I have a gluten intolerance. Thought these videos might be helpful to others. A lot of people don't even know they have Celiac Disease. It is interesting considering we just discussed the immune system and now are talking about digestion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8s9uMR-5eY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmWf0et4hg
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Info
Does anyone have any info on the Dr. that Dana was talking about in class last week. We were talking about the hormone receptors and blocking the mutated ones to reduce breast cancer? I was trying to look for information about it. I was googling it but have come up with nothing. I thought it would be really interesting to read about. I don't know the dr.'s name or the name of the research center in Portland. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I have two family members that have been diagnosed with breast cancer within the last year. It's a shot in the dark.
Hormones!
Ah, hormones, another down-side to being a female. LOL! I'm pretty down on all the negatives of what being a woman can be. On the other hand we have amazing power as women but I do like to complain too. We have hormones to thank for the monthly cycle, hot flashes and mood swings. What a great gift we have to live with. Of course then there are all the connections between estrogen and cancer, the speculation is it bad or good for you, does hormone therapy INCREASE the risk of cancer and how about hormone filled birth control is that a contributor? The more you look at the human body the more you learn how complex it is. The more complicated something is, the more problems it can have. Hence the human body and all it's ailments, diseases, disorders, malfunctions etc. If you have too much of one hormone, you can spend your life plucking stubborn hairs from your face, oh, the thrill of it all. Too much of another hormone will leave you sweating and panting like a dog. How attractive! The tragedies of being a woman. Not an easy burden. And as we age, the hormones change and so do we. Perhaps all women should be born with warning signs attached.
One a positive note, it is amazing how intricate the body is. Something that man cannot replicate in a lab. How do cells, hormones, and endocrine glands function so well together. It seems like there should be people within us controlling the actions. It's magically (when things are working right) how life persists without our knowledge or permission. Hormones are chemical substances that move through our blood stream. That sounds simple. But hold on, there do so many different things. If we were stripped of our Pineal gland and the melatonin it produces what would happen to our sleep patterns? Lord knows I need as much melatonin as it pumps out! I love to sleep! If it wasn't for all the sex hormones we wouldn't develop secondary sex characteristics, our accessory organs, or the egg and sperm that is essential to the advancement of life on earth. Some would argue that we should monitor who does and doesn't reproduce, but that's another matter.
One thing that is so disturbing is the drug and advertising community. We discussed this in class and you see adds ALL THE TIME about losing wait. Block Cortisol, the fat storing enemy it is! Relieve stress and loss wait at the same time. All these gimmicks that fool people into thinking they are doing something right, when it's probably very wrong and foreign to their body. Unfortunately people or so under- or mis-educated that they will grasp onto anything that says will be a miracle cure or fix for weight loss. It's sad how little we know or take responsibility for our own lives. I've learned more in this class about hormones then I ever knew before. Yet, I've had personal issues with that. I had to have an MRI because my Dr. was confident I had a tumor in my Pituitary gland. Thank god I didn't. But when she was talking to me about my FSH, LH, Prolactin levels, she could have been speaking alien to me. Now I know a little more. It's not all glamorous but it is impressive what a tiny bit of hormone (or lack of) can do to your body. Learning is a life-long process.
One a positive note, it is amazing how intricate the body is. Something that man cannot replicate in a lab. How do cells, hormones, and endocrine glands function so well together. It seems like there should be people within us controlling the actions. It's magically (when things are working right) how life persists without our knowledge or permission. Hormones are chemical substances that move through our blood stream. That sounds simple. But hold on, there do so many different things. If we were stripped of our Pineal gland and the melatonin it produces what would happen to our sleep patterns? Lord knows I need as much melatonin as it pumps out! I love to sleep! If it wasn't for all the sex hormones we wouldn't develop secondary sex characteristics, our accessory organs, or the egg and sperm that is essential to the advancement of life on earth. Some would argue that we should monitor who does and doesn't reproduce, but that's another matter.
One thing that is so disturbing is the drug and advertising community. We discussed this in class and you see adds ALL THE TIME about losing wait. Block Cortisol, the fat storing enemy it is! Relieve stress and loss wait at the same time. All these gimmicks that fool people into thinking they are doing something right, when it's probably very wrong and foreign to their body. Unfortunately people or so under- or mis-educated that they will grasp onto anything that says will be a miracle cure or fix for weight loss. It's sad how little we know or take responsibility for our own lives. I've learned more in this class about hormones then I ever knew before. Yet, I've had personal issues with that. I had to have an MRI because my Dr. was confident I had a tumor in my Pituitary gland. Thank god I didn't. But when she was talking to me about my FSH, LH, Prolactin levels, she could have been speaking alien to me. Now I know a little more. It's not all glamorous but it is impressive what a tiny bit of hormone (or lack of) can do to your body. Learning is a life-long process.
