Beyond PTSD: Soldiers Have Injured Souls - truth-out.org

Beyond PTSD: Soldiers Have Injured Souls
Saturday 3 September 2011
by: Diane Silver, Miller-McCune

John Fisher got his soul back when he visited a cemetery in Greece.

Shelley Corteville felt “rocketed” into healing when she told her story at a veterans’ retreat after 28 years of silence.

Bob Cagle lost his decades-long urge to commit suicide after an encounter at a Buddhist temple.

These veterans and thousands like them grapple with what some call “the war after the war” — the psychological scars of conflict. Working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and private organizations, these men and women are employing treatments both radically new and centuries old. At the center of their journey is a new way of thinking that redefines some traumas as moral injuries.

The psychological toll taken by war is obvious. For the second year in a row, more active-duty troops committed suicide in 2010 (468) than were killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan (462). A 2008 RAND Corporation study reported that nearly 1 in 5 troops who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan... Read the rest at www.truth-out.org

Rheumatoid Arthritis

I found a great page describing EVERYTHING about Rheumatoid Arthritis. You can see the page in it's entirety over at adam.about.net

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease in which various joints in the body are inflamed, leading to swelling, pain, stiffness, and the possible loss of function.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks joints and other tissues. The pattern of joints affected is usually symmetrical, involves the hands and other joints, and is worse in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic (body-wide) disease, involving other body organs, whereas osteoarthritis is limited to the joints. Both forms of arthritis can be crippling.
The process may develop in the following way:

The disease process leading to rheumatoid arthritis begins in the synovium, the membrane that surrounds a joint and creates a protective sac.
This sac is filled with lubricating liquid called the synovial fluid. In addition to cushioning joints, this fluid supplies nutrients and oxygen to cartilage, a slippery tissue that coats the ends of bones.
Cartilage is composed primarily of collagen, the structural protein in the body, which forms a mesh to give support and flexibility to joints.
In rheumatoid arthritis, an abnormal immune system response produces destructive molecules that cause continuous inflammation of the synovium. Collagen is gradually destroyed, narrowing the joint space and eventually damaging bone.
If the disease develops into a form called progressive rheumatoid arthritis, destruction to the cartilage accelerates. Fluid and immune system cells accumulate in the synovium to produce a pannus, a growth composed of thickened synovial tissue.
The pannus produces more enzymes that destroy nearby cartilage, aggravating the area and attracting more inflammatory white cells, thereby perpetuating the process.
This inflammatory process not only affects cartilage and bones but can also harm organs in other parts of the body.

Don't be blind to the sun's effects on eyes - USA Today

Don't be blind to the sun's effects on eyes
Michelle Healy, USA TODAY

If you've heeded the health messages to protect your skin by covering up and slathering on the sunblock, you're taking important steps to playing it safe in the sun. But you'll come up short if you don't also wear sunglasses and a hat to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays, health experts say.

"Most people are not aware that long-term exposure to sunlight, with its ultraviolet wavelengths, can be very damaging to the eyes," says Lee Duffner, an ophthalmologist in Hollywood, Fla., and spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Although there's considerable public awareness about UV light's ability to burn and age the skin, awareness of its effect on the eyes has "fallen in the shadows," says optometry professor Jan Bergmanson of the University of Houston College of Optometry, founding director of the Texas Eye Research and Technology Center.

A 2009 survey by the American Optometric Association found that one in three adults are unaware of the eye health risks of spending too much time in the sun without proper protection. Just 29% of parents say they make sure their children wear sunglasses while outdoors.

A report in March by Prevent Blindness America, a leading eye health and safety organization, says the cumulative exposure to UV light over time can contribute to "significant and lasting damage to the eye and vision," including:

Cataracts, a clouding of the eye's lens that can blur vision. It afflicts one in every six Americans over 40 and more than half over 80, about 20 million people. An estimated 20% of cases are caused by extended UV exposure.

Macular degeneration, resulting from damage to the retina that destroys sharp, central vision. It is the leading cause of blindness in the USA.

