A Higher Level of Medicine Professor Ramos Blog

A Higher Level of Medicine Medical Marijuana in Action My mom is prone to migraines and was taking the same prescription medication, propranolol, for many years. This medication slowly began to cause issues with her heartrate, so she was forced to stop taking it. The fact that she had been taking the same medicine for so many years caused her to have severe withdrawal symptoms and her headaches were nearly unbearable. As a replacement for her medication, she began taking CBD oil (cannabidiol). After a few days she experienced less severe migraines and eventually stopped having them as much. While this is just one story, my mom is not the only person to use marijuana for her migraines, and not the only one to use it for a health problem. Before the legalization of recreational marijuana, medicinal marijuana was already used by numerous people, including migraine suffering patients like my mom. Among migraines, marijuana is actually used for a variety of issues, ranging from nonlife-threatening issues like migraines to very serious conditions like cancer and epilepsy. Is the cannabis plant (from which marijuana comes) truly successful in helping these folks? The answer to that question is yes, it is indeed a form of medicine that is capable of treating multiple maladies. In fact, medical marijuana is recognized as a treatment for migraines and other issues. The Compassionate Use Act deemed appropriate the medical use of marijuana for numerous conditions, including â€Å"anorexia, cancer, . . . migraine, nausea . . .† according to the article, Medical Cannabis: Where Do We Stand Today? (Fares 66). Information and Misconceptions about Cannabis In the everchanging world of medicine, cannabis (better known as marijuana) is growing in popularity but is still perhaps one of the most misrepresented herbal remedies of our time. When one thinks of marijuana use, they might picture the stereotypical scene in which a group of youngsters sit around smoking a joint, coughing and becoming intoxicated. While this is easy to picture, it is certainly not always the case. Marijuana is gaining credibility as a safe form of medication. Despite the fears surrounding this drug, the scientific data that will be discussed suggests that medical marijuana is in fact an effective treatment for some health issues, including migraines, epilepsy, and the side-effects of chemotherapy. These data are meant to help people with these health issues consider that marijuana may just be the medicine they need. Ultimately then, my goal is to demonstrate that marijuana is useful in the field of medicine for ailments like migraines as aforementioned, cancer, an d epilepsy. Cannabis in the Treatment of Cancer One of the most important ailments treated by marijuana is cancer. Cannabis isn’t going to cure cancer any time soon, but there is reason to conclude that it does help with the negative affects of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. To elaborate, marijuana is used for cancer patients and provides pain and nausea relief which makes chemotherapy less difficult. To back this up, the article, Marijuana and Cannabinoids, states that â€Å"The FDA has . . . approved the synthetic cannabinoids dronabinol and nabilone to treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy.† To clarify, synthetic cannabinoids mimic the active ingredient of cannabis which is THC  (tetrahydrocannabinol) (â€Å"Marijuana and Cannabinoids†). Cannabis even has the potential to be very useful in the battle against cancer in the future. According to the Article, Marijuana as Medicine, â€Å"recent animal studies have shown that marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cel ls and reduce the size of others† (â€Å"Marijuana as Medicine†). These data emphasize the need for cannabis to be further studied, because if this development is someday found to be true for humans, that would be an enormous breakthrough. Cannabis in the Treatment of Epilepsy Epilepsy, a condition that causes seizures and other neurological issues, is another health problem that can be treated by medical marijuana. According to the article, Pharmacological and therapeutic targets for ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, â€Å"Consideration of the known effects of CBD . . . suggests that it too has therapeutic potential, for example as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent, for the management of epilepsy . . .† (Pertwee 79). Interestingly, medical marijuana treatment for epileptic children is not unheard of, and it is indeed an effective form of treatment for the disease. While giving children cannabis seems rather odd to many people, there are ways to treat epileptic children with this drug without the â€Å"high† effects that frighten the parents of these patients. For example, the article Pot for Tots: Children and Medical  Marijuana attests that â€Å"a liquid, non psychoactive form of marijuana was found to reduce seizures for children with Dravet’s syndrome, a rare form of childhood epilepsy† (Rollins 59). While this statement is not based on a large study size, the data is compelling on behalf of cannabis’ regulatory effects on epilepsy. Potential Risks of Using Cannabis in Medicine Skeptics of medical marijuana bring up valid arguments, such as how this drug is new and that â€Å"we don’t know enough about it to use it.