Nearly 400 quarts of blood filter through your kidneys every day, according to the Encyclopedia of Science, carrying waste products as well as essential minerals. As these essential elements pass through the kidney, the kidney selectively removes...
Molecules in the body can have no charge on them, positive charges or negative charges. There must be as many positive charges as negative charges. One definition of an acid is as the concentration of positively charged hydrogen ions. Acidosis is...
Dehydration is a condition in which the body has lost water and blood volume is decreased. Depending on how much fluid the body has lost, dehydration can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. When blood volume is decreased, the concentration...
Calcium is a mineral important to a number of our normal bodily functions. Its concentration in your blood is only normal within a very narrow range. Too much calcium, which is usually caused by dysregulation of your parathyroid gland, can cause a...
Sodium is an important mineral found in abundance outside the cell and helps regulate blood volume and pressure. Think of it as a "water magnet." For example, an increase in blood sodium concentration results in the shifting of water into the...
Adrenal insufficiency is a disorder in which hormone production by the adrenal glands is impaired. The adrenal glands produce the hormones cortisol, aldosterone, some androgens and the chemical messengers, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Adrenal...
Hyperglycemia, also known as high blood sugar, is a condition in which excessive levels of glucose are found circulating in the blood. It is most often associated with diabetes, but other conditions can lead to abnormally high blood sugar levels....
The kidneys regulate the body’s fluid volume, maintain electrolyte concentrations and acid-base balance, filter the blood and remove wastes. The kidneys directly influence blood volume and blood pressure by controlling sodium levels in the...
Cholesterol is the most important lipid, or fat, in the body. It is an integral component of cell membranes. All steroid hormones in the body are made from cholesterol including estrogen and testosterone. Cholesterol can be used by our bodies as...
Thiazides are a type of diuretic, a class of drug that increases urination. In the kidneys, thiazides decrease sodium chloride absorption, resulting in forced removal of fluid from the body. According to the University of Kentucky Medical Center,...
A premature ventricular contraction, also known as PVC, can feel like your heart skipped a beat. Surprisingly, this is common for almost everyone, according to the Mayo Clinic. The problem arises if it happens regularly. If your heartbeat is out...
Glucose is a carbohydrate found in most foods that your body uses for energy. Its levels in your blood are tightly regulated by hormones, including insulin and glucagon. All of your glucose is eventually filtered by your kidneys and reabsorbed...
Homeostasis is the balance seen in living organisms, the regulation of constant internal conditions such as temperature, mineral concentrations and energy expenditure regardless of changing external conditions. Disruptions in homeostasis are often...
According to the most recent report from the National Coffee Association of USA, 49 percent of coffee drinkers believe that coffee is healthy, and consumption of iced and frozen coffee and gourmet coffee is on the rise. One health concern related...
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and 99 percent is contained within the skeleton. Bones act as a reservoir for calcium and only five percent of the calcium in the bone is turned over each day during bone remodeling. The actions of...
Potassium abounds inside every cell of your body and in your body fluids. The functions of potassium in your body processes involve all of your body systems. Your body requires a substantial ongoing supply of dietary potassium to replenish daily...
Potassium is an electrolyte, one of the many electrically charged molecules that are important in the body's metabolic processes. The majority of the potassium in the body is within the cells, so the levels of potassium in the bloodstream are low...
High blood pressure (Hypertension) is known as the "silent killer" because it can go undiagnosed till it causes fatal complications. It affects about one out of every three adult Americans over twenty years of age, with approximately 40 million...
Atacand Plus is a prescription drug that is a combination of two medications: Atacand, or candesartan, and Microzide, or hydrochlorothiazide. The medication is used for the treatment of high blood pressure after other medications fail to...
Calcium is an important mineral in many of the body's functions and processes. According to the NIH's Office of Nutritional Supplements, it is the most abundant mineral in the body, stored mostly in your bones and teeth. Hypocalcemia, a condition...
Vasopressin, also known as antidiuretic hormone, is secreted by the posterior pituitary. The hypothalamus in the brain regulates the secretion of vasopressin. Neurons in the hypothalamus are sensitive to changes in sodium concentration in the...
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects roughly one in three American adults, and can cause significant health problems for the person with the condition. Hypertension can also occur in children. Along with beneficial lifestyle...
Lung cancer is the abnormal growth of tissue in the lungs. When cancer originates in the lungs, it can spread to other organs of the body; the spread of lung cancer to the adrenal glands, for example, may result in electrolyte disturbances....
Fats, or lipids, are necessary for the metabolic processes in your body, but too much can put you at risk for coronary heart disease. Lipid levels are determined by the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. An increase in your...
Water retention is an abnormal accumulation of water in the body as a result of an ongoing medical condition or dietary habit; water accumulates in the cells, between the cells and in blood vessels. Conditions that lead to water retention often do...
Vitamin D may be used in the treatment of hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia; the rationale for this therapeutic approach lies in the physiology of parathyroid hormone and calcium. Always consult with your physician when considering taking...
Calcium homeostasis is one of your body's highest priorities. Although 99 percent of your body's calcium is found in your bones, the other 1 percent is so critical to indispensable life processes that it is regulated by a system of complex...
Stevia, an herb native to South America, is cultivated for its leaves, which are used as a natural alternative to sugar. Stevia contains no calories and refined extracts of stevia are as much as 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia is used...
Diuretics are a class of drugs used to treat patients with high blood pressure. Diuretics can cause blood vessel dilation, help the kidneys excrete water and salt, and decrease overall body fluid volume, according to Merck Manuals. All of these...