Pterygium, a tissue growth over the white part of the surface of the eye that can alter the curve of the eyeball, causing astigmatism. If the pterygium starts to grow over the cornea, it can blur or obstruct vision and may need to be removed.

But even a few hours of intense, unprotected exposure can have consequences, says optometrist Sarah Hinkley of the American Optometric Association.

Among the most common conditions is photokeratitis or sunburn to the eyes, also known as "snowblindness," a temporary but painful burn to the cornea resulting in blurred vision and even temporary blindness, Hinkley says.

It's unclear how much UV exposure is required before vision is affected, but there is concern that environmental conditions are increasing the number of UV-related health issues, including sunburn, skin cancer and eye diseases.

"Much of what we are experiencing in terms of skin and eye damage is caused by the deterioration of the ozone layer," which is designed to "filter out the most toxic of the ultraviolet waves," says Bergmanson, who studies the effects of UV radiation on the eye. "When the ozone layer is depleted, more UV light makes its way to the Earth's surface."

To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com

Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Are Energy Drinks Damaging Your Health? - wellness.com

Are Energy Drinks Damaging Your Health? - wellness.com

Energy drinks are on the rage in recent years. It seems that everyone, particularly young people in ages of 20 to 30 years, has one on their hand.

They're highly touted to boost your energy, increase your metabolism, keep you alert and focused. Some even markets to help you lose weight.

There's always new brand, new marketing spin popping up every week.

Here’s how it’s done.

1. Give your can of sugar water a hip-sounding name, like Monster, Rockstar, or Amp.

2. Promise that the product will do something exciting to your body, like boosting your energy and alertness, so you, too, can be a rock star—or at least stay up as late as one.

3. Make your product sound slightly dangerous. Anything will sound cooler when grown-ups hate it: Dr. Oz calls energy drinks “addictive” and “unhealthy.” Other experts point to thousands of caffeine overdoses among young people 19 and under.

But all the hoopla surrounding energy drinks is just hysteria, right? Sure, drinking them by the six-pack isn’t a good idea, but in moderation, a single can of cold, tangy, eyeball-popping energy fuel can’t be bad for you . .

Or can it?

Well, the truth is that while you can call a product RockStar, a more accurate name for some of their drinks might be Fat Roadie. Because while massive doses of energy drinks are obviously dangerous, adding even a single can a day of some of them to your liquid intake could cause more than 29 pounds of weight gain in a year! Below, I’ve outlined some of the worst energy drinks, and some much saner alternatives. Making these simple swaps could be the difference between Lady Gaga, and Lady Gargantua.

WORST MORNING JOLT

5-Hour Energy (1.93-oz bottle)
4 calories
0 g sugars
Caffeine: 135 mg

Drink This Instead!
Black Coffee (12-oz cup)
0 calories
0 g sugars
Caffeine: 95-200 mg

What’s really in 5-Hour Energy? Wouldn’t you like to know! The company claims the product is packed with a variety of vitamins and other compounds that promote energy, but when Consumer Reports recently requested a copy of the supporting research, the company balked. Here’s a golden rule of food and drink: If the company selling the product won’t put its money where its mouth is, don’t put their product where your mouth is.

Bottom line: The only proven ingredient in this bottle is caffeine, and one bottle contains about as much as a cup of coffee. You know what costs much less, contains loads of natural antioxidants, and also has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee? You guessed it, a cup of coffee. No energy drink on the planet is more reliable.

Older Americans Mental Health Week - May 23- 29th, 2011

Mental Health from wellness.com

Regardless of age or physical ability, some people who suffer from mental health disorders become homebound during their recovery. Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression can all easily affect entire families, not just those who are diagnosed.

Right at Home can provide numerous Care Services that help you do more than just survive a loved one’s struggle with the effects of a mental health disorder. We can be a large part of helping you thrive on their path of recovery.

We can also help when mental health is a concern for seniors who are coping with the reality of becoming homebound.