† It is true that it has been brought into modern day medical practice rather recently, but do patients not use new, experimental medications all the time for serious conditions such as cancer? The article, Pot for Tots: Children and Medical  Marijuana, adds to the latter point. In response to experts saying that there is not enough information about the side-effects of cannabis use, the author Judy Rollins, states â€Å"that the same is true for other medications used to fight pain and nausea that are currently given to children with cancer† (59). These medications include opioids, which carry the danger of overdose (Rollins, Judy). In the article, The Highs and Lows of Medical Marijuana, author Jill Vargo Cavalet states that â€Å"no deaths have been reported from marijuana overdose† (41). Comparing these data with those of the more commonly used opioids, consider the article, Increasing Prescription  Opioid  and Heroin Overdose Mortality in the  United  States, 1999-2014: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis, which states that â€Å"Since 1999, the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids . . .) has nearly quadrupled† (Huang et al. 131). This means that as far as the data goes, marijuana is actually safer than opioids in that people have a much lower chance of dying from a marijuana overdose than an opioid overdose.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another concern brought up about medical marijuana is the hallucinations that can result as side effects. It is true that certain cannabis strains have  hallucinogenic side effects, but they are not always used in medicine. According to the book, CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis, the recommended strains contain higher amounts of CBD than THC, as CBD does not carry the hallucinogenic side effects that THC does (Leinow, Leonard and Juliana Birnbaum 67-68). So basically, it’s really very easy to avoid hallucinating from marijuana, as one only needs to find a strain with low amounts of THC and a generous amount of CBD. Summary From the data discussed here, it can be concluded that medical marijuana provides benefits for people with migraines, cancer, and epilepsy. For migraine sufferers, marijuana acts as a reliever of stress, which decreases migraine intensity and frequency. For cancer patients, medical cannabis (marijuana) is used to lessen nausea and loss of hunger which are both associated with chemotherapy. Cannabis also provides control over the symptoms of epilepsy by reducing the number of seizures experienced by patients.   While it is under-studied, cannabis has shown its potential as a safe medicine. As more studies are done on this medicine, more good things will likely be learned about its properties. As mentioned before, medical marijuana is an important issue because it has the potential to increase the quality of life for many people. People like my mom have already benefitted from this medicine, and there is hope that in the future, folks with various conditions will consider and recogni ze medical marijuana as an opportunity to help them with their ailments. Overall, my hope is that more people will take marijuana into account when choosing a medication for pain, stress, nausea, and more serious issues like epilepsy. : 1. Fares, Marielle. â€Å"Medical Cannabis: Where Do We Stand Today?†Ã‚  AMWA Journal: American Medical Writers Association Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, Summer 2018, pp. 63–67.  EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=131616634site=ehost-live. Accessed: 30 October 2018. 2. Leinow, Leonard and Juliana Birnbaum.   CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis. Berkeley, North Atlantic Books, 2017. Date Accessed: 1 November 2018. 3. â€Å"Marijuana and Cannabinoids.†   National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Revised 25 October 2018. nccih.nih.gov/health/marijuana. Date Accessed: 30 October 2018. 4. â€Å"Marijuana as Medicine.† National Institute on Drug Abuse. Revised June 2018. drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine. Date Accessed: 30 October 2018. 5. Pertwee, Roger. â€Å"Pharmacological and Therapeutic Targets for†¯?9 Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol.†Ã‚  Euphytica, vol. 140, no. 1/2, June 2004, pp. 73–82.  EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10681-004-4756-9. Accessed: 30 October 2018. 6. Rollins, Judy A. â€Å"Pot for Tots: Children and Medical Marijuana.†Ã‚  Pediatric Nursing, vol. 40, no. 2, Mar. 2014, pp. 59–60.  EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=95718116site=ehost-live. Accessed: 30 October 2018. 7. Vargo Cavalet, Jill. â€Å"The Highs and Lows of Medical Marijuana.†Ã‚  Clinician Reviews, vol. 26, no. 10, Oct. 2016, pp. 40–53.  EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=119006956site=ehost-live. Accessed: 30 October 2018. 8. Xiwen Huang, et al. â€Å"Increasing Prescription Opioid and Heroin Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1999-2014: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis.†Ã‚  American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 131–136.  EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304142. Accessed: 30 October 2018. Photo Credits: Link to 100% Natural Picture: https://i0.wp.com/lasvegasreleaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/medical-cannabis.png Link to CBD Oil Picture: https://kushfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Papa-and-barkley-releaf-tincture-1-3_concentrates_Delivery_LosAngeles_California_n.jpg Link to Dronabinol Picture: http://drugline.org/img/drug/7941_8015_2.jpg Link to Cannabis and Epilepsy Picture: https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2015/September/epilepsy-medical-cannabis-fb.jpg Link to CBD vs. THC Picture: https://s3.amazonaws.com/zweb-s3.uploads/ez2/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Cannimed_Chart_Sept2016.jpg

6 Excellent Cover Letter Samples for Jobs

6 Excellent Cover Letter Samples for Jobs SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Just like no two snowflakes are alike, neither should anytwo cover letters look the same. Even if you're applying to lots of jobs, you should make sure each of your cover letters is unique and tailored to the target job. Of course, no one’s born knowing how to write the perfect cover letter. To help you write yours, this guide has sixfree samples of cover letters for various jobs. Scroll down to the middle of the article for the cover letter samples, or first check outthese tips for writing a cover letterfor your job application! Why Are Cover Letters Important? In many cases, your cover letter represents your first communication with your potential employer. Through the written word, you communicate your interest in the new job and make your case for why you’d be the best person for the role. The job market's always competitive, but a stand-out cover letter can differentiate you from other candidates. It can also help personalize your candidacy beyond your resume. Remember, everyone's human here. While cover letters range in tone from formal to conversational, the best ones manage to connect with their readers. Hiring managers often sort through applications quickly, deciding in just a few minutes who moves on to an interview and who gets a disappointing email that begins with, â€Å"Unfortunately†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - or worse, gets no response at all! As the applicant, your mission is to send a cover letter that gets you noticed and leaves an impression of competence, professionalism, and cultural fit. So how exactly can you fulfillthis mission? One way is to make sure your cover letter contains a few key features. Read on for the four most important characteristics of greatcover letters! What Should Your Cover Letter Include? 4 Main Features There are several components that go into a great cover letter. To start this guide, we’ve picked out four of the most important ones to guide your writing. Your letter should do all of the following. 1. It Should Reflect the Job Description Perhaps this goes without saying, but your cover letter should be customized to the job for which you’re applying. Don’t send a generic letter that could apply to lots of different companies. Beyond simply inserting the organization name and job title, your letter should be a special snowflake, truly customized to the organizationand its available role. Don't just show you want a job. Show you wantthat specific job. The first step in making this happen is deconstructing the job description. Read its requirements closely, and do research into the organization and the industry as a whole. Figure out what qualities they seek andany problems, sometimes referred to as "pain points," that they need solved. Make sure that you reflect this understanding in your letter. Once you have thorough knowledge of the job description, you can analyze your skill set in relation to it. Rather than talking about what you’re looking for, explain why your skills and experiences make you a good match for the organization or company. Even if you don't have directly related experience, you can show how your skills would transfer to the role. Explain how you could contribute and bring value to the team. This focus will show the hiring manager(s) that you did your research on the organization and are being thoughtful about your application. By confidently detailing the reasons you’d make a good fit, you can convince your reader of the same. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Make sure your cover letter stays on track! 2. It Should Give Specific Examples Another good practice for cover letters is to include specific examples of your professional qualifications and achievements. Rather than solely re-listing the points on your resume, you might expand on them with an example of a past success. Using data, if relevant, is also a powerful way to quantify your accomplishments. For instance, a marketing manager might describe the specific growth of her company’s online readership. She couldwrite a sentence or two about a particular campaign that met or exceeded its goals. A school counselor, to give a second example, might mention a student she worked with and that student’s progressover the year. As you read the sample cover letters, take note of how they contain specific examples of the applicant’s work. 3. It Should Communicate Enthusiasm As a whole, your letter should convey a sense of enthusiasm for the new job and organization. Simply customizing your letter, as discussed in the first point, will show that you were interested enough in the opportunity to do lots of research. Beyond producing a well-crafted letter, you should incorporate phrases like, â€Å"I was pleased to find your posting for" and â€Å"I was excited to see this opportunity with your organization.