflammatory damage being caused in the airway. These oral, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the incidence of acute asthma attacks when taken on a regularly basis. Although in cases of acute asthmatic attacks medical intervention and treatment is required. The type of intervention depends on the severity of the attack itself.
As modern medical research begins to discover the deep-rooted genetic and environmental origins of many chronic diseases and illnesses, researchers have began to realize the complexity of illnesses that plague mankind. One prevalent disease among humans is Asthma, a chronic lung disease that irritates and tightens the airways, resulting in reocurring periods of coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Asthma’s phenotypic range does not follow the relative simplicity of Mendelian genetics, but is rather rooted in multiple genes, such as Interleukin-13 (IL-13), and specific environmental exposures such as air pollution.
Asthma is a condition of the bronchial tubes characterized by episodes of constriction and increased mucous production. A person with asthma has bronchial tubes that are super sensitive to various stimuli, or triggers, that can produce asthma symptom.In other words, asthmatics have special sensitivity that causes their lung tissue to react far more than is should to various stimulating factors or triggers. For this reason, people with asthma are said to have "twitchy airways."Some symptoms that people with asthma commonly experience are chest tightenings, difficulty inhaling and exhaling, wheezing, production of large amounts of mucous in their windpipes and coughing.Coughing can be frequent or intermittent, and can be loose-reflecting extra mucous secretion in the airways or dry and deep-reflecting tight bronchospasms. Not all these symptoms occur in every case of asthma.Sometimes people may have coughing without and symptoms for months or even years before it's realized that they are asthmatic. Interestingly enough, asthma symptoms are most severe at night, while we're lying down our airways narrow as a result of gravity changes. Also our lungs do not clear secretions as well at night, which leads to mucous retention, and that can increase the obstruction to air flow.
Asthma is also a serious public health issue because it imposes huge impact not only population but also health care systems. According to recent statistics, each year, 5000 deaths, half million hospitalizations, and two million emergency visits are solely explained by asthma [1]. It is also leading cause of absence from school and work. Economic impact is enormous, too. 11 billion dollars of cost was due to only medications of asthma in 1994 [2], which was later increased up to 14 billion dollars in 2002 [3], and still increasing. Unfortunately, this financial burden of asthma falls disproportionately to some vulnerable subgroups: minorities, and children.
Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic disease sited on chromosome 5 (5q31). [1, 2] There are about 100 genes linked to asthma. These genes handle the immune system and inflammation [3]. One gene known as DENND1B, causes an increased amount of the molecule cytokine to be released. [4] Cytokine is the motive for the symptoms of asthma to arise. Asthma is affected by several genetic and environmental factors that can cause life-threatening complications to occur for the people who have this disease.
Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This narrowing is typically temporary and reversible, but in severe attacks, asthma may result in death. Asthma most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, an inflammation of the airways, but the term is also used to refer to cardiac asthma, which develops when fluid builds up in the lungs as a complication of heart failure. This article focuses on bronchial asthma.
Asthma is a serious ongoing disease that affects the airways of both adults and children.5 It is a type of inflammatory disease in your lungs with multiple triggers which may include the flu, indoor allergies, pets, dust mites, exercise, and tobacco smoke. Asthma has been recognized since ancient Egyptian times. Researchers found prescriptions written in hieroglyphics. Aretaus of Cappadonia an ancient Greek master clinician wrote the initial clinical description of asthma. Aaezein is the Greek word from which the current medical term Asthma come. The original Greek term mean ' sharp breath'. There are many people who have this chronic disease. Approximately 7.1 million children are diagnosed, and 18.9 million adults; 8.2 percent of the population of the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2014), one in eleven children and one in twelve adults has asthma. Consequently, nine people die every day from asthma (CDC, 2014). The financial burden was $56 billion each year (CDC, 2014). Children missed 10.5 million days of school (CDC, 2014). Adults missed 14.2 days of work (CDC, 2014). The impact this disease has on our community is colossal. As a result, it is critical to understand the pathophysiology of asthma in order advocate for successful control and prevention of progression. This paper will review the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation.
In the 21st Century, there is a major advance in technology; a lot more diseases can be treated by medicines and anti-biotic. In the history of diseases, most continents have suffered massive pandemics, however, Oceania is an exception. Australia has never suffered from major diseases such as Black Death, S.A.R.S, etc. However, chronic illness is a growing problem in Australia as the population ages.