Here are five tips to keep your aging loved one's brain fit:

The importance of keeping our minds sharp to prevent age-related memory loss is no secret. The memory is like a muscle, and as your loved one ages, it is important for him to exercise his mind. The more exercise the brain gets, the better it becomes at processing information. Here are five simple tips from Right at Home for you to share with your loved one:

Read the daily paper
Reading regularly can decrease the chances of mild cognitive impairment by 30 to 50 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic. Reading is an active mental process — you must interpret letters and words while processing overall concepts and ideas. Reading helps with word recall and improves concentration and focus. As an added benefit, reading always provides new conversation topics for your loved one to discuss with friends and family.

Play a memory game
Memory games are among the brain exercises most likely to maintain healthy cognitive function in seniors, according to a Journal of American Medical Association study. Play a classic game of “Memory” or put together a jigsaw puzzle to stimulate the mind.

Try new food
Trying a new dish for dinner with unique ingredients is a great way to stimulate our senses. While food is necessary for survival, our brain plays a big role in what foods we enjoy, and our senses play a big role in brain function. By introducing new foods to your loved one, you can increase his mental activity by tasting, smelling and seeing foods outside of his normal diet.

Paint a picture
Creativity is a beneficial cognitive exercise that can delay the onset of dementia or lessen any effects your loved one may feel from dementia, according to LiveStrong.com. The more frequently you engage in creative activities such as painting a picture or playing a musical instrument, the more beneficial they are.

Socialize with family and friends
Interaction is an unpredictable activity when it comes to brain function. Encourage your loved one to build and maintain relationships with his friends and family. Engaging in a stimulating conversation, playing a game of cards or sharing a meal together are all simple ways to socialize with others.

Right at Home is your international expert for issues related to caring for your loved one and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. Right at Home offers in-home care and assistance so your loved one can continue living independently and enjoying a vibrant life. Our caregivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one.

What kinds of mind-building games does your loved one enjoy?

For more information contact us at - http://www.rightathome.net/plantcity or call 813 - 764-9290

Blog Update 2/15/2011

I am trying to figure out how to use simple little icons here and there. I guess i'll save this for later.

What Are the Warning Signs of Stress? - medicinenet.com

From medicinenet.com

What Are the Warning Signs of Stress?

When you are exposed to long periods of stress, your body gives warning signals that something is wrong. These physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral warning signs should not be ignored. They tell you that you need to slow down. If you continue to be stressed and you don't give your body a break, you are likely to develop health problems like heart disease. You could also worsen an existing illness.

Below are some common warning signs and symptoms of stress.

Physical signs

Dizziness, general aches and pains, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, ringing in the ears, stooped posture, sweaty palms, tiredness, exhaustion, trembling, weight gain or loss, upset stomach
Mental signs

Constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor, poor memory

Emotional signs

Anger, anxiety, crying, depression, feeling powerless, frequent mood swings, irritability, loneliness, negative thinking, nervousness, sadness

Behavioral signs

Bossiness, compulsive eating, critical attitude of others, explosive actions, frequent job changes, impulsive actions, increased use of alcohol or drugs, withdrawal from relationships or social situations

How Can I Cope With Stress?

After you've identified the cause of stress in your life, the next step is to learn techniques that can help you cope with stress while fighting heart disease. There are many techniques you can use to manage stress. Some of which you can learn yourself, while other techniques may require the guidance of a trained therapist.

Some common techniques for coping with stress include:

