Mayoclinic.org states that heart valves are vital to the proper functioning of the circulatory system as their function is to prevent the blood from regurgitating. Several diseases can destroy or damage valves. When the heart valve's function is...
Potassium ferricyanide is a bright red soluble crystalline compound that has many different applications. These applications include photography, electroplating, making dyes and pigments, cyanotyping, use as a laboratory reagent and making...
As the prominence of devices that emit electromagnetic radiation rises, so too do concerns over their effects on human health. While much research exists on the effects of large emitters, such as transmitter towers and electrical substations, far...
The things you put into your body intentionally or unintentionally can positively or negatively impact your health. Products available without prescription promise to improve your health and quality of life. Many are not regulated by the federal...
The human body has a multitude of natural barriers in place to prevent infection and disease. These barriers can be both external and internal. The external barrier is the largest organ of your body, your skin. The internal barriers are your...
Running is an impact sport; running is an act that exerts a force against the ground. The force against the ground provides traction and allows a body to "bounce" forward. The relationship between force and running speed is dependent on body...
The heart is comprised of four valves--the aortic, pulmonary, tricuspid and mitral valves--that all play a vital role in controlling the force, volume and direction of blood flow through the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Congenital...
The spleen is an organ approximately the size of a fist and is located on the left side of the body, above the stomach and below the rib cage. There are two different types of tissue in the spleen that support biological functions. The white pulp...
Acid reflux is an uncomfortable process in which acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus, resulting in a feeling of tightness across the chest or heartburn. Because some components of food contain the word "acid" in their name -- like...
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is manufactured in the brain and other parts of the nervous system from the amino acid l-tyrosine. Among dopamine's many functions, it serves important roles in controlling voluntary movement, cognition and...
Arthritis in any joint can be a painful, aggravating and activity-altering condition. When arthritis affects the weight bearing joints of the body, especially the knee, it can have a potentially serious life changing impact on what one does for...
The antioxidant vitamin C is essential to many biological functions, including collagen synthesis, skin and tissue repair, maintaining teeth and bones and combating various ailments. Healthy adult males should get at least 90 mg of vitamin C...
Excess protein consumption has been at the center of speculation for decades. The work of one researcher in the early 1980s spawned the hypothesis that still plagues low-carbohydrate dieters, athletes and bodybuilders. Research in the past decade...
Vitamins are organic molecules that are essential to the normal functioning of your body. Your body cannot synthesize them by itself. Hence, you must get them from foods or supplements. If you have low levels of vitamins, you may develop a...
Ashwagandha is a low-growing shrub native to India. Ashwagandha bears small, non-distinct green flowers which turn into orange fruits that people use to curdle milk. Ayurvedic medicine uses the tuberous roots of the plant for treating a variety of...
Inflammation is a condition used to describe a biological response of vascular tissue to infectious pathogens, skin and internal irritation, and cellular damage. Common causes of inflammation include arthritis, insect bites, burns, frostbite and...
While weightlifting does burn as many calories as aerobic exercise such as running, it causes adaptations in the body that help make it more efficient even when at rest. These changes can explain why weightlifters can lose weight. Other factors...
Electrolytes are part of the most basic of life functions, including nervous system control. Healthy brain function depends on the processes that electrolytes regulate and maintain. They accomplish these functions directly through their influence...
There's a common public perception that microwave ovens "irradiate" food in a manner analogous to that of a nuclear reaction. This perception is reflected in the common perception that microwaved food is low in nutrients compared with...
To keep your body alive, you need to supply it with calories, which provide energy. Calories come from proteins, carbs and fats. These nutrients help build your body up, and they order various biological functions, like tissue repair and...
Cupric sulfate, also known as copper sulfate, is a mineral that is often added to over-the-counter multivitamin supplements. Copper is essential for humans and has a number of important functions in the body. Although it is available through the...
Iodine is a trace element that is essential to human life. Like its chemical relatives, chlorine, fluorine and bromine, elemental iodine is a poisonous gas. However, iodine rarely occurs in its gaseous form.The negatively charged ion of iodine,...
Yams, often confused with sweet potatoes, are a tuber native to Africa and Asia. They vary in size, and are generally cylindrical in shape. Yam flesh ranges in color from tan to pink or purple. Yams tend to be dry and starchy, providing a healthy...
Amino acids are molecules that play a central role as the building blocks of proteins. Twenty amino acids exist in nature, and when they bind together they form long chains and the complex three-dimensional structures of proteins. However, when...
L-lysine, alternatively called lysine or amino acid K, belongs to the group of crucial organic nutrients known as essential amino acids. Such compounds contribute to various basic biological functions, ranging from keeping your tissue healthy to...
Cream is the high-fat portion of liquid milk, typically separated from the bulk of the fluid and sold as a separate product or incorporated into foods such as ice cream. Raw cream has not undergone pasteurization, a process of heat treatment that...
Heart valve replacement is a complex, last-resort, surgical procedure aimed at removing faulty or damaged heart valves and replacing them with either a mechanical or a biologic valve. Cleveland Clinic describes the procedure as removing the...
Vitamins are biological nutrients that are required for a number of cellular and tissue-specific processes in your body. Vitamins are primarily attained from your dietary intake, with different vitamins originating from different types of food...
Testosterone, an important steroid hormone, influences sexual functioning, reproduction, muscle and tissue growth; and other biological processes in males and females. In many respects, testosterone lays the foundation of male physiology....
