your heart & sirculation system

Did you give your friends valentines and little heart-shaped candies on Valentine's Day? Do you ever cross your heart when making a promise that you really, really mean? Or turn on the radio to hear a guy singing about his broken heart?
We see and hear about hearts everywhere. A long time ago, people even thought that their emotions came from their hearts, maybe because the heart beats faster when a person is scared or excited. Now we know that emotions come from the brain, and in this case, the brain tells the heart to speed up. So what's the heart up to, then? How does it keep busy? What does it look like? Let's find out.

Working That Muscle

Your heart is really a muscle. It's located a little to the left of the middle of your chest, and it's about the size of your fist. There are lots of muscles all over your body — in your arms, in your legs, in your back, even in your behind.
But the heart muscle is special because of what it does. The heart sends blood around your body. The blood provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. It also carries away waste.
Your heart is sort of like a pump, or two pumps in one. The right side of your heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart does the exact opposite: It receives blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body.

We Got the Beat

How does the heart beat? Before each beat, your heart fills with blood. Then its muscle contracts to squirt the blood along. When the heart contracts, it squeezes — try squeezing your hand into a fist. That's sort of like what your heart does so it can squirt out the blood. Your heart does this all day and all night, all the time. The heart is one hard worker!

Interesting Stuff About Your Brain

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Ever wonder how you can react so fast to things around you? It’s due to the super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa, bringing reactions at the speed of a high powered luxury sports car.

2. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or any other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to settle on a definitive amount, but the storage capacity of the brain in electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes up 70 terabytes, making your brain’s memory power pretty impressive!

4. Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream. The brain only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the body, making it extremely susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and swimming in oxygenated cells.

Read more in Human Biology

« The Human Heart

Brain Rules: More Facts From Dr. Medina »

5. The brain is much more active at night than during the day. Logically, you would think that all the moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general interaction we do on a daily basis during our working hours would take a lot more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the opposite is true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don’t yet know why. Weird…

6. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream. While this may be true, don’t take it as a sign you’re mentally lacking if you can’t recall your dreams. Most of us don’t remember many of our dreams and the average length of most dreams is only 2-3 seconds–barely long enough to register.

7. Neurons continue to grow throughout human life. For years scientists and doctors thought that brain and neural tissue couldn’t grow or regenerate. While it doesn’t act in the same manner as tissues in many other parts of the body, neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new dimension to the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.

8. Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. Not all neurons are the same. There are a few different types within the body and transmission along these different kinds can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.

9. 80% of the brain is water. Your brain isn’t the firm, gray mass you’ve seen on TV. Living brain tissue is a squishy, pink and jelly-like organ thanks to the loads of blood and high water content of the tissue. So the next time you’re feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.

10. Brain freeze is a mystery. Nobody’s quite sure why a fast gulp of Slurpee can leave you feeling like a vice is crushing the inside of your head. We call it “brain freeze,” but the sensation is actually felt around the temples and the mask of the face; remember, the brain itself has no pain receptors. The best guess among scientists is that a cold drink, when rapidly consumed, shocks the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensation to the face and head. The brain’s hypothalamus gets a message to create warmth and responds by dilating vessels around the nerve to heat the area with blood flow. But the sudden dilation causes pressure and a stunning wave of pain.

11. Brain surgery can be conducted while a patient is awake. Patients suffering from brain tumors or epileptic seizures may undergo surgery while awake. Rather than relying exclusively on brain-imaging technology, a neurosurgeon can speak to an awake patient to mark or “map” critical areas of the brain that control vision, language, and body movement, ensuring the procedure’s accuracy and safe outcome. The patient is anesthetized during the portion of surgery when doctors make their way through the cranium to the exposed brain.

Read more: http://scienceray.com/biology/human-biology/interesting-stuff-about-your-brain/#ixzz1HzNgPePC

Bananas for Good Health

If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels there's no better snack than a banana. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose - combined with fibre,a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

 Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy  for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number  one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only  way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions making it a  must to add to your daily diet.

Anaemia:  High in iron, bananas can stimulate the
production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

 Blood Pressure:  This unique tropical fruit is
extremely high in potassium yet   low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping to beat blood  pressure. So much so that the US Food and Drug
Administration has just  allowed the banana industry to make official
claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

 Brain Power:  200 students at a Twickenham(Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown  that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils  more alert.

 Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help
restore  normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting  to laxatives.

  Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by  MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better  after eating abanana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein  that the body converts into serotonin known to make  you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

  Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a
hangover is to make a banana milkshake , sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and,with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood
sugar  levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Dangers of Smoking

Smoking is a down right filthy habit that affects not only your health, but the health of others around you. A pity on your children if you smoke around them.
And as governments continuously impose higher taxes on tobacco, the costs of lighting up can run into the thousands per year for each smoker.
So why do people still smoke? Simple answer - nicotine addiction!

Nicotine Levels on the Increase

Nicotine

Nicotine addiction has been found to be one of the hardest addictions to kick.
With an increase in anti-smoking campaigns, tobacco companies are upping the levels of nicotine in their cigarettes to make it all that harder to quit smoking.
Nicotine is odorless and colorless and varies in concentrations from 1 to 16 grams per cigarette.
Nicotine enters the bloodstream together with tar, reaching the brain in less than 10 seconds. In less than a minute, nicotine spreads throughout the entire body. It then increases the heart rate and blood pressure, providing the smoker with alertness and a relaxing effect.
In less that 30 minutes, the nicotine effects decrease, and the smoker becomes irritable and less alert. That’s why they have the tendency to grab and light another cigarette to get a new "fix" from nicotine.
This explains the addictive effect of smoking. Before a person knows it, they have lit more than 10 cigarettes in one day.

