Biomedical Laboratory Science

Friday, September 2, 2016

What is the Function of the Hypothalamus?

The hypothalamus is a small area in the center of the brain that has many jobs. It plays an important role in hormone production and helps to stimulate many important processes in the body.

When the hypothalamus is not working properly, it can cause problems in the body leading to many disorders. Though diseases of the hypothalamus are uncommon, it is important to keep it healthy to keep the risk low.

Contents of this article:

What is the hypothalamus?
Hypothalamus disorders
Diet tips for hypothalamus health

The hypothalamus plays a huge role in both the endocrine and nervous systems. Head injuries impacting
the hypothalamus are the most common cause of hypothalamic disease. Diets high in saturated fats can
influence and alter the function of the hypothalamus.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

It’s ‘Digital Heroin’: How Screens Turn Kids into Psychotic Junkies

Susan bought her 6-year-old son John an iPad when he was in first grade. “I thought, ‘Why not let him get a jump on things?’ ” she told me during a therapy session. John’s school had begun using the devices with younger and younger grades — and his technology teacher had raved about their educational benefits — so Susan wanted to do what was best for her sandy-haired boy who loved reading and playing baseball.

She started letting John play different educational games on his iPad. Eventually, he discovered Minecraft, which the technology teacher assured her was “just like electronic Lego.” Remembering how much fun she had as a child building and playing with the interlocking plastic blocks, Susan let her son Minecraft his afternoons away.

At first, Susan was quite pleased. John seemed engaged in creative play as he explored the cube-world of the game. She did notice that the game wasn’t quite like the Legos that she remembered — after all, she didn’t have to kill animals and find rare minerals to survive and get to the next level with her beloved old game. But John did seem to really like playing and the school even had a Minecraft club, so how bad could it be?

Source: nypost

Watch video: 'Digital Heroin'

This Is Why You Have Bloated Stomach And How To Get Rid Of Bloating And Lose Weight Overnight!

What would you think if anyone told you that there’s a bacterium infecting 2/3 of the world population? You will probably just laugh it off. But there is a bacterium in the intestines which has caused issues for quite a while.

Symptoms

Helicobacter Pylori is indicated by the following symptoms: burping, bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, esophageal reflux, heartburn, constipation and upper and mid-stomach torment. For some, these symptoms are hard to relate to this bacterium. Numerous people basically regard these signs as common, so they are rarely related to the occurrence of this bacterium.

H Pylori causes gastritis, which is an irritation of the stomach lining. It is the reason for 90% of duodenal ulcers and around 80% of gastric ulcers. Also, H Pylori can cause different non-digestive conditions, such as cardiovascular issues, headaches and Raynaud’s sickness, which is the impaired circulation in the hands and feet.

This bacterium can also cause sadness and anxiety. This is in light of the fact that H Pylori can cause an absence of serotonin in the brain.

Source: healthylivingstyle

Folic Acid May Protect Against Congenital Heart Defects

Foods fortified with folic acid decrease rates of some types of congenital heart defects in Canada, finds new research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that our bodies use to make new cells, and it is important for the development of a healthy fetus.

Adding folic acid to white flour, pasta, and cornmeal has been mandatory in Canada since 1998. Evidence of folic acid reducing neural tube defects, oral cleft, and cardiovascular anomalies led to the Government of Canada taking steps to help women of childbearing age increase the amount of folate they consume.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that women take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day from at least 1 month before getting pregnant to prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).

The risk of the most common type of congenital heart disease could be reduced with foods fortified
with folic acid.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Vitamin D and Autism: The Missing Link

Causes, Prevention, and Treatment

I first became interested in vitamin D when I learned that it is not a vitamin. Instead, it is the only known substrate of a seco-steroid neuro-hormone that functions, like all steroids, by turning genes on and off.

That means it has as many different mechanisms of action as the genes it regulates. Moreover, vitamin D directly regulates hundreds, if not thousands, of the 21,000 coding genes of the human genome. Genes are responsible for making the proteins and enzymes the human body relies on for normal development and function.