Eat and drink sensibly. Abusing alcohol and food may seem to reduce stress, but it actually adds to it.
Assert yourself. You do not have to meet others' expectations or demands. It's OK to say "no." Remember, being assertive allows you to stand up for your rights and beliefs while respecting those of others.
Stop smoking. Aside from the obvious health risks of cigarettes, nicotine acts as a stimulant and brings on more stress symptoms.
Exercise regularly. Choose non-competitive exercise and set reasonable goals. Aerobic exercise has been shown to release endorphins (natural substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude.)
Relax every day. Choose from a variety of different techniques (see below).
Take responsibility. Control what you can and leave behind what you cannot control.
Reduce causes of stress. Many people find life is filled with too many demands and too little time. For the most part, these demands are ones we have chosen. Effective time-management skills involve asking for help when appropriate, setting priorities, pacing yourself, and taking time out for yourself.
Examine your values and live by them. The more your actions reflect your beliefs, the better you will feel, no matter how busy your life is.
Set realistic goals and expectations. It's OK, and healthy, to realize you cannot be 100% successful at everything all at once.
Sell yourself to yourself. When you are feeling overwhelmed, remind yourself of what you do well. Have a healthy sense of self-esteem.
Get enough rest. Even with proper diet and exercise, you can't fight stress effectively without rest. You need time to recover from exercise and stressful events. The time you spend resting should be long enough to relax your mind as well as your body. Some people find that taking a nap in the middle of the day helps them reduce stress.

How Can I Keep a Positive Attitude?
A positive attitude and self-esteem are good defenses against stress and heart disease because they help you view stress as a challenge rather than a problem. A positive attitude keeps you in control when there are inevitable changes in your life. A positive attitude means telling yourself there are things you can do to improve certain situations and admitting that sometimes there's nothing you can do. To maintain a positive attitude during a stressful situation (or to prepare yourself for a potentially stressful situation), keep these tips in mind:

Stay calm. Stop what you're doing. Breathe deeply. Reflect on your choices.
Always tell yourself you can get through the situation.
Try to be objective, realistic and flexible.
Try to keep the situation in perspective. Think about the possible solutions. Choose one that is the most acceptable and feasible.
Think about the outcome: Ask yourself, what is the worst possible thing that can happen? (Chances are that won't happen)
Tell yourself that you can learn something from every situation.

How Can I Reduce My Stressors?
While it is impossible to live your life completely stress-free, it is possible to reduce the harmful effects of certain stressors on you and your heart. Here are some suggestions:

First identify the stressor. What's causing you to feel stressed?
Avoid hassles and minor irritations if possible. If traffic jams cause you stress, try taking a different route, riding the train or bus, or car-pooling.
When you experience a change in your life, try to continue doing the things that you enjoyed before the change occurred.
Learn how to manage your time effectively, but be realistic and flexible when you plan your schedule.
Do one thing at a time; concentrate on each task as it comes.
Take a break when your stressors compile to an uncontrollable level.
Ask for help if you feel that you are unable to deal with stress on your own

Pineapple Mango Salsa - weelicious.com

I love fruit! If someone can find a way to incorporate it into a meal I'll try it. From weelicious.com

Pineapple Mango Salsa

There are a handful of recipes that I’ve been making for years for my family but always forget to put on weelicious. What a shame because you definitely need to have this one in your arsenal. This unbelievably easy and flavor-packed salsa has so many uses. Made with fresh, sweet, ripe pineapple and mango, it’s the perfect accompaniment for grilled fish, chicken or even to eat straight out of the bowl like my kids and husband like to do!

Pineapple Mango Salsa (Serves 6)

1 Cup Pineapple, peeled & diced
1 Mango, peeled & diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
Half a Small Red Onion, about 1/3 Cup, diced
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 Tsp Salt
Grilled or Broiled Fish (Tilapia, Halibut, Opah or any other white flaky fish)

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and combine.
2. Serve over fish or with tortilla chips.

Raspberry Banana Puree - weelicious.com

This sounds like a yummy dessert for Valentines Day that won't make you feel guilty the next day. From weelicious.com

Raspberry Banana Puree

I love February 14th — what girl doesn’t — so I start experimenting early with new Valentine’s Day recipes (TUNE IN NEXT WEEK!). For the occasion, I stocked up at the Farmer’s Market on baskets of fresh, juicy red raspberries. I was mashing some with banana as the base for a Valentine’s dessert idea I had when Chloe looked at the contents of the bowl and started shrieking “I want some!!!” My girl went on to eat every last drop when suddenly, it hit me: what baby wouldn’t love this bright, pink homemade puree that’s packed with potassium and Vitamin C?