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Tar

Tar attaches to the linings of the lungs and destroys its hair like projections (cilia) which traps harmful particles inhaled into the lungs.
Tar also decreases the lung's elasticity, making it harder to pump much needed oxygen throughout the body.

Carbon Monoxide

Yet another toxic chemical released into your body when inhaling the smoke of cigarettes.
Carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin, decreasing the ability of red blood cells to supply large amount of oxygen to the body. That’s why smokers easily get tired because they need to take more breaks in order to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the body.

Long-Term Effects

As time goes by, the long-term effects of smoking become even more clear.
Effects on the skin are apparent. A smoker develops stains on their teeth and fingers and develop halitosis (bad breath). Even the smoker’s clothes and environment smells like cigarette smoke.
Cardiovascular diseases develop because of the accumulation of plaque in the lining of blood vessels, especially on the coronary arteries, causing atherosclerosis.
A decrease in the functioning of the lungs can lead to diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which are irreversible diseases of the respiratory system.
Cancer, heart disease, increased risk of illness and reduced athletic performace is what a smoker really orders each time they buy their next packet of cigarettes.

Dengue Fever or Dengue Alert

Dengue fever or DHF usually attack during the rainy season. Moreover, our country including tropical country which is the favorite living places for mosquitoes. This fever can be a deadly disease if not promptly treated. In particular, children often become the target of mosquito bites that cause this disease. As a parent, you should try to prevent children and all family members to avoid this disease. Also need to act swiftly if a family member who showed symptoms of dengue fever. Arm yourself with information about this disease in order to help the negative consequences of the disease dengue hemorrhagic fever.

 Symptoms of Dengue Fever
A person infected with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), generally show the following symptoms:

1. Continuous high fever. Body temperature around 39-40 degrees Celsius. This causes headaches in people 2. Fever without a cough.
3. Stomach pain or nausea.
4. Body feels sore or pain in the joints.
5. Appear red spots, but this does not always happen in every case.

If any member of your family shows these symptoms, you should immediately take it to the doctor to get treatment. Do not let the fever for too long because it can lead to late to help. To be more exact, you can do blood checks.
Dangers of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)
There are 4 types of Dengue disease. So, someone who has been affected by dengue fever, does not mean he will not be affected by this disease because there are 3 other types that can cause fever as well.
When exposed to dengue, a person will have 3 phases. The first is the phase of fever during the first 3 days. Continues on next 3 days which is a critical phase. In this phase, the fever is not happening, but in this phase must be vigilant so as not to be fooled by the thought had healed and no treatment. Three days later the healing phase.
One of the dangers of dengue fever is considered experienced as usual so it is considered a mild fever and did not get special treatment. Moreover, in the second phase, usually fever has come down so it is considered cured.

 DHF treatment
There is no specific drug to cure dengue fever. So, things you can do to help cure people affected by this disease are:

    Give a febrifuge or paracetamol.
    Compress for heat is not too high. Compress should be done with warm water, not with cold water or ice. Cold water can cause shivering patient so the body gets hot.
    Drink lots of water. Patients with DHF usually be deprived of fluid, the water is very good for them. Water can also help reduce the heat. In addition to water, can also provide liquid oral rehydration salts to help healing.
    Nutritious food. Actually there are no dietary restrictions for patients with DHF. Provide nutritious food for the body to be strong and to fight dengue virus. Fruits and vegetables can be very helpful for recovery.
    Drinking water guava leaf and red yeast rice can help raise the platelet.
Treatment can be done at home if conditions are not bad people and allowed by the doctor. However, it takes care in maintaining them. You should also continue to consult with your doctor and do blood check every day to find out his condition. Hospitalization may be an option if you feel it is more secure because the medical action can be taken immediately if the patient's condition decline is also possible given intravenous fluids to increase patient.
The things that harm from dengue disease due to infection with this virus can cause blood platelets drops to very low. Which then will cause the blood vessels become deflated, so that fluid leaking blood into the body cavities and cause bleeding in the ear, nose, or skin that can lead to death.

 Dengue Prevention
The best thing is to prevent so that no family members affected by dengue. The actions that can be done to prevent it are:

    Prevent mosquito breeding around us. You can do that is Closes 3M movement of water storage, drain the tub and Burying the goods unused. Mosquito larvae will develop in stagnant water in about a week. Therefore, it prevented the possibility of things which is where the development of these larvae, such as flower pots, tin cans, old tires or other items that hold standing water, especially in the rainy season where these places can be a puddle of rain water.
    Prevent mosquitoes do not bite, for example by using mosquito repellent lotion or medication.
    Abate powder carrying around an ungainly on sewer and water reservoirs so as not to be a breeding place for mosquitoes.
    Keep the conditions remain healthy. The condition of a strong body, helps the body to ward off viruses that enter so that even if exposed to mosquito bites, the virus will not develop.
Dengue fever can not be considered a mild disease. This disease can cause death. So, take precautions and remain vigilant against the disease can protect those you love from the dangers of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever or Dengue.