Evidence that vitamin D is involved in the autism epidemic is mounting.

Source: naturalsolutionsmag

Monday, August 29, 2016

All You Need to Know About Nephritis

To understand kidney problems such as nephritis, it's helpful to start with some background on what the kidneys are, and what they do.

The kidneys are two bean-shaped, fist-sized organs found just under the ribs on the left and right sides of the spine. They remove impurities and extra water from the blood, filtering 120-150 quarts of blood a day, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Each kidney consists of thousands of structures called nephrons, where the actual blood filtering takes place. In the nephron, a two-step cleaning process separates what the body needs to keep from what it can get rid of.

A filter called the glomerulus catches blood cells and protein, sending water and waste to a second filter, called a tubule. The tubule captures minerals. After that, what remains leaves the body as urine.

Nephritis can lead to kidney failure if not treated. There are various ways of preventing kidney damage
if someone has symptoms of nephritis. Monitoring blood pressure is important if kidney problems
develop.

Source: medicalnewstoday

How Seizures Affect the Body

Having a seizure can be an alarming experience, and whether yours have been mild or severe, you probably have many questions. Understanding what’s happening to your brain and how it’s affecting your body can be helpful and comforting for you and your loved ones as you learn more about managing your condition.

Epilepsy Symptoms

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder, which affects some or all functions of your brain. It can be caused by mutated genes, brain injury or disease. Since your brain controls everything from movement and balance to memory and emotions, an epileptic episode can disrupt this activity, resulting in a seizure or other unusual behaviors or sensations.

Migraines 101: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

What is a migraine headache? Brush up on the causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Migraine is the third most common disease in the world. It costs American employers $20 billion each year, and considering how widespread and the suffering it causes are, it’s safe to say research funding is meager at best. The National Institutes of Health provides the mainstay of medical funding in the United States, about $20 million annually — but funding should be 12-fold higher if it will be comparable to research dollars allotted for other brain diseases such as schizophrenia.

A ‘typical’ migraine headache is severe: One-sided, pulsing or throbbing, accompanied by severe pain and discomfort to normal lights, sounds, or smells, not to mention nausea and vomiting. It typically lasts four to 72 hours, during which the scalp can be extremely sensitive to the touch. So it’s not unusual for migraine sufferers — also known as migraineurs — to withdraw from the outside world to lie down without moving in a dark, quiet room. But the truth is, the realities of life often prevent this form of relief.

Source: msn.com/en-us/health/medical

Watch: What is a migraine?

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Bacterial Pneumonia - Get the Facts

Bacterial pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs due to some form of bacteria. There are different types of bacteria that may lead to the infection.

The lungs are made up of different sections or lobes. There are three lobes on the right and two on the left. Bacterial pneumonia can affect both lungs, one lung, or even just one section of a lung.

The lobes of the lungs are made up of small air sacs called alveoli. Normally, the air sacs fill with air. Oxygen is inhaled and carbon dioxide in exhaled.

When a person develops pneumonia, the air sacs become inflamed, which can cause them to fill with fluid. If the air sacs are filled with fluid instead of air, it can make breathing difficult. In some cases, the lungs may not get enough oxygen.

Bacteria that cause pneumonia are spread through coughing. Doctors will carry out a chest X-ray to

assess fluid buildup in the lungs. An annual flu vaccine can help prevent pneumonia.

Source: medicalnewstoday

How to Recognize a Heart Attack

Some absolutely crucial advice: how to recognize a heart attack one month before it happens

Did you know that the main cause of early death in the US are heart attacks? The stressful way of life and the junk food we keep eating is a great contributor for this illness becoming so common and so dangerous over the last years.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and trying to decrease the levels of stress in your life can help protect you from heart failure, but another thing that can be very useful, even lifesaving, is knowing the symptoms of heart failure a month before it happens.

These are the symptoms that you might have a heart attack in a month. Make sure you always treat these as red flags.

Source: brightside

Biomedical Laboratory Science