Dr. Martha “Super-Scientist” (or merely Physical Chemist)
Long before I went to medical school, I journeyed a long, hard road learning the wisdom held in wedding the fields of Physics and Chemistry, my two favorite sciences. I thus became a Physical Chemist. Yet, there is much more to the story than just that simple statement…
From “Dancing with the Rainbow: An Overview of Energy Medicine” by Martha Sarasua © 1997
“…I am a scientist at heart. I have loved science since I was a child growing up in a home with my brilliant chemist father. He also instilled in me a love of mathematics. Yet, my fiery red-haired Scottish mom tempered the science with music and art. Plus, she kicked me outside every day to wander the woods, bluffs and bayous that still abounded around my home in that happy past. Thus, my love of nature was kindled as well. My father taught me chemistry, mathematics and the constellations at night. I learned the lessons of the earth by day."
I chose Physical Chemistry as my specialty field due to my wonderful and brilliant mentor in undergraduate school at the University of West Florida (UWF).
Dr. Birdwhistle (Dr. B) was the founder of the chemistry program there and remained its chairman during my learning days under his tutelage. I had never heard of Physical Chemistry until I started my Bachelor’s program in Chemistry at UWF long, long ago. Dr. B was the one who introduced me to its rigorous mathematics and its fascinating windows into the new physics of the 20th century. Thus, I chose this specialization for my chemistry doctorate when I graduated to go on to the University of North Carolina. I took a year off to work after finishing. I was still stupidly contemplating medical school, but continued to read quantum physics books along with the ancient Eastern philosophies in moments stolen between lesson plans for my teaching job. Physics won, but I still carried my love of chemistry; hence, the ideal choice was Dr. B’s specialty of Physical Chemistry or “P Chem” as it was known to the quaking chemistry students who were required to take this course. I say “quaking” as it contained some of the toughest mathematics of any other chemistry field. I followed Dr. B’s advice and took lots and lots of math along the way and it sure helped. I was not a great mathematician, though, nearly failing linear algebra (the study of matrices and the what-nots which lead to tensor calculus - ugh!). Later, I came to appreciate the beauty of matrix symmetry in the Quantum world… Sigh… a story for another day perhaps.
I guess I learned too much math in school to become an Einstein. He was terrible at learning math in school thus he ignored what he was taught and invented his own to describe the universe so brilliantly.
Anyway, Physical Chemistry is the field of chemistry that deals with the application of physics to things considered chemical. It includes diverse areas such as thermodynamics (heat change), Quantum Mechanics, Spectroscopy (light-matter interaction), lasers, electromagnetism and more. Simply put, it is the marriage of Chemistry and Physics.
I was either fortunate or unfortunate to get pulled into the medical school realm during graduate school where professors inspired me to apply the principles of physics that I was learning to the worlds of biology and medicine. Hence, I became somewhat of a Bio-Physicist as well.
Eventually, I attended the dreaded medical school, loved it and went on to become a Neuropsychiatrist. I have always felt that the mind is the last big frontier of medicine so I plopped myself right in the middle of that wilderness. I have come to believe the mind operates in the realm of advanced physics and the brain is actually a light-based organ so I have later become what I call a Neuro-Physicist along this strange, twisting path called “life.”
Yet, through all that hard work and awful math, we scientist types have failed to solve what I consider the most important science problem of all. This problem arises from the disconnect between things of spirit and things of science. I have dedicated my life journey to finding that bridge between the two as I firmly believe that, behind the veils, they are but ONE. I thus consider myself a very Spiritual Scientist as well! Most scientists at their core are (many just don’t admit to it).
I hope my stories of science, medicine and magic help you discover your own true life path. To paraphrase don Juan from the books by Carlos Castaneda… there are many paths to choose, just be sure you chose one with heart. No deep science or math is needed for that act!