Most of you may not think of asthma as a killer disease, yet more that 5,000 Americans die of asthma each year. According to the Mayo Clinic web page, asthma also accounts for more that 400,000 hospital discharges annually. As the number of people with asthma increases, the more likely you are to come in contact with a person who has the disease. As far as I can remember, I have had asthma my whole life. My mother and one of my sisters also have asthma, so I have a first hand experience with it. This morning, I will discuss some interesting facts about asthma, I will specifically focus on what it is, warning signs, symptoms, causes, and the treatments that are used.
Asthma is such a common disease. For instance, a negative response to an emotional stress can cause an asthma attack (Mark 1007). Have you actually seen someone have an asthma attack? It is the scariest thing because you cannot do anything about it. They say that there are no cures for asthma, and they also claim that there is some natural therapies that may help to manage symptoms of asthma. Weather your asthma is completely manageable and only shows up from time to time, or if you only have to deal with it on a daily basis, either way you have probably gone through your fair share of prescription medications. These medications, though, are not only expensive, but sometimes they come with their own set of problems, which only add to the ones you are already having with your condition. If you are suffering from asthma, you should consider a natural cure for asthma instead of going the traditional medicinal route.
Since my early schooling days, science and mathematics have always fascinated me given that all components of the world are explained on the basis of these disciplines. In this regard, Pharmacy which is based on Chemistry and Mathematics has interested me a great deal as it has direct impacts on our daily lives. The more I have become familiar with the chemistry and mathematics knowledge involved in pharmacy, the more I have appreciated its significance in improving the lives of people in the community. Out of the many careers that one would opt to pursue, Pharmacy has stood out as the career that will enable me serve the society more directly and have a real impact in the quality of peoples’ lives by touching their health. In addition, I love a career that is challenging and one that I will be involved in even in old age. In this case, Pharmacy offers me this opportunity. My interest in Pharmacy has also developed from my personal health experiences and becoming aware of its expansiveness. Every time I have had to take medicine to cure an illness, I have become more interested to know how drugs are made and how the drug components work in the human body to alleviate pain and restore health. I desire to pursue a career in Pharmacy so as to gain practical experience in these aspects of research.
Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").
I pleased to apply to the PharmD program as the program is one area that corresponds to my career dreams. Being part of this program gives one the opportunity to gain an excellent experience in working and collaborating with various health care providers in the ward. But more importantly, it facilitates a practical environment in dealing more closely with patients. Hence, it helps to provide the ultimate health care services to patients. Also, it permits me to carry on gaining different knowledge, skills, and values in addition to those I have already developed during my undergraduate studies. My interest in being a clinical pharmacist was first aroused during my SPEP rotation in the hospital setting where I was really impressed with the role of clinical pharmacists who provide a consistent process of patient care with healthcare teams to maintain the appropriateness, effectiveness and safety of the medication use. Unlike a pharmacist, a clinical pharmacist has a more diversified responsibilities and closeness to direct patient care. Moreover, provides
Like every career, pharmacists have certain qualities and skills. I feel that I fit many qualities of pharmacists, including an attention to detail, communication skills, and science and mathematic skills. I have also been a perfectionist, paying attention to each detail of my work. This is what helped me stay organized throughout high school, and earn a 4.021 cumulative GPA. Pharmacists must be detail-orientated to ensure their patients receive the right dosage, amount, and type of medication. An error in this could harm the patient, therefore breaking the Hippocratic oath. Furthermore, a pharmacist must pay attention to the patient’s other prescriptions and medical history to avoid any negative reactions. Next, I have earned strong customer service and communication skills from my job at Fareway Food Stores. Since I earned this job in May 2012, I have made it one of my goals to assist and brighten the day of my customers. As a pharmacist, I would need strong communication skills with my patients to fit them with the best prescription possible. Additionally, I would counsel them on the directions of their mediation, any potential side affects, and how to add new medications into their lifestyle with the least amount of stress. Apart from my patients, I would have to communicate my with pharmacy technicians and any interns I may have, as well as insurance companies. Lastly, I feel I have natural abilities in science and mathematics. I