Human Anatomy & Physiology

Why is our body temperature 98.6 F (37C)?

2011-01-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is like asking-why there is life? I can not answer "why" but I can tell you that in many organisms (BUT NOT ALL), 98.6 F (37 C) is the temperature at which most reactions occur most efficiently. Our body enzymes have adapted to that temperature. When a mammal hibernates, its body temperature actually falls and they are much less active. Not only do they appear to be asleep, but they breathe less often and their heart rate is greatly reduced. Some organisms have adapted to other temperatures, mostly the temperature of their surroundings. When their body enzymes are isolated and studied in the lab, they are found to function most efficiently at the higher (for "thermophiles") or lower (for "psychrophiles") temperatures where their cells normally live in.

MRI SCAN

2011-01-01T19:48:00.001-08:00

What is an MRI Scan?

An MRI scan, or Medical Resonance Imaging Scan, is one of the most common types of scans ordered for injuries and serious medical conditions. These scans are done for a variety of reasons, including muscular/skeletal problems, head injuries, and even cancer. The scans have been performed since the 1980s, yet many patients do not know what is happening when they are sent into the MRI tube.
An MRI is a giant, extremely strong magnet that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of the body. Magnets are measured in a unit known as the gauss. This is more understandable when you note that the earth has a 0.5-gauss magnetic field. Large magnets are measured in a unit called a tesla, which equals 10,000 gauss. An MRI has a magnet that creates magnetic field of .5 to 2.0 tesla. When a patient receives an MRI, he is sent into the bore of the magnet, which is the hole in the middle, on a special movable table. The area of the body being scanned is placed into the exact center of the magnetic field before the scan begins.

The Science Behind MRI Scans

The MRI scan takes advantage of the fact that the body is made of a lot of water. This water contains oxygen and hydrogen molecules. Since hydrogen molecules have a natural magnetic spin, the MRI can change the alignment of the atoms' nuclei using the magnetic field and a radio-frequency wave burst. Once they are aligned, another pulse of radio-frequency waves will cause them to resume their normal position. When the hydrogen molecules move in this manner, the atoms themselves send out radio waves, which are recorded and mapped by the scanner.
The time it takes for these molecules to regain their natural alignment varies depending on the type of tissue being scanned. The computer will record the amount of time the molecules take to realign themselves, and this allows the scan to detect different types of tissue as it makes a map of the body.

What MRI Scans Show

MRI scans are able to show most body tissues. Tissues, like bones, that do not have much water in them, and therefore do not have much hydrogen, will appear dark on the scan. Other tissues will appear brighter. The scan will deliver two-dimensional pictures of the body, allowing the doctor to look layer by layer at the area being scanned. This can be turned into three-dimensional models on the computer that can be manipulated, allowing the doctor to see even more detail about the tissue before planning treatment. Blood flow can also be measured using an MRI scan, without the need for a contrast injection as other imaging techniques require.

ID vs. Evolution

2010-12-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Are we real~~~~

Are we manufactured by a designer or is there really a science?

What is Intelligent Design (I.D)?

In common words, it is a scientific theory which states that life has a creator, basically a designer. That Life just didn't happen by accident or series of accidents, but it was designed, and has a purpose. If you look at the Human body and how complex it is, it is hard to believe that a random series of events, given enough time could produce such a sophisticated, fully functional, adaptable, and magnificent machine (the human body).

What is Evolution?

Evolution is a Scientific Theory, which states that Life came about by a series of accidents (mutations, natural selection) over a very long period of time. From a Big Bang that Life started with a very simple cell, and latter developed into everything you see now. Many treat evolution as a fact, but in reality is a unproven theory. It is a religious belief held strongly by those who claim there is no "God".

Today, many religious denominations accept that biological evolution has produced the diversity of living things over billions of years of Earth’s history. Many have issued statements observing that evolution and the tenets of their faiths are compatible. Scientists and theologians have written eloquently about their awe and wonder at the history of the universe and of life on this planet, explaining that they see no conflict between their faith in God and the evidence for evolution. Religious denominations that do not accept the occurrence of evolution tend to be those that believe in strictly literal interpretations of religious texts.

Lets find out what's going on!!!!!!

Whom to believe?

I vote on Evolution

I want to know yours.....

Size does Matter!!!!

2010-12-26T15:22:00.001-08:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341689/Size-does-matter-Party-animals-great-social-lives-lots-friends-bigger-Facebook-feature-brain.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Body Facts

2010-12-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

There is enough iron in the human body to make one small nail.
An average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime.
Every person has a unique tongue print.
Your brain continues to send out electrical wave signals approximately 37 hours after death.
The nervous system transmits messages to the brain at speeds of 180 miles per hour.
The human nose can remember 50,000 different smells.
The human eye can detect more than 10,000,000 different colors.
Your brain stops growing when you are about 15 years old.
The eye muscle is the fastest reacting muscle of the whole body. It contracts in less than 1/100th of a second.
It takes approximately 200,000 frowns to create one permanent brow line.
80% of the brain is composed of water.
Your brain operates on 10 watts of power.
Women smell better than men.
Your hearing decreases when overheated.
Your teeth are growing before birth.
Babies always have blue eyes when they are born.
Throughout your life, the amount of saliva you have could fill two swimming pools.
You probably pass gas 14 times a day.
It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.
Your tongue is the strongest muscle in your body.