Science Based?
This is just a quick blurb about a movie I watched last night. I hate horror movies and even though this one isn't, it was very disturbing. The great part is that the movie is so poorly done that it is quite laughable. Very weak overall, but it did get me to thinking.
"The Happening" is about an airborn toxin that causes sequential blocking of neurotrasmitters resulting in self destruction. The people in this movie, once exposed kill themselves. We do see the progression, which is very quick, within minutes of exposure. The first stage is verbal incoherence, then physical disorientation, and then a form of suicide. People were jumping off buildings, shooting themselves, hanging themselves and one man laid down in the grass while a lawn mower mowed him over.
Because of this A&P class I undertand how neurotransmitters normally work. I can't see how a toxin could manipulate your NT's in such a way to totally control you. I've looked this up online and I have found that yes, controlling certain NT's can cause severe depression which could lead to suicide but it's not an fast reaction and highly unlikely. Even though this movie seems to have no validity, it does make you start to wonder the possibilities of being controlled by substances. As we all know when somebody takes drugs or alcohol, you are altered in some fashion. Different people have different reactions so to leash a toxin on a large scale you have to wonder how to protect yourself, or if you could...
"The Happening" is about an airborn toxin that causes sequential blocking of neurotrasmitters resulting in self destruction. The people in this movie, once exposed kill themselves. We do see the progression, which is very quick, within minutes of exposure. The first stage is verbal incoherence, then physical disorientation, and then a form of suicide. People were jumping off buildings, shooting themselves, hanging themselves and one man laid down in the grass while a lawn mower mowed him over.
Because of this A&P class I undertand how neurotransmitters normally work. I can't see how a toxin could manipulate your NT's in such a way to totally control you. I've looked this up online and I have found that yes, controlling certain NT's can cause severe depression which could lead to suicide but it's not an fast reaction and highly unlikely. Even though this movie seems to have no validity, it does make you start to wonder the possibilities of being controlled by substances. As we all know when somebody takes drugs or alcohol, you are altered in some fashion. Different people have different reactions so to leash a toxin on a large scale you have to wonder how to protect yourself, or if you could...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Spinal/Cranial Nerves/SNS vs ANS
Tuesday of this week we expanding on the Cranial and Spinal nerves. First we re-capped that the vetebral canal is where the spinal cord passes thorough the veterbral column. We looked at the break-down on different vertebrae: Cervical has 7, thoracic 12, lumbar 5 and sacrum 5. There are 31 spinal nerve pairs. It was interesting to learn that the cranial nerves come out superiorly from the vertebrea whereas the spinal nerves emerge inferiorly. We touched on the meninges, the spinal cord only has one layer whereas the brain has two. It's important to know anatomical names and positions we reviewed that anterior and ventral both mean the front and posterior and dorsal refers to the back. Sensory and motor neurons travel in opposite directions like a highway. Sensory output leaves posteriorly as motor output leaves anteriorly. The ascending tracts head toward the brain and carry sensory impulses. They are found on each side of the posterior fissure. They relay infor about proprioreception. The Gracius Fasiculos provides info from the lower legs to the brain while the Cuneanus fasiculu realys info from the upper extremities. The descending tracts travel down the spinal cord and carry motor impulses. The spinothalamic tract is so named that it tells you the impulse gets on at the spinal region and off at teh thalmus. It relays sensory of pain and temperature. The anterior corticospinal and lateral corticospinal tracts realy every impulse out to the entire body.
After reviewing and learning this information we were sent home with a take-home quiz. I spent every moment working on that, to the point that I was second-guessing my answers. There came a point when I just had to set the quiz down and walk away. Thursday we returned to lecture, went over some information about the cranial nerves that we hadn't yet learned and hesitantly passed in the quiz. Thursday we started talking about the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. I think it's easiest to remember that the sympathetic takes your body away from it's baseline while the Parasympathetic returns you to baseline. The Parasympathetic is also nick-named the "feed/breed" or rest/digest system with the Sympathetic is known for its "fight or flight" responses. We also talked about the muscles of the eye. The radial muscles are controlled by the SNS and they cause pupillary dilation. The circular muscles of the eye are controlled by the PNS and constrict the pupil.
