Our star, the sun, produces huge amounts of radiation from the fusion reaction occurring deep within its core. As this radiation reaches the surface of the sun, it emanates in all directions, including toward Earth, forming a solar wind. This is...
Some of nerves have a protective covering around them called myelin. Myelin is important as it increases the speed of the signals that your nerves send. Therefore, diseases that destroy the myelin sheath or interferes with its metabolism will...
Imagine a wind that travels almost 1 million miles per hour but doesn't ripple tall grass in a meadow or flutter a flag projecting from the ground on the moon. A wind without air movement may be hard to imagine, but that is the nature of solar...
The hair you see on your body is basically dead. That is why it doesn't hurt when you get your hair cut at the salon. However, the actual structure of hair is quite complex. Hair is composed of a hard, fibrous protein called keratin. Each strand...
The Sun sends the Earth more than light and heat. It ejects a continuous stream of fast charged particles in all directions, a phenomenon scientists call the solar wind. Like terrestrial weather, the solar wind goes through cycles, becoming...
Exercise that works all portions and areas of your body are beneficial, but knowing what muscles are included in what groups or planes of your body will help you choose the exercises that most benefit your efforts. Understanding the terms used...
Olive oil has a long history of use as an herbal remedy used to restore the suppleness of the skin. You can use olive oil on rashes, wrinkles, sores, sunburns, cuts, infections and as a beauty aid. Some manufacturers have started to blend olive...
Abduction, an anatomical term, describes the direction a limb moves in relation to the body. Shoulder abduction takes place in either of two directions and with different arm movements. These shoulder movements require the contraction of specific...
The hair on the human scalp grows in a specific pattern and has an established growth cycle. This cycle results in periods of hair growth and shedding. The structure of the hair prevents damage to each hair region and contributes to normal growth....
Most exercise classes include a warmup, exercise, cooldown and stretch. Pilates, however, uses a fairly precise sequence of exercises that are designed to build on each other, allowing your body to learn one movement before adding the next....
Deep forehead wrinkles can make you look older than you feel. As your skin ages it loses collagen and elastin, causing it to grow slack. Sun exposure and genetic factors also can contribute to deep wrinkles above the brows. The two most common...
The knee is a joint that allows leg movement, such as walking, running and bending. Because the knee is essential to mobility, it endures a tremendous amount of pressure on a daily basis. This constant pressure can take its toll on the knee joint...
Diverticula of the small intestine are sac-like herniations of the lining of the small intestine through weak points in the intestinal wall. Diverticula of the ileum and the jejunum, the last two sections in the small intestine, are the...
Every movement or exercise occurs in one or more of the three planes of motion. The shoulder press movement primarily occurs in the frontal plane, although variations of the exercise mainly are in the sagittal plane. Since your body naturally...
One of the earliest signs of aging happens on the forehead. Deep creases form, along with frown lines between the eyebrows. A forehead lift is a type of cosmetic surgery that minimizes these wrinkles, lines and creases. A forehead lift, or brow...
A brow lift can, as the name suggests, raise eyebrows that sag as a result of age and gravity, giving the patient a more energized, younger look. Your plastic surgeon can use one of three techniques to take years off of your appearance. With a...
The deltoids are your shoulder muscles, and each deltoid has three heads -- the anterior, posterior and medial heads. To function properly, the heads have to work in tandem with a group of muscles called the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff group is...
A joint is the connection between two bones. The skeletal system is made of different types of joints, including fibrous, cartilagenous and synovial. A ligament holds fibrous joints together. Cartilage joints are bones held together with a...
Your scalp is made of three layers that cover the top of your skull. Beneath your hair are layers of skin, connective tissue with blood vessels and muscle. These layers are loosely attached to your scull by a type of connective tissue called the...
Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that involves the death of many of the nerve cells in the brain that are involved in memory, learning and thought. These nerves normally release a substance called acetylcholine. Thus, people with...
There are two primary categories of Pilates -- authentic or classical, and contemporary or modern. In contemporary Pilates, the exercises vary by session. In classical Pilates, each session is the same and does not deviate from the original work...
Los Angeles as an American city has its own interesting history, but many visitors are drawn to the history of the entertainment industry and the celebrities of Hollywood. Tragic stories dating back nearly a century continue as topics of interest....
Caffeine is a stimulatory chemical present in coffee, tea, some medications, sodas and chocolate and is added to many energy drinks. Normal consumption levels of a few coffees or sodas, about 250 mg a day, is considered safe and doesn't usually...
It is very important to take care of your cardiovascular system. Clogged arteries can result in heart attacks and strokes. You can help to improve your circulation and reduce your risk of heart attacks and heart disease by adding simple foods to...
Bleomycin is a widely used anticancer drug that can lead to severe toxicity, including serious lung problems, allergic reactions, painful sores, vomiting and weight loss. Administering bleomycin requires extreme caution. Errors leading to...
As the European country with the highest incidence of obesity and heart disease, the United Kingdom needs to improve the quality of its citizens' diet and physical fitness levels. As in the United States, increased use of motorized transport and a...
East Texas is generally regarded as the area bounded by Interstate 45 in the west, Louisiana stateline to the east and the Oklahoma border to the north. Much of East Texas is comprised by the Piney Woods region which includes over 50,000 miles of...
The weight loss supplement called Xenadrine once contained ephedra. On Feb. 6, 2004, ongoing reports of the substance's fatal side effects prompted the Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of all ephedra-based weight loss supplements in...
Essiac tonic is a dietary supplement consisting of a mixture of herbs that contain nutrients. Its supporters, who include some cancer patients and doctors, claim it strengthens the immune system and regenerates degenerated cells in the body....
