mardener

How about a soluble capsule that would 'melt' on contact with an enzyme in the body and release a lethal dose of a chemical that the body would make in smaller doses naturally, and mock a heart attack for example?

You'll find fish are a better source of Vitamin D. Cheeses are the only dairy product which have a Vitamin D content worth talking about. Who says people with little sunlight supplement with a vit D alternate? Dairy products (milk) are not intended for human consumption. They contain sugars of which the enzymes are only present in humans for the first 6 months (ie Breast feeding.) So nature had intended us to have fish to supplement the diet. One table spoon of cod liver oil has over 3 days worth of Vitamin D. But, remeber, the process of creating the vitamin D is also an important factor. We cant simply take pills or relie on diet to ensure our skin and body remian healthy. Sun exposure Sun exposure is perhaps the most important source of vitamin D because exposure to sunlight provides most humans with their vitamin D requirement [13]. UV rays from the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis in skin [13-14]. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, and sunscreen affect UV ray exposure and vitamin D synthesis [14]. For example, sunlight exposure from November through February in Boston is insufficient to produce significant vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Complete cloud cover halves the energy of UV rays, and shade reduces it by 60%. Industrial pollution, which increases shade, also decreases sun exposure and may contribute to the development of rickets in individuals with insufficient dietary intake of vitamin D [15]. Sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 or greater will block UV rays that produce vitamin D, but it is still important to routinely use sunscreen to help prevent skin cancer and other negative consequences of excessive sun exposure. An initial exposure to sunlight (10 -15 minutes) allows adequate time for Vitamin D synthesis and should be followed by application of a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to protect the skin. Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D [14]. It is very important for individuals with limited sun exposure to include good sources of vitamin D in their diet. (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp#h2)

Its becoming harder to get into research in the UK. Universities are closing their chem and bio depts. as they are not making profits and are costly. They like to get foreign students who pay full fees in English and Arts. Not many people want to do research either. I would prefer hands on with people, sort of problem solving real time situations.

you are all poor at explaining something so simple.

optical illusion?

The MUST AVIOD scenario is over practice or trying to play into the interviewers hands. Be honest, nobody is perfect, and obviously stay to the point and prove why you want to do medicine but don't overpractice you answers. They want you to be spontaneous and able to answer questions that you might not have predicted. Just remember 1:3 get into medicine, it is very competitive, what makes you better than the other 2 people who are after your place? What makes you a rounded induvidual and not just a bookworm?

I remeber seeing this before. Oxford University research revealed that as long as the first and last letters in a word remian the same you can jumble the rest up and ypu can still read it. Good to know that Oxford is researching such wise and challenging problems.

Dak thx for that advice. Your the third person to have said a similar thing to me, so I guess that means it must be right (it is the teenage way to disagree with the first two people). I think that was the problem with me last year at GCSE, for my maths coursework I was up till 2am finishing off for the next day. I had started in good time just I hadn't finished in good time. So I think ill have to be more organsied at least. Ive been told if I get A's and B's at GCSE I may struggle to get into Med school as you need A's and A*'s. Any advice on these early exams and how they will 'set me up' would be appreciated. Sorry to Mrtyn for hyjacking your thread.

As Miss BS said is about right. I also have them as I get eczema from time to time. They leave a scar but it is not noticable as it fades from the red/purple inflamation after a while. But it can take months. Aparently, Malic Adic (aka Lemon Juice) can help with it. If you drink 2ltrs of water everyday with some pure lemon juice (not the plastic stuff) diluted it can help.

Martyn, If you don't mind me asking what did you tkae at GCSE and what did you score? I am also wanting to go into a medical career, but, I have just sat my GCSEs this summer and I am going on to do A-levels next year at a Higher Education College. What did you find to be the difference between GCSE and A-level apart from the obivous, such as harder work. I am worried that I have not worked hard enough at GCSE and that I maybe shocked as to how har I will have to work to achieve the AAB minimum at A2. Any infromation would be appreciated.