Luckily I had pints more of raspberries on hand, so I quickly mixed up a new batch to taste for myself. What can I say, my daughter has good taste. It was delicious. Even though this recipe is perfect for babies given it’s smooth texture and simple composition, there’s no reason adults won’t love it too. Swirled into plain Greek yogurt or even served on top of ice cream, it’s a treat that you can serve your special someone this Valentine’s Day or any day you want to offer a them something naturally sweet.

Raspberry Banana Puree

1 Banana, peeled
1/2 Cup Raspberries, rinsed

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree, or place in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.
2. Serve.

All About Oatmeal

Thanks to theorganicjourney I now know why oatmeal is so good!

(Click on the image to make it bigger)

The Glomerulus

The tiny structures that do the work in your kidneys are called NEPHRONS. Each of your kidneys contains about one million nephrons. Each nephron has a small blood vessel that brings in unfiltered blood, a GLOMERULUS (glow-mare-Yule-us) that filters the blood, a tubule that caries away filtered waste materials in the urine, and a small blood vessel that returns filtered blood to the body.
From unckidneycenter.org

Health Quotes

Some quotes to inspire:

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” - A. J. Reb Materi

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” - Gandhi

“To wish to be well is a part of becoming well.” - Seneca

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” - Benjamin Franklin

“Before healing others, heal yourself”

“Health is not simply the absence of sickness.” - Hannah Green

“Age does not depend upon years, but upon temperament and health. Some men are born old, and some never grow so.” - Tryon Edwards

From thinkexist.com

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~Mark Twain

Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body. ~Cicero

If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want. ~Elbert Hubbard

People who are always taking care of their health are like misers who are hoarding a treasure which they have never spirit enough to enjoy. ~Laurence Sterne

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it. ~Josh Billings

From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health. ~Catalan Proverb

Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well. ~Marcus Valerius Martial

From quotegarden.com

Interpreting Urinalysis Results

***These are my notes from physiology lab, and are by no means a way to diagnose yourself or others.

At one point in our jobs or careers we may have to be subjected to the slight humiliation of a urinalysis. But what do the results mean? Here are some definitions that may clear it up for you.

Glycosuria: having glucose in the urine
     Levels of glucose in the urine should be minimal (less than 40mg/dl) or none at all. Glucose in urine could be caused by carbohydrate heavy meals, too much sugar, or could be an indicator of diabetes mellitus.

Bilirubinuria: presence of bile pigments and bilirubin in urine
     This can be caused by erythrocyte (red blood cell) breakdown
(hemolytic anemia), blockage of the bile duct or liver damage from hepatitis or cirrhosis.

Ketosis: ketone bodies in urine
     This can be caused by our bodies using up fat storage that is meant for times of starvation or in individuals with diabetes mellitus or in an abnormally high fat diet.

Hematuria: red blood cells have ruptured and are present
     Instead of having erythrocyte destruction, as in bilirubinuria, the erythrocytes have ruptured such as during a menstrual cycle or kidney stones.

Albuminuria: presence of a common blood protein called albumin
     This can be due to diabetes mellitus, renal damage (kidney disease), extreme physical activity or hypertension.

Pyuria: elevated levels of leukocytes
     Leukocytes are white blood cells which are used to fight pathogens in the body. High levels of leukocytes could mean a urinary tract infection or bladder or kidney infection.

***These are my notes from physiology lab, and are by no means a way to diagnose yourself or others.

Heart attacks in public places: why you're more likely to survive -los angeles times

An interesting article from chicagotribune.com

Heart attacks in public places: why you're more likely to survive
Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

Every year, some 300,000 Americans suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital, and the overall statistics are pretty grim: only 7.9% survive.

So, what is it about the lucky 23,700 that helps them buck such long odds?

One thing those survivors are likely to have in common is that their first heart attack symptoms seem to have come on in a public place. Another is that the heartbeat irregularity that signals trouble is likely to be ventricular fibrillation, a fast or erratic electrical signal in the heart's lower chambers that causes them to quiver uselessly rather than pumping blood out of the heart and into the rest of the body.

