Are Peptides the Secret Sauce?

More than a football player

Philadelphia eagles quarterback Jalens hurts season came to an unexpected end following the discovery of blood clots in his lungs, a potentially life threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism. The news caught the sports world by surprise as many were wondering how the organization could let the condition of their star player go unnoticed. This raised important questions, when does an athlete’s health become more important than the game of football? According to NFL reporters, on October 8th Hurts reported issues with his calf after taking a hit to his calf from the cleat of another player. Following an injury to a blood vessel, the body activates a physiological process called hemostasis, which helps prevent excessive bleeding by forming a clot. According to Mayo Clinic staff the causes of clots are most commonly from the deep veins of your legs, known as deep vein thrombosis, however clots can accumulate as they develop within the vessel even when not needed, increasing risk of a pulmonary embolism from developing. Ahead of their next game in London Hurts remained a full participant in practice and flew with his team to London with said blood clot in his leg, which according to the CDC can increase risks, if a clot forms in a deep vein of the leg it can eventually travel to the lungs which is a concern for his health. This raises to concerns of the principles of biomedical ethics of Non maleficiance, we see from the outside how this principle was ignored as the professional staff who was in charge of Hurt’s care did not do anything to avoid further harm to Jalen while also of providing him non accurate details of his conditions not sharing the risk he would be taking to his life as they reportedly  informed Jalen he was clear to play which could be argued lacked principle ethic of justice and autonomy. This team gave him dangerous advise to not sleep, which for an quarterback he needs to be alert and aware to protect himself. As a whole I think this opens up discussions for the treatment and management of players in all sports, when it is all said and done we are human and these athletes are worth more than a game. This event could have been avoided had someone stepped in and said “This is dangerous”.

Work Cited

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354647

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-players-union-working-together-review-handling-jalen-hurts-blood-clot-diagnosis

The danger of ectopic pregnancies

The female reproductive system works in extraordinary ways, yet it is not perfect. When it comes to pregnancies, there are possibilities for a gestational sac to implant itself in places other than the uterus where a normal pregnancy occurs. Unfortunately, ectopic pregnancies are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the first trimester. Ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1-2% of all pregnancies and although this number may seem small, it is roughly 1 in 50 to 1 in 80 pregnancies.

 

There are many different types of ectopic pregnancies where the most common (95%) is a tubal ectopic pregnancy where the gestational sac implants itself in the fallopian tube. The second most common (2-4%) is an interstitial ectopic pregnancy where the gestational sac implants in the proximal muscular segment of the fallopian tube that lies inside the uterine wall. Ectopic pregnancies are often difficult to diagnose since it clinically mimics symptoms that are due to conditions like appendicitis, urinary calculi and early pregnancy loss. 

There are medical management and surgical managements for ectopic pregnancies. Salpingostomy and salpingectomy are surgical approaches to manage ectopic pregnancies. Sapingostomy consists of removing solely the ectopic pregnancy via an incision in the fallopian tube whereas a salpingectomy includes removal of part or all of the fallopian tube. Unfortunately, current legal proceedings and changes to state legislature may affect ectopic pregnancy treatment despite its possibility for maternal mortality. Learning about this really made me think about treatment and the limitations to care that a woman must endure due to specific policies.

Sources:

Mullany K, Minneci M, Monjazeb R, C. Coiado O. Overview of ectopic pregnancy diagnosis, management, and innovation. Women’s Health. 2023;19. doi:10.1177/17455057231160349

  

Why Do Athletes Burnout?

                            

   Fall break has ended and the weather is getting colder, the sun is rising later, and it's getting harder and harder for me to wake up in the early morning for practice. At the beginning of the season, it was easy for me to get excited when it was bright outside before I woke up. It was easier for me to stay energetic throughout the week because school had started and so did my normal routine. So why do I now feel more tired throughout the week? Wouldn't you think that I would be adapted to my routine by now? This is a common experience among many athletes known as burnout. 

    Athletes that experience burnout are often guilty of overtraining and spreading themselves too thin. This can lead to one of the symptoms of athlete burnout is sleep disruption and fatigue. When an athlete trains too much, they exhaust their HPA axis. We know that the HPA axis results in the release of cortisol into the bloodstream. This leads to another set of resulting physiological changes. The athlete's resting heart rate will increase and the raised cortisol levels can actually mess up an athlete's circadian rhythm and therefore disrupt their sleep cycle. 

    There is also a lot going on in the skeletal muscles when athletes are overtraining. In order for muscle to grow, it needs to be broken down first. When working out, athletes are breaking down their muscle tissue at tiny fibers and then, with the help of protein, rebuild those tissues to become stronger. When an athlete overtrains, they don't allow time for the muscles to regrow after they are stressed and broken down. This leads to muscle soreness and injuries that result from overuse.

    Although burnout can lead to physical health problems, there is also research that shows burnout can lead to depression if there is no intervention. There have also been studies done that displays how burnout can predict a lower quality of academic performance in school. Elevated stress levels can negatively affect emotions as well as personal relationships.

    The moral of the story is that athletes need to listen to every part of their body during every season. While getting extra work in will eventually lead to growth and an advantage, there is a fine line between a couple extra reps and exhausting oneself. Rest and recovery are just as important as any workout one could finish.

Beauchamp, M. R. (2025). Athlete burnout paves the way for further health problems. Apa.Org. https://www.apa.org/pubs/highlights/spotlight/athlete-burnout

Festersen, C., Espinosa, E., Lockwood Mullaney, E., & Carey, L. (2025, May 12). Burnout: Causes and consequences. Pressbooks. Conncoll.Edu. https://openpress.digital.conncoll.edu/psychologyinsport/chapter/burnout-2/

Are You Just a Girl with a Caffeine Addiction?