Interesting Questions

2010-12-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

What is brain juice?

Glucose

What does brain run on?

Sugar

How does brain control your body?

Nerve cells send signals to brain, allowing brain to take control over it.

What are white matters?

Part of brain that contains myelinated nerve fibers.

What are brain tumors?

Mass of abnormal cells the brain.

What do you mean by brain freeze?

Cranial pain or heached caused by cold beverages or ice-cream.

Why do we suffer from headaches?
When one eats something very cold, our body senses it directs to serve blood in that particular place. While doing so, blood in the blood vessel flow at a huge speed and results in contraction and expansion of blood vessel. Therefore, we have headache.

Which part of the brain controls the temperature?

Hypothalamus

How many lobes are there in a human brain?

4-lobes

What are the functions of cranial nerves?

Bring information from the sense organs to the brain, control muscles(all).

How many cranial nerves are there in a human body?

Why don't we feel hot at a body temperature of 98.6 F, while we feel suffocated when it is 90 outside?

We are used to the heat.

What sphincter prevents heart burn?

Cardiac Sphincter

Where does the major digestion take place?

Small Intestine

What enzyme breaks down Carbohydrate?

Amalase

What is the hardest bone in a human body?

Femur

Brain Tumor

2010-12-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in your brain.

Many different types of brain tumors exist. Some brain tumors are noncancerous (benign), and some brain tumors are cancerous (malignant). Brain tumors can begin in your brain (primary brain tumors), or cancer can begin in other parts of your body and spread to your brain (secondary, or metastatic brain tumors).

Brain tumor treatment options depend on the type of brain tumor you have, as well its size and location.

Symptoms:

The signs and symptoms of a brain tumor vary greatly and depend on the brain tumor's size, location and rate of growth.

General signs and symptoms caused by brain tumors may include:

New onset or change in pattern of headaches
Headaches that gradually become more frequent and more severe
Unexplained nausea or vomiting
Vision problems, such as blurred vision, double vision or loss of peripheral vision
Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg
Difficulty with balance
Speech difficulties
Confusion in everyday matters
Personality or behavior changes
Seizures, especially in someone who doesn't have a history of seizures
Hearing problems

Causes:

Brain tumors that begin in the brain. Primary brain tumors originate in the brain itself or in tissues close to it, such as in the brain-covering membranes (meninges), cranial nerves, pituitary gland or pineal gland. Primary brain tumors begin when normal cells acquire errors (mutations) in their DNA. These mutations allow cells to grow and divide at increased rates and to continue living when healthy cells would die. The result is a mass of abnormal cells, which forms a tumor.

Primary brain tumors are much less common than are secondary brain tumors, in which cancer begins elsewhere and spreads to the brain. Many different types of primary brain tumors exist. Each gets its name from the type of cells involved. Examples include:

Acoustic neuroma (schwannoma)
Astrocytoma, also known as glioma, which includes anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma
Ependymoma
Ependymoblastoma
Germ cell tumor
Medulloblastoma
Meningioma
Neuroblastoma
Oligodendroglioma
Pineoblastoma

Cancer that begins elsewhere and spreads to the brain
Secondary (metastatic) brain tumors are tumors that result from cancer that starts elsewhere in your body and then spreads (metastasizes) to your brain. Secondary brain tumors most often occur in people who have a history of cancer. But in rare cases, a metastatic brain tumor may be the first sign of cancer that began elsewhere in your body.

Secondary brain tumors are far more common than are primary brain tumors. Any cancer can spread to the brain, but the most common types include:

Breast cancer
Colon cancer
Kidney cancer
Lung cancer
Melanoma

Mental Disorders

2010-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Understanding Mental Disorders

Talking about mental disorders, it usually doesn’t match with our thinking. Mental disorders in an individual are in-fact a partial gathering of physiological and behavioral pattern associated with subjective distress and disability. In other words, a mental illness affects one's thoughts, emotions, and personality. For any mental illness, as in a physical illness, there are symptoms that make it possible to identify a person suffering from a mental disorder or illness. Some of the more common symptoms of these disorders include extreme moods, sadness, anxiety and inability to think clearly or remember well. Just because a person may experience some of these symptoms does not mean he/she is suffering from an illness. In a real world, almost everyone at sometime may not be able to think properly or may be in a bad mood. These characteristics are just a part of human nature and are more likely to be a short-term state of mind. A diagnostic of the mental illness/disorder may be necessary if the symptoms occur so often that they interfere with one's everyday life. In this research paper, we are going to learn about mental disorders and its cause that occur among teenagers. Also, about treatments towards veterans who are mentally and physically exhausted.