† Show that you're eager to engagein conversation about the position and what you can contribute. Use positive language to show howexcited you are about the opportunity. 4. It Should Be Readable, Clear, and Concise Your cover letter's not the time to write a long-form narrative about everything you’ve ever done or ever hope to do. Instead, it should be concise and to the point.Cover letters should be a little less than a page, soyou want to choose each word carefully and stay on topic. Even if you don’t consider yourself a strong writer, you can still definitely produce a strong cover letter. If you find yourself rambling in your first draft, you can pare it down to its leanest form in the editing. Your cover letter should communicate the essentials so that the hiring manager can gain a sense of your qualifications with just a brief skim. To gain a sense of how to do this effectively, check out the cover letter samples below and see how the candidates advocate for themselves via the written word. Feel free to take a close look at these sample cover letters to guide your own writing. Cover Letters: 6 Great Samples and Analyses Now that you have a sense of what makes a strong cover letter, click on the links below forsix samples of cover letters for jobs,each followed by a breakdown of what itdoes well. Some of the prospective jobs include English Teacher, Assistant Restaurant Manager, and Customer Experience Representative.Even if the job you're applying for is totally different than the ones below, you can still use the basic structure and content to guide your thinking. Before you start reading the samples, a quick note on format. You'll notice that each one includes contact informationat the top, as well as the date. This traditional format is good for hard copies or cover letters sent as Word document attachments. If you're pasting your cover letter directly into the body of your email or into a text box on an application portal, then you can leave off this traditional formatting and start with the salutation. You'll find a few more tips on how to format your cover letter below, but first, the samples! Cover Letter Sample for English Teacher Position Cover Letter Sample for Marketing Manager Job Cover Letter Sample for Editorial Assistant Role Cover Letter Sample for Assistant Restaurant Manager Cover Letter Sample for Content EditorPosition Cover Letter Sample for Customer Experience Representative Once you have a sense of what goes into a good cover letter, scroll down for a few more tips on formatting your letter and making it stand out from the competition! If possible, try to address your cover letter to a specific person.Not allpositions publicizea point person, but I know of a little search tool that might help... Writing a Cover Letter: Final Tips In addition to the four key features that you read about at the beginning of this guide, you should pay special attention to a few other pieces of your cover letter.Some pieces to think about are the employer's application instructions, as well as your cover letter's format, salutation, overall focus, and conclusion. Let's consider each one, starting with the instructions. Follow the Application Instructions Just as you should research the position and industry before writing your cover letter, you should also make sure to acquaint yourself with any and all application instructions. Many positions will tell you how and when to send your materials, and they might give special guidelines like a word limit or specific question they want you to answer. One important reason to follow application instructions is that they might shape what your cover letter looks like. If you're pasting it into the body of an email or a text box, then you can cut to the chase and start right in. If you're sending it as a Word attachment or a hard copy (rare), then you could add headers and use a traditional form. Check out more tips on format in the next section, but make sure to prioritize any application instructions first and foremost as you prepare your materials! Consider WhatFormat to Use As you just read, theformat you usedepends on how you're sending your cover letter, whether as a hard copy / Word attachment or pasted directly into the body of your email. If you're typing your cover letter in the body of an email or a text box on a job application portal, then you typically don't need to add any headers. You can just start right in with the salutation. Considering lots of jobs use their own application websites or ask for an email, starting right in with a "Dear Hiring Manager" is pretty common. If you're sending a hard copy or attaching the letter as a Word document, then you mightinclude the more traditional