Learning about all the cranial nerves reminded me of something. When I was much younger I had to have lower mandibular surgery. I remember my surgeon talking about the mandibular nerve. Even though I was young he took out the model of a skull and explained to me how my surgery would go, where the incisions were, the cutting of the mandible and where the nerve is in the jaw. He said that if it was damaged I could have permanent damage. In my case that didnt' happen but as I read stories from blotched surgies online it's unfortunate that so many people have to suffer through this. This goes to show how important every part of our bodies are and that we need to take charge of our own health an well being. We live in this body yet many of us know (or even care) about it. This A&P class has been so interesting because I have learned so much about my body. It's an amazing piece of work.
After reviewing and learning this information we were sent home with a take-home quiz. I spent every moment working on that, to the point that I was second-guessing my answers. There came a point when I just had to set the quiz down and walk away. Thursday we returned to lecture, went over some information about the cranial nerves that we hadn't yet learned and hesitantly passed in the quiz. Thursday we started talking about the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. I think it's easiest to remember that the sympathetic takes your body away from it's baseline while the Parasympathetic returns you to baseline. The Parasympathetic is also nick-named the "feed/breed" or rest/digest system with the Sympathetic is known for its "fight or flight" responses. We also talked about the muscles of the eye. The radial muscles are controlled by the SNS and they cause pupillary dilation. The circular muscles of the eye are controlled by the PNS and constrict the pupil.
Learning about all the cranial nerves reminded me of something. When I was much younger I had to have lower mandibular surgery. I remember my surgeon talking about the mandibular nerve. Even though I was young he took out the model of a skull and explained to me how my surgery would go, where the incisions were, the cutting of the mandible and where the nerve is in the jaw. He said that if it was damaged I could have permanent damage. In my case that didnt' happen but as I read stories from blotched surgies online it's unfortunate that so many people have to suffer through this. This goes to show how important every part of our bodies are and that we need to take charge of our own health an well being. We live in this body yet many of us know (or even care) about it. This A&P class has been so interesting because I have learned so much about my body. It's an amazing piece of work.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Cranial and Spinal Nerves
I survived last weeks quiz, I'm glad to report. But that doesn't mean they don't still scare me to death. There is so much information. I was thankful that on Tuesday we mostly reviewed material. We talked again about the anatomy of the brain, lobes and functions, arterial blood flow, the limbic system and CSF circulation. Thursday was a new topic and a new Prof. Mr Haskell. Mr Haskell had the task of teaching about the Cranial and Spinal nerves. A whole lot of info packed in one lecture. We started learning that the spinal cord and CSF (dorsal cavity) is called the Conus medullaies, this separates into the Cauda equina which further branches off in the sacral area of Filium equina. Confused yet? Yeah, that's just the beginning. Looking at a cross section of the spinal cord we can see it's shaped like a white circle with an gray "H" inside. The area of the spinal cord that is white appears so because it's myelinated and the gray mater is unmyelinated and appears darker. The dorsal root is sensory as the ventral root is motor. The white commisure are tracts that are coming from the brain (like a highway). The horns have three areas, the posterior, lateral and anterior. The lateral gray horn is only found in the thoracic region and is where sympathetic nerves exit the spinal cord.
We learned that some nerves are weaved together in a plexus and that they branch off in many areas. The lumbar-sacral region is not as mingling or complex as the brachial plexus. We referred to a lot of diagrams in the text and the PowerPoint to see how the nerves are situated in and throughout the human body. We highlighted the 12 cranial nerves and looked at their points on entrance/exit in the human skull. I am still learning what all the nerves do and the labeling of the skull. There is another quiz on Tuesday so I still have to spend a lot of time learning the brain/blood flow and nerves.
We learned that some nerves are weaved together in a plexus and that they branch off in many areas. The lumbar-sacral region is not as mingling or complex as the brachial plexus. We referred to a lot of diagrams in the text and the PowerPoint to see how the nerves are situated in and throughout the human body. We highlighted the 12 cranial nerves and looked at their points on entrance/exit in the human skull. I am still learning what all the nerves do and the labeling of the skull. There is another quiz on Tuesday so I still have to spend a lot of time learning the brain/blood flow and nerves.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Brain
We started this week with an exam. I'm going to wait until I receive my exam back before I post any comments. The second half of the week we started to focus on the brain. We reviewed the three Primary Regions of the brain: Prosencephalon, Mesencephalon and Rhombencephalon. Then at week 8 of development we now have the Telencephalon (which as an adult becomes the cerebral hemispheres) the Diencephalon (becomes the Thalmus, hypothalmus), the Mesencephalon becomes the Midbrain (corpora quadrigemina), the Metencephalon in the adult brain develops the Pons and Cerebullum while the Myencephalon becomes the medulla oblongata.