Amazingly, 40% Americans are suffering from mental illness every year (Mental Disorders 1). This fact makes people take a look towards the seriousness of the problem. What is the result? Autism (a developmental disorder that appears in children, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills) and many other illnesses. From the 1980's mental disorder (Autism) has turned out to be a public crisis (Dachel). It's negative effect towards the environment, nature, society, and community is increasing rapidly. The article called “Autism Is a Serious Health Crisis” by Anne McElroy Dachel states that, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has produced studies to back up her theory about autism (really a big lie). What is this big lie about? What is it trying to explain? As we already know, people in the early ages were not so familiar with the fact that mental disorders exist, they came up with this controversy. Consequently, this controversy is described in our other article 'Autism is not an Epidemic”. On the other hand, this article explains the reason why people think that autism is a public crisis. “The likely reasons for the increase in autism prevalence are the broadening of the diagnostic rules for the disorder, better sampling of cases in the community, and better diagnostic precision.” said Lawrence Scahill (1). Medical communities, health officials, educators and vast parade of reporters claim that the epidemic in kids with autism and related disorders overwhelming our schools, is the result of “greater awareness” and “better diagnosing” (Dachel 1). Scheming through these viewpoints, the really big lie came up with identification of the illness. CDC on the other hand is getting away with the really big lie, the explanation to eradicate the effect of any disease towards the children. A town with only 14,000 people figured out that the rate of autism was 1 in 10,000 (Dachel 2). This result verified that the possibility of a child with autistic behavior were rare.

However, there are some conditions that state that chances for increasing number of people (especially teens) might be suffering from mental illness. They are divided into mainly ten categories. These categories include dementia, schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, eating, and finally substance disorders (Mental Disorders 1-2).

Relating to the point, there are various factors that cause such illness. One of them is use of highly toxic substance; we call “Marijuana”. Drug taking habit is highly suspected to lead one's way towards disorders and other kinds of diseases. The prevalence rate of using Marijuana is approximately 8% for adolescents (referred as teens) and including high school teens showing up to 29%. A teen that is going through depression is more likely to have used Marijuana (25%), compared to a teen that isn't going through depression intake 12% Marijuana and other illicit drugs. Among older adolescents, involvement with illicit drugs including Marijuana was reported by approximately 25% (depressed) teens and 19% of adults (not depressed) (Marijuana Use Worsens Teen Depression 3). Males and females do not differ significantly in illicit drug use. Here comes the mystery part; why do teens including older people do Marijuana and illicit drugs? The key to this question relates to the mental disorders and its symptoms. After a person has experienced the mental illness, he/she will obviously develop effects like depression and loneliness. In-order to get away from such feelings and symptoms,teens including adults start abusing drugs (illicit or by others means). Teens who do drugs claim that the drugs are a reliable, pleasing, and a source of self-medication (Marijuana Use Worsens Teen Depression 1).

Despite the fact that the teens do drugs for pleasure and cure, there are many other ways to treat a depressed and mentally exhausted patient. Drugs, in-fact are the foundation of medicine (medication). Not only teens, military veterans who fight in he war, also suffer from depression and mental illness. In this new article “Psychotherapy May Not benefit Military Veterans”,it stated that psychotherapy is not a good choice to treat veterans. What this article states is that even if therapists clearly help some soldiers, there is only so much emotional damage from war they can fix (Caplan 1). This statement truly is a real life situation. Veterans who fight in the war for such a long time sure have a lot of emotions and memories. These emotions and memories are some vital factors for veterans to break themselves up. Furthermore, a soldier’s emotional response to the horrors of war is usually a normal human reaction to disturbing realties, not a sign of mental illness (Caplan 1). Such stories cause depression, which results in suicide. As far as war goes, there are different sorts of people in different sorts of places; including all religion, culture, country, and ethnicity. The suicide rate for American soldiers in Iraq is 17.3 per 100,000 (Caplan 2). Clearly, indicating the facts that people who suffer from depression are likely to encounter a devastating ending.

Conclusively, it is obvious that mental illness is a serious problem in our community. It is important for a person experiencing symptoms, such as those associated with the different types of mental illnesses, to seek out appropriate diagnosis and medical treatment. Having a mental illness is a disease and shouldn’t be associated with a specific weakness in an individual. An individuals emotions and conditions related to the fact that they may or may-not suffer from depression, and other suicidal acts. Comparing teens problems to an adult may vary significantly. One should never underestimate his/her problems (talking about diseases) in a carefree manner. In-fact, he/she should carefully examine the problem and develop a distinguishing ability to choose the right decision. Likewise, organizing awareness programs towards " SAY NO TO DRUGS", "ONE TIME NO EVERY TIME NO” and “SOLVING THE PROBLEMS” may be a good idea to help and understand ones problems (sickness, illness, diseases etc.)

Work Cited

Caplan, Paula J. "Psychotherapy May Not Benefit Military Veterans." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2010.

Dachel, Anne McElroy. "Autism Is a Serious Public Health Crisis." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2010.

"Marijuana Use Worsens Teen Depression." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2010.

Scahill, Lawrence. "Autism Is Not an Epidemic." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2010.