...

Ventricular fibrillation, or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (in which blood has ceased altogether to circulate) is bad news indeed. But the person who suffers this sudden electrical storm in his heart is a bit luckier these days if he experiences it in a public place. That's because ventricular fibrillation can be knocked back to a normal heart rhythm by a sudden jolt of electricity--the kind supplied by an automatic external defibrillator (or AED).

And these days, AEDs have become ubiquitous in public places--schools, gyms, office buildings, airports and casinos. No surprise, then, that when people out and about suffer a sudden heart attack of the sort that these machines can disrupt, their greater availability should translate into higher survival rates.

At home, the picture is a bit different. The Hopkins researchers--culling heart attack data from 12,933 sudden cardiac arrests--found that nearly three-quarters occur in a residence. And, compared with heart attacks suffered by those in public places, far fewer of these in-home heart attacks--between a quarter and 36%--were characterized by the distinctive erratic beat of ventricular fibrillation (instead, they may have been a result of heart failure, a structural abnormality elsewhere in the heart, blocked arteries or a sudden embolism--problems that cannot be zapped with a sudden shock). Among people whose heart attack came in a public place, 38% to 79% had ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia--meaning an AED can be life-saving.

People who have a heart attack at home, the researchers surmised, are probably more likely to have some underlying illness that may limit the time they spend out and about in public. And because their heart attacks are much less likely to be short-circuited by a jolt from an AED, these people would be just as well served by having caregivers who are skilled in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (or by 911 dispatchers who are good at talking a bystander through these life-saving compressions) as they would having an AED in their home.

Bottom line, according to the researchers: Keep AEDs widely accessible in public places. But to save lives at home, investments in CPR training of citizens, emergency dispatchers and caregivers is a better bet.

Read the entire article here

Sautéed Zucchini

Yum I love zuccini! I make it like this, but I omit the dill and almonds.
I found this recipe at 101cookbooks.com

Sautéed Zucchini

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 medium shallots or new red onions, thinly sliced
fine grain sea salt
2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick coins
a good handful of dill, chopped
1/4 cup Marcona almonds or toasted almond slices

In your largest skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until it starts to take on a hint of color. Stir in the shallots and a big pinch of salt, and cook until they start to soften, a couple minutes. Add the zucchini, stir to get it coated with a bit of oil, and arrange the coins in as much of a single layer as your pan permits. Dial the heat up a bit if needed, add another pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the zucchini browns - ten minutes or so. Remove from heat and fold in the dill and almonds before serving. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serves 2 - 4.

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 15 min

STRESS

http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

Stress, Portrait of a Killer (National Geographic)

Inspirational Quote for Healthy Living

From my friend theorganicjourney.tumblr.com

"How do you build up your bank account? By putting something in it everyday.Your health account is no different. What I do today, I am wearing tomorrow. If I put inferior foods in my body today, I’m going to be inferior tomorrow, it’s that simple."
-Jack LaLanne

Snickerdoodles (Gluten-Free)

Found this over at celiac.com

Snickerdoodles (Gluten-Free)

If you've been craving these old favorites and thought you may never have them again ... your wait is over! These cookies will fool any gluten eater and satisfy every craving. Caution: they're addictive!

Ingredients:

* 1 ½ cups granulated cane sugar
* 1 cup shortening, butter or other non-dairy alternative (e.g Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks/Shortening Sticks)
* 2 large eggs
* 2 ¾ cup Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 2 tsp. cream of tartar
* ¼ tsp. salt

Topping:

* 2 Tbs. granulated cane sugar
* 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined.

Snickerdoodles (Gluten-Free)In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together: Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour; baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Add to wet ingredient bowl and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Cover tightly and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F (static) or 375 F (convection).

Shape dough into 1-inch balls by rolling in the palms of your hands. Roll each ball in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until lightly browning and puffed. Remove to cool on a wire rack; the cookies will sink slightly in the middle when cooled – this is normal.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Revitalizing Fruit Salad

Maybe I'll make this someday.