format you see reflected in the samples. You'd puta header on top with your name, address, email, and phone number. You couldmatch the header on your cover letter with the header on your resume to give your whole application a cohesive look. Beneath this header, you'd add the date and the contact information of the hiring manager. If you didn't know the specific person, you could just put the name of the company and its address. The date and company information would be lined up with the left hand margin. Overall, the letter maybe four to five paragraphs: an introduction, two to three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Then you’ll add â€Å"Sincerely† and print your name. You might add your phone number and email beneath your printed name if they’re not already presentelsewhere. For a full overview of the structure of your cover letter, check out our fullcover letter templatecover letter template! Address a Specific Person While it won't always be possible, you should try your best toaddress a specific person.If the job doesn't indicate a specific point person, try to do some research on the company's website and LinkedIn. If you can't find a particular person, you might make your audience a little more specific by indicating the position in your salutation. For instance, you could write "Dear Editorial Hiring Manager" or "Dear Marketing Manager Search Committee." If that doesn't apply, then you could simply write "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear Hiring Professional." You should probably avoid the generic and distant "To Whom It May Concern" (and definitely steer clear of the antiquated "Dear Sirs"). Stay On Topic Cover letters typically shouldn’t exceed one page, meaning you need to pack a punch in just a few words. Besides editing for clarity and keeping your sentences short and to the point, you should also make sure your letter stays on topic throughout. You don’t have to address everything on your resume. Just choose the most important skills and qualifications as they relate to the new job. In terms of the flow of ideas, you should order your points according to how relevant they are to the prospective position. If something feels off topic, then cut it out. Generally, your letter will just get stronger through decisive revision. Finish Up Strong There's some debate out there about the best way to finish up a cover letter. Some hiring managers suggest that you should do everything you can to pursue the position, even stating that you'll follow up in a week to discuss the position or arrange a meeting. Other managers, though, say that this kind of language comes off as aggressive and pushy. They say you should thank them for their time and then wait to hear about next steps. The path you choose largely depends on the type of job and industry you're applying for. A sales professional may show her initiative and communication skills with a follow-up call. Someone in the publishing world, though, maybe turned off by this language. Above all, make sure to follow any application instructions. If a job says "no calls," then you should respect that. And if you do decide to state your intentions to follow up, make sure you do actually follow up when you said you would! Your conclusion is your last chance to express your enthusiasm for a position and leave a lastingimpression. Be thoughtful about how you finish your letter, and make sure to thank the hiring manager and be clear about how and when she can contact you. In closing, let’s go over the key points to remember as you go forth and draft your own cover letters. The search committee's super impressed with your cover letter. They'd loveto invite you in for an interview. To Sum Up†¦ Writing a cover letter can feel like a tall assignment, but it’s also an opportunity for you to advocate for yourself in a powerful way. In your cover letter, you can prove to the hiring manager that you understand what she’s looking for and are the best person for the job. Your cover letter's often your first impression, so put in the effort to make it professional and enthusiastic. Spend some time deconstructing the job description and analyzing how your skills, knowledge, and qualifications match up. Then present your skills in a clear and concise wayand show that you feel passionate about the prospective position. In the end, your cover letter can differentiate you from the pool of other applicants and land you an interview for your dream job! What’s Next? Another key part of the job search is your letters of recommendation. Check out our comprehensive guide on recommendation letters, along with nine free samples of reference letters. Do you have to write a recommendation letter for an employee, coworker, or friend? This recommendation letter template guides you through the writing process, step by step. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Rebecca Safier About the Author Rebecca graduated with her Master's in Adolescent Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has years of teaching and college counseling experience and is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-being. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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