We focused on the midbrain region. The Corpora Quadrigemina which has the superior colliculi (the relay system for vision impulses) and the inferior colliculi (relay system for auditory impulses). The tectum is the "roof" or dorsal surface of the midbrain. One thing that makes learning the human body so difficult is the vocabulary. Many words are spelled similarly but have a very different meaning, or there are multiple names for the same thing. We see this with the cerebral aqueduct which is the same as the aqueduct of Sylvius. Very confusing. We then took a quick overlook of the midbrain that extends inferiorly into the Pons and more inferiorly the medulla oblongota. If somebody is talking about the hindbrain they are referring to the Pons and the Medulla, but the term brain stem includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla. Just the beginning of this topic seems confusing with a lot of details. However, we move right along to the protective coverings of the brain (and spinal cord) the meninges. Of these there are three layers. The outermost consists of a thick, white, dense irregular connective tissue called the Dura Mater. Within this layer there are major blood vessels. The area above the Dura Mater is called the Epidural Space whereas the area below it is the sub-dural space. The dura mater around the brain is 2 layers thick, in contrast to only being one layer thick around the spinal cord. The middlemost layer is the Arachnoid Mater, this is web-like, contains no blood vessels and is found next to the sub-arachnoid space where CSF is and diffusions through CSF allows nutrients between these two layers. The third and innermost layer of meninges is the Pia Mater. It's structure is capillary network.
We took a closer look at the Dura Mater which is two layers. The Periosteal layer is closest to the skull and the meningeal layer is the inner layer. These two layers adhere tightly together however in some places spaces do form between the layers. One such space is the Superior Sagittal Sinus (where venous blood collects between the right and left cerebral hemispheres).
Next we turned to the blood flow of the brain. For this we referred to page 774 in our Primary textbook. It was pointed out that the falx cerebri was the region of dura mater between the cerebral hemisphers.
We followed the path of venous drainage: Superior sagittal sinus>Right transverse sinus>inferior sagittal sinus>left transverse sinus>Sigmoid sinus>internal jugular>right branchiocephal>Superior vena cava>heart.
Then we turned to page 757 and 758 and looked at Arterial Blood Circulation: Oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.
Blood enters the Left Atrium>(bicuspid/mitral valve) Left Ventricle>Semilunar valve>ascending Aorta>Aortic Arch>Descending Aorta>Thoracic Aorta>Abdominal Aorta
Focus was given to the three vessels which come off the Aortic Arch 1)Right branchiocephalic artery -right subclavian and right common carotid ....2) Left common carotid-external and internal 3) left subclavian Both internal carotids go through the neck; feed blood into the Circle of Willis.
These are the notes I took in class. I have to re-read over the material and study each of these components. A&P II has proven to be a lot different from A&P I. It's a challenge to comprehend everything you think you need to know and bringing the information from lecture and the four textbooks together.
We focused on the midbrain region. The Corpora Quadrigemina which has the superior colliculi (the relay system for vision impulses) and the inferior colliculi (relay system for auditory impulses). The tectum is the "roof" or dorsal surface of the midbrain. One thing that makes learning the human body so difficult is the vocabulary. Many words are spelled similarly but have a very different meaning, or there are multiple names for the same thing. We see this with the cerebral aqueduct which is the same as the aqueduct of Sylvius. Very confusing. We then took a quick overlook of the midbrain that extends inferiorly into the Pons and more inferiorly the medulla oblongota. If somebody is talking about the hindbrain they are referring to the Pons and the Medulla, but the term brain stem includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla. Just the beginning of this topic seems confusing with a lot of details. However, we move right along to the protective coverings of the brain (and spinal cord) the meninges. Of these there are three layers. The outermost consists of a thick, white, dense irregular connective tissue called the Dura Mater. Within this layer there are major blood vessels. The area above the Dura Mater is called the Epidural Space whereas the area below it is the sub-dural space. The dura mater around the brain is 2 layers thick, in contrast to only being one layer thick around the spinal cord. The middlemost layer is the Arachnoid Mater, this is web-like, contains no blood vessels and is found next to the sub-arachnoid space where CSF is and diffusions through CSF allows nutrients between these two layers. The third and innermost layer of meninges is the Pia Mater. It's structure is capillary network.