    Do you regularly work late and procrastinate your homework until late at night? Then have to wake up early to get ready for your 8am, have class until the afternoon, and then work until late again. To try and help you get through your overly packed schedule you find yourself drinking 300-450mg of caffeine throughout the day. Oh, just me? Any who, much to my dismay I decided to look into the effects of my one true love, caffeine. 

   To understand why so many people love their energy drinks and coffee, we have to understand how caffeine works. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors and throughout the day adenosine will normally accumulate to make us feel sleepy. So, drinking caffeine makes us feel alert/not feel the sleepiness. Thanks to Dr. Campisi in lecture, we also know that caffeine is a diuretic. Another big thing with caffeine is that humans are inherently social creatures and who doesn't love getting Dutch Bros with their friends.

    In a study posted this past January, researchers studied 41 healthy adults who stayed awake for 38 hours. The participants completed both a caffeine and placebo condition while researchers measured their blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel function, and inflammation (Mateo et al., 2026). They found that sleep deprivation increased diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Then with the addition of caffeine, it amplified these increases and was associated with higher levels of IL-6 (a proinflammatory cytokine, shoutout Dr. Sterling's immunology class). 

    Caffeine may help us feel more awake, but it can't supplement a good night's sleep. This study highlights that feeling alert is not the same as being physiologically recovered. As I type this, I am drinking my morning Celsius and going to hope it doesn't affect me because I am pure of heart. 

Sources: 

Mateo L, Tardo-Dino P-E, Gomez-Merino D, Drogou C, Josse P-E, Erblang M, Colin P, Erkel MC, Van     Beers P, Leger D, Bourrilhon C, Chennaoui M and Sauvet F (2026) Both acute and chronic caffeine        consumption affect cardiovascular responses to total sleep deprivation. Front. Cardiovasc. Med.            13:1718154. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2026.1718154

Just give me the antibiotics!

1. Growing up, I always took antibiotics for what most likely was a viral illness. My family always got them from the small Mexican store when flu season came around. I never really questioned it, penicillin and amoxicillin were always available at my house whether it was injectable or a round of pills. When I entered college, I learned about antibiotic resistance and when I got my first job in the ED, I was being educated about misconceptions and medication regimens while a patient was as well. I questioned my parents about this faulty use of antibiotics, and in truth, they didn't know the difference between a viral and bacterial infection. That is why getting antibiotics was just checking a box rather than an educated decision for them. This wasn't because my parents were ignorant, rather they never had the education to understand how it worked.    

   Prescription of antibiotics for a viral illness isn't done for three reasons. Antibiotics destroy bacterial cell membranes and since viruses are not cells, the antibiotics are not able to target viruses. Antibiotics also have side effects like diarrhea and nausea, where prolonged use can cause harm to your kidneys, livers or other body parts. Unnecessary antibiotic use can cause us to become resistant to antibiotics and when one gets a true bacterial infection, antibiotics don't help. 

   As I continued to work in the ED, I saw a lot of patients come in requesting antibiotics for a viral illness. Sometimes the physician would have the time to explain why antibiotics weren't needed, yet the majority of the time, 10 other people were waiting for triage and patient education wasn't necessarily an option. Some people believe that as a healthcare worker, one has to remain completely unbiased and always fulfill patients' demands. But, how do you say no to a patient that fully believes a round of amoxicillin will cure them despite no signs of bacterial infection? How does a busy ED change the possibility of getting antibiotics? Is it medical malpractice if a physician gives antibiotics at the patient's demand? Let me know what you think!

Kern, C. (2023, May 10). Why antibiotics are't always the answer for an illness. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-reasons-why-you-did-not-receive-antibiotics-from-your-provider

The Fear of Making A Mistake In Athletes

 There you are in the big moment, at the free throw line, or the penalty spot, or the batter’s box. Everyone is anticipating your next move, even yourself. Especially yourself. You’re worried you’re going to mess up in the game-deciding moment. What’s going on in your brain and body during this time?

When an athlete is thinking about themselves missing in the big moment, their anxiety is spiking and the amygdala thinks the body is receiving a threat which leads to its activation. They begin to focus on information they think is relative to that threat, like the noise of hecklers in the crowd or the pressure of the situation in the game. This distracts them from the task at hand. The “tunnel vision” they experience blocks information that is relevant to the game situation. The amygdala activation ends up hijacking the prefrontal cortex. We know from our first unit that this cortex is involved in decision making. So, when this is hijacked, athletes become more impulsive and begin to make less logical decisions in the face of pressure. 

Anxiety can also cause rapid breathing instead of slow and deep breaths. This results in more fatigue because there is decreased oxygenation to the muscles. Muscles can also become stiff in that moment, causing athletes to become less agile. The “tunnel vision” mentioned earlier can also affect an athlete’s movement. When they’re hyperfocused on their next move, their movements become robotic, rather flowing freely in the game.

       Anxiety and self-doubt are reinforcing cycles. When one is anxious, they might make a mistake, then they begin to doubt themselves and worry about making another mistake, increasing their anxiety again and feeding the loop.

In order to combat this, athletes need to put perspective into the situation. Rather than focusing on future consequences and increasing anxiety, it’s important to focus on their own confidence in that present moment. Remembering one’s training and self-reassurance are tools that can help bring athletes back from the feedback loop that anxiety causes.  Deep breathing can then help further calm athletes down by stimulating the vagus nerve. This helps reduce blood pressure and the amygdala firing. 

Treat the big moments just like any other moment and don’t overthink something you’ve done a repeated amount of times. Trusting in yourself, your training, and your teammates will allow you to have minimal anxiety in the clutch moments. 

Quigley, K. (2026, July 17). Onrise | mental health care for athletes - peer support & clinical care. Onrise. https://onrise.care/anxiety-effects-sports-performance/