Revitalizing Fruit Salad
Here's a fresh take on the fruit salad that will cool you off, fill you up and give you a flavorful meal you won't soon forget!

Ingredients:
½ cup watermelon, diced
10 grapes
½ cup honeydew, diced
1 whole kiwi, peeled and diced
2/3 cup 1% cottage cheese
2 tbsp. almonds

Instructions:
Cut up watermelon, honeydew and kiwi. Place cottage cheese in center of serving plate. Arrange fruit around cheese. Serve with almonds.

Nutrition Facts
(Serves One):
Calories: 350
Total Fat: 12g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 630mg
Total Carbohydrates: 41g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 24g

I got this from healthnews.ediets.com

Hawaiian Plantation Iced Tea

Yum!

Hawaiian Plantation Iced Tea
Try this sweet sipper to keep cool all summer long.

Ingredients:
2 cups water, barely boiling
2 orange pekoe tea bags
2 cups water, ice cold
1 cup pineapple juice

Instructions:
Pour the barely boiling hot water into a large pitcher and steep the tea 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the tea bags from the pitcher. Add the ice water and pineapple juice; stir to combine. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour the tea over ice and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
(Serves One):
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 0 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 21 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 34 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1 g

I got this from healthnews.ediets.com

Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

I found this yummy recipe at my friends blog theorganicjourney.tumblr.com. She is a darn good cook and can make some mean desserts!

Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
* 1 ripe banana, mashed well
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup nonfat milk
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* pinch of salt
* 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 3 cups instant oats

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients except the vanilla and oats in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat – stirring often.
2. Let the mixture boil for one minute, remove from heat and let the mixture cool for one minute.
3. Add the vanilla and oats and stir well to combine.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and cool to room temperature

To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test - nytimes

This is a very student related article I found over at nytimes.com

Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.

The research, published online Thursday in the journal Science, found that students who read a passage, then took a test asking them to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods.

One of those methods — repeatedly studying the material — is familiar to legions of students who cram before exams. The other — having students draw detailed diagrams documenting what they are learning — is prized by many teachers because it forces students to make connections among facts.

These other methods not only are popular, the researchers reported; they also seem to give students the illusion that they know material better than they do.

In the experiments, the students were asked to predict how much they would remember a week after using one of the methods to learn the material. Those who took the test after reading the passage predicted they would remember less than the other students predicted — but the results were just the opposite.

“I think that learning is all about retrieving, all about reconstructing our knowledge,” said the lead author, Jeffrey Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychology at Purdue University. “I think that we’re tapping into something fundamental about how the mind works when we talk about retrieval.”

Several cognitive scientists and education experts said the results were striking.

The students who took the recall tests may “recognize some gaps in their knowledge,” said Marcia Linn, an education professor at the University of California, Berkeley, “and they might revisit the ideas in the back of their mind or the front of their mind.”

When they are later asked what they have learned, she went on, they can more easily “retrieve it and organize the knowledge that they have in a way that makes sense to them.” ...

Why retrieval testing helps is still unknown. Perhaps it is because by remembering information we are organizing it and creating cues and connections that our brains later recognize.

“When you’re retrieving something out of a computer’s memory, you don’t change anything — it’s simple playback,” said Robert Bjork, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved with the study.

But “when we use our memories by retrieving things, we change our access” to that information, Dr. Bjork said. “What we recall becomes more recallable in the future. In a sense you are practicing what you are going to need to do later.”

It may also be that the struggle involved in recalling something helps reinforce it in our brains.

Maybe that is also why students who took retrieval practice tests were less confident about how they would perform a week later.

“The struggle helps you learn, but it makes you feel like you’re not learning,” said Nate Kornell, a psychologist at Williams College. “You feel like: ‘I don’t know it that well. This is hard and I’m having trouble coming up with this information.’ ”

By contrast, he said, when rereading texts and possibly even drawing diagrams, “you say: ‘Oh, this is easier. I read this already.’ ”

Read the full article at nytimes.com

Microbiology: The First Golden Age

This is the start of some of my microbiology notes. Hopefully by typing and carefully trying to format it all correctly will help to cement these facts into my memory.

