Breathing rate is primarily regulated by neural and chemical mechanisms. Respiration is controlled by spontaneous neural discharge from the brain to nerves that innervate respiratory muscles. The primary respiratory muscle is the diaphragm, which...
Water on the knee has long been the popular lay terminology for a condition of the knee called effusion, an abnormal and excessive buildup of joint fluid within the knee. The presence of this excess fluid is a direct response by the body to...
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, is the third-most common cause of chronic unexplained cough. A chronic unexplained cough is a cough that lasts for longer than three weeks in patients with no prior history of chronic...
Knowing how long to remain in a stretch is key to maximizing the flexibility benefits you receive from your workout. According to MayoClinic.com, stretching plays a key role in any exercise program by increasing flexibility and improving the...
Pepsin, classified as an enzyme, performs important digestive functions. Digestion describes the process by which the digestive tract breaks down food particles into smaller molecules the body can absorb. Digestion occurs through mechanical...
Your body is an incredibly dynamic, adaptive organ that rapidly responds to changes in the internal environment. The respiratory system demonstrates this concept elegantly in its seamless, autonomous response to increased physical activity during...
Running is a cardiovascular exercise because it conditions the heart and blood vessels. The more intense the running, the more oxygen the muscles need. Breathing rate increases to bring more oxygen into the body, and the working muscles generate...
The normal heart rate for an average adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute. This number can increase to a maximum heart rate during exercise that varies with age. Your heart rate, both at rest and during exercise, is controlled by the nervous...
The bladder, a hollow sac located behind the pubic bone, is an integral organ of the urinary system. The main functions of the bladder are to store urine that is produced by the kidneys and excrete it from the body. To fulfill these functions the...
The average person produces 32 to 48 ounces of urine a day. The bladder can hold more than 2 cups at once for up to about 5 hours, which creates a lot of bladder pressure. Additional pressure is put on the bladder when it contracts to release all...
Although the USDA recommends avoiding an overabundance of fat in your diet, some is still essential. Fat serves as a means of energy storage for your body. It also works as a cushion to protect your vital organs and contributes to temperature...
The rush and stress of today's typical lifestyle might have you downing a meal one minute and heading to a meeting or class the next. If you are eating too fast, however, you might not be giving your brain time to catch up with your body, and the...
The leaves of the yerba mate plant, a member of the holly family that grows at moderate altitude in the rainforests of South America, have long been prized for their stimulant properties. Modern research indicates that drinking yerba mate may also...
Stretches for tendon reflexes are also known as deep tendon reflexes, according to the National Institutes of Health. These stretches are performed as part of a neurological examination. The muscle stretch receptors will be stimulated by pressure...
You have more than 600 skeletal muscles in your body, connecting primarily to your bones via tendons. Muscles are classified according to their size, shape and fiber arrangement. They are named according to their location, function, shape,...
Colon cleansing is important to maintaining a healthy body. Natural health proponent and best-selling author Kevin Trudeau states in his book, "More Natural Cures Revealed," that you need to have two to three bowel movements daily to avoid many...
You can develop your speed and power by using a training method called plyometrics. Plyometric exercise uses your muscles' internal stretch receptors, the muscle spindle fibers, to detect when muscles are stretched forcefully or rapidly and to...
Health professionals believe that having a balance of microorganisms in your intestines is important for good health. Keeping your gut flora healthy includes maintaining levels of probiotics -- or the "good" bacteria. One of the best-known...
The digestive system works closely with other systems of the body to ensure the flow of energy and nutrients throughout the body. Digestion and the time between meals are directly impacted by the type of foods you eat. Foods that are chemically...
Satiety, the sensation that you've had enough to eat, results from a balance of hormonal and neurological signals reaching your brain from your stomach. Other factors, such as the sensory quality of food, also contribute to satiety. Scientific...
The nerves of your body are a group of specialized fibers that are bundled together like the strands of a rope. These nerve fibers run throughout your body to carry sensory impulses from your body to your brain and motor impulses from your brain...
Sodium is an essential mineral found inside all of your cells and in the fluids bathing your cells and tissues. While a little sodium is necessary for good health, excessive dietary intake of sodium, mainly as salt, is associated with high blood...
Muscle spindles are sensory nerves found in the muscles of the body. They consist of specialized muscle fibers that lie parallel to the extrafusal, or regular, muscle tissue. Muscle spindles are also known as intrafusal muscle fibers to...
There are many benefits associated with sports massage for athletes. Sports massage can be used pre-performance or post-performance and also during training or as a rehabilitative modality. Each of the benefits of sports massage are either...
Eating is meant to satisfy your appetite and your taste buds, but when you don’t feel full after a meal, this can lead you to either eat more or feel unsatisfied with your meal. If you’re trying to keep your weight under control, a...
Moving your limbs allows you to fully interact with your environment. You are able to pick up objects, wave to a friend and kick a ball if you want. But how does the brain communicate with the muscles? Movement is created and controlled by the...
According to "Textbook of Medical Physiology," input into the nervous system is provided by sensory receptors that tell the brain what is happening in the body and allows the central nervous system to respond and adapt to the changing environment....
The stretch reflex, also called the myotatic reflex, is a protective response to stretching. The body protects the stretched muscle by forcefully contracting it. Certain types of physical training take advantage of the stretch reflex to create...
The bladder is a distensible, hollow organ found in the pelvic region of the human body. Above it are two tube-like structures known as ureters that connect the bladder to each kidney. Below the bladder is a tube called the urethra that runs to...
