A lack of serotonin can lead to a multitude of serious medical issues ranging from sleeping and eating disorders to full blown panic attacks and clinical depression. Being one of your body's most important and widely used neurotransmitters, this...
Ankylosing spondylitis, AS, is a form of spinal arthritis. AS can cause the sacroiliac joint between the spine and hips to fuse. The ribs can also fuse in AS causing breathing difficulty. Although neurological symptoms are rare, notes the...
Tinnitus is a term used to describe the symptom of perceiving sounds such as ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking, roaring or pulsing in the ears. The sounds are generated by the auditory system in the brain, rather than the ears. Tinnitus sounds...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurophysiological condition linked to the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. Although the specific cause of ADHD is not yet understood, it involves a mixture of hereditary and...
You may not think about how your heart keeps beating or how your lungs keep breathing, but those are crucial activities controlled by your brain stem. Your brain stem is at the base of your skull and atop your spinal cord. Because your brain stem...
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of children in the United States. Of these children, 50 percent will continue having symptoms of the condition even as adults. ADHD...
Guarana can be found in weight loss supplements and herbal stimulants sourced from the seeds of the Paullinia cupana bush. Research reported in Interamerican Journal of Psychology indicates guarana may contain 3 to 5 percent of caffeine by dry...
Muscle Energy Therapy, or MET, consists of osteopathic techniques used by therapists to help relax the muscles and stretch the joints. In their book "Trigger Points and Muscle Chains in Osteopathy," Philipp Richter and Eric Hebge write that these...
Paclitaxel, the brand name for which is Taxol, is an intravenous chemotherapeutic agent commonly used to treat breast, lung and ovarian cancer. Paclitaxel is given in cycles, approximately every three weeks and often with another chemotherapy...
Plyometric exercise is used in sport-specific training to enhance power and performance. Plyometrics is defined as activities that enable a muscle to reach maximal force in the shortest amount of time, according to the National Strength and...
Muscle cramps of the foot and leg, also known as muscle spasms, can develop in anyone at any time but are most common in people who are overweight or pregnant and during exercise. The result of a contracting muscle that refuses to release, foot...
Plyometric exercises take advantage of a particular tendency of muscle contraction to improve athletic power. When your muscles rapidly shift from stretching to shortening, their capacity to produce force increases. For this reason, many...
Zinc is a mineral, also called a trace element, that is necessary for your health in small amounts. Many essential functions in your body are zinc-dependent, including those involved in cellular metabolism, immune response, neurological function...
Flaxseed oil is extracted from the seeds of the flax plant and is high in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. About 50 to 60 percent of the omega-3 fatty acids contained in flaxseed oil come in the form of alpha-linoleic acid, or ALA. Because of...
A small change in the structure of a chemical may make a major difference in its physical, nutritional and biological properties. A simple alteration of the sugar glucose converts it into the alcohol sorbitol. Despite their chemical differences,...
In soccer, being an explosive player can be shown in you getting to a ball faster than your opponent, getting a breakaway on an attack, or out jumping your opponent to get your head on the ball. Many advanced training techniques exist to increase...
Herbal traditions offer much in the way of relief of muscle and joint disorders. Many popular herbs and oil extracts have been used reliably over many years by herbal medicine practitioners for their purported ability to relieve pain, reduce...
Extensive experience playing video games may prepare your brain for hand-eye tasks that exceed the complexity of hand-eye tasks in a particular game, according to an article on the Medical News Today website. The article suggests that video games...
Acetyl-L-carnitine remains available over the counter despite safety concerns. Taking this dietary aid offers you many health benefits, according to a 2010 article in "Alternative Medicine Review." For example, it may protect your brain from...
The eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin contain sensory receptors or specialized nerve endings that act as sense detectors. Sensory receptors transfer detected stimuli to regions of the brain that allow people to perceive the sensory information....
Being tired is not always enough to ensure you will get a good night's sleep. For many, restful sleep is not always possible because of work, stress, illness or other factors. And although there are a number of prescription medications available...
While the trapezius muscle gets recruited to a degree, stiffness or fatigue of the trapezius rarely limits your pressing ability. If, following a proper warm-up including stretching, you still have difficulty with proper placement of the bar, your...
A well-balanced diet provides your body with the nutrients it needs to carry out biological functions. B vitamins work together and separately to promote health. Of these, B-12 is particularly important for red blood cell production, nerve and...
Calcium is one of the most important minerals your body needs. It is critical for keeping your bones and teeth healthy, and it contributes to numerous vital functions. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate your sleeping rhythms and is used to...
The chemical that goes by the common name "alcohol" is more properly called ethanol, or ethyl alcohol. It's a popular drug, used socially to produce feelings of relaxation and reduce inhibitions. Sucrose, meanwhile, is the chemical name for table...
Strong, healthy shoulders are among the cornerstones of a well-developed physique, and they are a source of power in many activities. You need to train every aspect of your shoulders to achieve balanced development and prevent injury. Consult your...
Your hand-eye coordination allows your visual system to coordinate what you see with your hand motions. Activities such as handwriting, tossing a ball and cleaning your house require hand-eye coordination. Most sports require some kind of...
Around 70 to 85 percent of adults experience low back pain some time in their lives, according to an article published in 2004 in the journal "Pain" by Sarah Liddle and colleagues. Most will recover within six weeks regardless of treatment....
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar. In type 1 diabetes, your pancreas is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that carries sugar from your blood to your cells. In type 2 diabetes, your cells become resistant to...