We took a closer look at the Dura Mater which is two layers. The Periosteal layer is closest to the skull and the meningeal layer is the inner layer. These two layers adhere tightly together however in some places spaces do form between the layers. One such space is the Superior Sagittal Sinus (where venous blood collects between the right and left cerebral hemispheres).
Next we turned to the blood flow of the brain. For this we referred to page 774 in our Primary textbook. It was pointed out that the falx cerebri was the region of dura mater between the cerebral hemisphers.
We followed the path of venous drainage: Superior sagittal sinus>Right transverse sinus>inferior sagittal sinus>left transverse sinus>Sigmoid sinus>internal jugular>right branchiocephal>Superior vena cava>heart.
Then we turned to page 757 and 758 and looked at Arterial Blood Circulation: Oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.
Blood enters the Left Atrium>(bicuspid/mitral valve) Left Ventricle>Semilunar valve>ascending Aorta>Aortic Arch>Descending Aorta>Thoracic Aorta>Abdominal Aorta
Focus was given to the three vessels which come off the Aortic Arch 1)Right branchiocephalic artery -right subclavian and right common carotid ....2) Left common carotid-external and internal 3) left subclavian Both internal carotids go through the neck; feed blood into the Circle of Willis.
These are the notes I took in class. I have to re-read over the material and study each of these components. A&P II has proven to be a lot different from A&P I. It's a challenge to comprehend everything you think you need to know and bringing the information from lecture and the four textbooks together.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A&P II
This week has marked the beginning of a new class, A&P II. We've started by examining the nervous system. We've learned what a neuron is from it's dendrites, cell body, axon and to it's synaptic end bulbs. The second half of the week we started to dive into the physiology behind the nerve. How the neurotransmitters, receptors, and the action potential exceeding the threshold causes a nerve impulse to be generated. There has been an abundance of information and details about the nervous system and I'm afraid we've only begun.
Personally, I've always been intrigued with biology and how our bodies function. Oftentimes it's impossible for me to grasp the reality of what is going on in our bodies at any given moment. There are so many processes taken place, within our bodies, yet without our knowledge or permission. When I try to wrap my brain around what is going on, it boggles me. I can't fathom that I don't have control over my body, it controls itself and me. If I touch a hot burner, my reflexes kick in before I even realize it. After the incident, of course I am fully aware of what has happened but I didn't make it happen, my body knows how to protect itself. I was impressed with a new bit of info about the neurons. Although each neuron only produces one type of neurotransmitter yet the receptors in its' dendrites may allow more than one type of NT to bind to it. That's really smart. Since this whole thing happens in such a phenomenally short period of time, the ability to accept more then one NT increases the neurons efficiency and working capabilities. Wow! Yet, this is only the beginning.
I must say that the format of this class does have me a bit apprehensive. I'm used to reading the text, being tested, moving on, accepting my grade at the end of the course. This won't be so black and white. I'm nervous about my ability to keep up and meet the creative expectations this course outlines is necessary. It's a big change in the way I've learned in the past. I've already had difficulties navigating on the computer programs we are required to use. All that said, I'm optimistic this will prove to be a worthwhile journey!
Personally, I've always been intrigued with biology and how our bodies function. Oftentimes it's impossible for me to grasp the reality of what is going on in our bodies at any given moment. There are so many processes taken place, within our bodies, yet without our knowledge or permission. When I try to wrap my brain around what is going on, it boggles me. I can't fathom that I don't have control over my body, it controls itself and me. If I touch a hot burner, my reflexes kick in before I even realize it. After the incident, of course I am fully aware of what has happened but I didn't make it happen, my body knows how to protect itself. I was impressed with a new bit of info about the neurons. Although each neuron only produces one type of neurotransmitter yet the receptors in its' dendrites may allow more than one type of NT to bind to it. That's really smart. Since this whole thing happens in such a phenomenally short period of time, the ability to accept more then one NT increases the neurons efficiency and working capabilities. Wow! Yet, this is only the beginning.
I must say that the format of this class does have me a bit apprehensive. I'm used to reading the text, being tested, moving on, accepting my grade at the end of the course. This won't be so black and white. I'm nervous about my ability to keep up and meet the creative expectations this course outlines is necessary. It's a big change in the way I've learned in the past. I've already had difficulties navigating on the computer programs we are required to use. All that said, I'm optimistic this will prove to be a worthwhile journey!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
