Potassium is an essential mineral for normal function of the human body. Specifically, potassium is necessary for normal function of nerve, muscle and heart cells. Normal potassium is between 3.6 and 4.8 milliequivalents per liter, MayoClinic.com...
Collagen fibers are strong protein fibers that give skin its elasticity, according to 3D Chem. As you age, collagen fibers deplete in the body, which can result in wrinkles associated with aging. Understanding what activities can advance collagen...
Eating a large turkey dinner may actually make you happy. Turkey contains tryptophan, a precursor chemical for the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical responsible for elevated moods. Unfortunately, many people experience a condition known as...
If you're like most people, the mention of the word "cholesterol" probably conjures up negative ideas because of its famed association with heart disease. Yet your body needs this soft, waxy substance to remain healthy. It serves as as a component...
Potassium exists in the body as an electrolyte, or electrically charged mineral. The cells of the body are electrically charged, and use electrical currents to communicate and initiate work, such as the contraction of muscles or the heart, or the...
A regular diet and exercise program is crucial to managing weight and depleting body fat. A healthy diet prevents the excessive intake of calories that causes a repletion of body fat. In contrast, regular exercise burns stored calories and causes...
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can occur for various reasons. Conditions that deplete your body of iron can cause iron deficiency anemia, a condition that results when you have too few red blood cells. Iron deficiency causes a range of symptoms...
According to The Medical News, dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter that is found in the different areas of brain and is essential for several functions of the central nervous system. Dopamine plays a major role in the feelings of addiction...
Calcium is a mineral that your body needs for a range of vital functions, including teeth and bone growth and the production of various enzymes and hormones. You absorb the calcium content of food in your small intestine. However, the consumption...
Smoking has many well-known and well-documented health effects. For example, cigarette smokers are more likely to have strokes, heart attacks, bronchitis, emphysema and various types of cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Vitamin depletion...
Your body needs vitamins and minerals to function at its fullest potential. There are 13 essential vitamins according to Medline Plus. These vitamins are considered essential because the body is not able to make them on its own and therefore you...
Potassium is one of the important minerals and electrolytes needed by the body, as discussed on MedlinePlus, a website supported by the National Institutes of Health. Potassium is involved in tissue and cellular functions. This mineral has various...
Potassium is a mineral that is very important for your body's functions. It promotes nerve and muscle function and it may also help control blood pressure. There are various dietary sources of potassium, including chard, Lima beans and spinach. In...
Potassium is an essential mineral needed by the body for a variety of functions including protein synthesis, building muscles and the normal electrical activity of the heart. According to the National Institutes of Health, many food sources...
Many people associate dopamine with the pursuit of pleasure, rewards and thrills. You may associate it with the rush you feel after simple indulgences like eating chocolate or with extreme risk-taking, such as bungee-jumping, but it plays a more...
Potassium is an electrolyte, an electrically charged mineral that is essential for conducting electricity throughout the body. Nearly one in five people hospitalized in the U.S. have low potassium, states eMedicineHealth.com. Potassium, along with...
Glutathione is a substance your body uses to help prevent cell damage while your body is producing energy. If your stores of glutathione are depleted, you may have a medical condition referred to as glutathione synthetase deficiency. The disorder...
Potassium is a macro-mineral that your body uses to maintain your body's blood chemistry and the balance and fluids in your body. If you deplete the potassium in your body, you can develop hypokalemia, or low blood potassium, which can lead to...
Potassium is an essential mineral and electrolyte for human existence. All living cells function using potassium. Without potassium, nerves could not generate electrical impulses, the heart would not pump and skeletal muscles could not contract....
Low levels of potassium, called hypokalemia, are not usually caused by dietary deficiencies. Most cases of depleted potassium result from impaired absorption of nutrients, an underlying medical condition that affects potassium, or from excreting...
A low potassium level, or hypokalemia, is a common electrolyte imbalance with a wide variety of causes. Resulting signs and symptoms depend on the severity of potassium depletion and can be easily overlooked if mild. Laboratory tests and...
The fourth most plentiful mineral in the human body, magnesium is vital to maintaining your health. And if you’re a regular runner, you need magnesium even more than the average person. You can easily become depleted of this mineral if...
Used in moderation, alcohol appears to confer some health benefits. The American Heart Association reports that moderate intake of alcohol, 1 or 2 drinks daily, increases HDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of coronary heart disease. However,...
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that communicates messages between nerve cells, called neurons, and controls emotions, learning and spontaneous and voluntary movement, according to research by K. Kobayashi, published in "Brain and...
Carb depletion diets are diets that restrict either all dietary carbohydrates or certain types of carbohydrates. Most of these diets are aimed at weight loss. An exception is the ketogenic diet, which doctors occasionally prescribe to epileptics...
The mineral potassium is a crucial electrolyte that helps every type of organ, tissue and cell in the human body function properly. Potassium also helps regulate muscle contraction and relaxation and ensure your heart beats correctly. Treatment...
Potassium is an electrolyte that is important for bodily functions. Specifically, potassium helps regulate muscle function, nerve signal conduction, digestion, metabolism and many other chemical processes that take place in the body. At times,...
Vitamin K is an essential vitamin for preventing osteoporosis -- this vitamin helps your body use calcium from food sources and supplements to repair and build bone cells, according to Phyllis Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional...
Your body's adrenal glands naturally produce a hormone called DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, that is responsible for making other sex hormones, such as estrogen and androgen. Though DHEA levels naturally decrease as you get older, certain drugs...
Relieve tension in the Hara and legs by learning how to finish a shiatsu massage session in this free video clip.
Eating healthy carbohydrates, drinking water and getting enough protein are key factors towards maintaining a healthy runner's diet. Learn more about how to replenish yourself for your cardio work out in this video.
Muscle spasms and cramps are often harmless but can accompany serious medical conditions. Learn about spasms and cramps in this medical video.
Don't let a cramp put an end to your exercise workout. Learn what causes cramping and how to prevent it in this medical treatment video from a clinical dietician.