During exercise, the increased activity of the muscles increases oxygen consumption and production of carbon dioxide. The respiratory system, in conjunction with the cardiovascular system, must adjust to meet these demands. These additional...
When you travel to high altitudes, the air pressure is lower, meaning fewer oxygen molecules are present in the air. Kenneth Baillie, a clinical lecturer in anesthesia and intensive care medicine at the University of Edinburgh, reports for every...
Your body uses oxygen to produce energy. Oxygen cannot be stored in the body and muse be continually inspired. Therefore as your body expends more energy you must respire more. Your breathing rate is controlled by several factors including...
All adults in the United States are encouraged to get at least 30 minutes a day of exercise most days of the week, according to recommendations by the American Heart Association. Exercise relies on a complex set of reactions within your body to...
Increased respiratory rate is one of the most obvious adaptations you make to meet the demands of exercise. The rate of blood flow and gas exchange throughout the pulmonary system will increase during exercise to supply sufficient amounts of...
Asthma's primary cause is not known, but researchers believe that sufferers have a genetic predisposition towards allergies and allergic reactions. It is also believed that early exposure to allergens and infections in infancy, when the immune...
Breathing provides life-sustaining oxygen and rids the body of the gaseous waste product carbon dioxide. The respiratory control center in the brain stem receives various types of input from sensors in the body that influence the breathing rate....
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that more than 72 million American adults are obese with a body mass index score of 30 or greater, exercise is continually being pushed as a necessary and important part of your weekly...
Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, is one of the most toxic and addictive alkaloid poisons found in the tobacco plant. Alkaloids react with acids to form salts. These salts may be used in medicines. Nicotine is used in gums and transdermal...
Your muscles require up to 100 times the blood flow during exercise than they need at rest, according to Dr. Michael Joyner, one of the principal investigators at Mayo Clinic’s Center for Translation Sciences and Activities. This increased...
A sharp pain in the right or left side, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, dizziness and an increased respiratory rate are some symptoms of a collapsed lung, or pneumothorax. The pain will get progressively worse, because a collapsed lung...
Water is necessary for life; without it, you can survive only a few days. Water makes up 40 to 70 percent of a human's body weight depending on age, gender and body composition. Water constitutes 60 percent of muscles, 95 percent of the brain,...
The spine--also referred to as the backbone--curves naturally as it extends from the skull to the hips. Kyphosis is a medical term for a condition involving an unnatural curvature of the spine. With kyphosis, the spine causes a bowing of the back....
The respiratory system controls your breathing, providing oxygen to your body and eliminating carbon dioxide. Exercise causes muscle movement, increasing carbon dioxide in your body and resulting in an increased respiratory rate -- the frequency...
Exercise is one of the keys to living a long and healthy life, and it should be included in your weekly routine at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week, suggests the American Heart Association. When approaching exercise, you have two main...
Breathing is a fundamental process needed to sustain life. Still, it is only a part of the complex oxygen, carbon-dioxide swapping cycle called respiration. This process begins upon inhalation, allowing oxygen to flow deep within the lungs and...
Asthma is a chronic condition involving inflammation in the airways. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about seven million children currently have asthma in the United States. Despite improvements in prevention and...
An aggravation of asthma is also known as an asthma exacerbation. The word exacerbation is used when there is a worsening of the disease or an increased severity of the signs and symptoms. Exacerbations can range from mild to severe. Regardless of...
Because a gymnast practices physically challenging stunts on a regular basis, focusing on protection from injury is imperative. The most common injuries among gymnasts are minor, including sprained ankles, wrist sprains and foot injuries. Numerous...
Congenital heart defects, CHD, are problems with the baby's heart structure at birth. Sometimes the defects are so severe, they need immediate surgical intervention. The most dangerous defects are found during pregnancy or soon thereafter. Less...
Hydrocodone is a narcotic drug that is combined with acetaminophen. It is also marketed under the commercial name Vicodin. Generally prescribed for pain relief, it may cause dependence. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration rates hydrocodone...
A stress attack is also called a panic attack or an anxiety attack. Symptoms of a stress attack can occur at any time, day or night and under any circumstance. The cause of your stress attack can result from real threats to your health and safety...
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant. Crack is the name given to the freebase form of cocaine. Made by dissolving powder cocaine in water and an alkaloid such as ammonia, followed by adding a solvent, the result is a solid, which separates as a...
Asthma is an obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by hyper-reactive and narrowed airways, increased mucous secretion, bronchospasms, reversible airway obstruction, and mucosal edema and inflammation brought on by stimuli. Intrinsic...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a term used to describe a constellation of conditions that interfere with the movement of air through your lungs. The chief problem in COPD is a decreased ability to completely exhale, which leads...
The American College of Sports Medicine stresses the importance of regular exercise and recommends that all American adults get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. One common way to reach this goal is by utilizing exercise...
Albuterol sulfate is a medication used primarily to treat bronchospasm for patients with obstructive airway disease such as asthma. It is approved for patients 2 years of age and older, according to the National Institute of Health. Albuterol...
A breathing treatment is a type of process that administers medication to help a child breathe easier. It is ordered by a physician who also prescribes the dose of medication to use. Breathing treatments help to reduce swelling or inflammation in...
One of the exciting things about competing as an athlete is the opportunity to travel and participate in events in new and different places. But if you live at sea level and plan to compete at elevations higher than 1500 meters, the adaptations...