The Scientific Method
Observation
Hypothesis
Experiments to test Hypothesis
Interpretation of test results
Conclusion to prove or disprove the hypothesis

Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)
First to see "animalcules" or protozoa in 1674
Reported existence of bacteria in 1674
Made his own microscopes for inspecting the cloth he bought and traded. He created the first microscope able to see microbes. Unfortunately he did not teach anyone his trade, so the method to make these microscopes died with him.
No link was made between "animalcules" and illness

Spontaneous Generation
Doctrine that lifeless substances give rise to living organisms (see Controversy over Spontaneous Generation
Scientists Redi, Needham, Spallanzani and Pasteur all dealt with this phenomena
First observations:
   wheat bran + rags = mice
   meat + time = maggots

Redi (1670)
Created experiment that proved that flies were required for the formation of maggots on meat by using lace to cover a jar of meat.

Needham (1748)
Used two cork flasks, one slightly heated, one not. He observed that after sitting for some time both still had microorganisms in them.
Problem: He did not heat the one enough to kill anything, and he did not know how many bacteria he started with in the first place.

Spallanzani (1767)
Used FOUR flasks with mutton boiled infusion.
   One open to air
   One corked
   One heated slightly with cork
   One boiled longer, sealed by melting the glass
He revealed that the 4th, boiled and sealed flask did not grow microorganisms.

Needham countered that because Spallanzani had sealed the flask he had deprived it of it's "life force" or oxygen so therefore of course it didn't grow anything.

Louis Pasteur (1870)
1. Disproved Spontaneous Generation with his neck flask experiment. Allowed air in but gravity prevented microorganisms from getting into the broth. Once tipped so that the broth touched the dip in the neck, microorganisms grew.
2. Thought of the Germ Theory of Disease
3. Proved that yeast makes wine with grapes
4. Developed a vaccine for rabies
5. Developed immunization techiniques

Robert Koch (1875) pronounced "coke"
1. Proved the Germ Theory of Disease
Created Koch's Postulates: (to prove a microbe is the cause of a disease)
   1. Always observe organism in diseased animal
   2. Isolate organism in pure culture
   3. Inoculate healthy animal and re-create the disease
   4. Re-isolate the organism from the experimentally infected animal

2. Developed Pure Culture Technique
Because of Hess, he adapted Agar, used by Hess to make jelly, as his solid culture medium.
Agar is a powder from seaweed; solid at room temp, and it will not be degraded by bacteria.

Finally practices were being used to reduce the transmission of infectious disease:
   sterile practices in hospitals
   pasteurization of dairy products
   insect control
   care in preparation of food
   sanitation improvements
   personal hygiene

Enhance Memory with the Right Foods - Scientific American

Found an interesting article over at Scientific American:

Your Brain on Blueberries: Enhance Memory with the Right Foods

Chemical compounds common to berries, tofu, tea and other foods can shore up memory and boost brainpower

Emerging research suggests that compounds in blueberries known as flavonoids may improve memory, learning and general cognitive function, including reasoning skills, decision making, verbal comprehension and numerical ability. In addition, studies comparing dietary habits with cognitive function in adults hint that consuming flavonoids may help slow the decline in mental facility that is often seen with aging and might even provide protection against disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Researchers once assumed that flavonoids worked in the brain as they do in the body—as antioxidants that protect cells from damage caused by ubiquitous unstable molecules known as free radicals. Now, however, new research demonstrates that the power of flavonoids to bolster cognition results mainly from interactions between flavonoids and proteins integral to brain-cell structure and function.

To date, scientists have identified more than 6,000 different flavonoids, which come in a variety of types. These compounds are widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, cereal grains, cocoa, soy foods, tea and wine. Thus, overdosing on blueberries alone is not necessary to keep your mind in good shape.

---------------------

Memorable Diets
As powerful antioxidants, flavonoids protect us from the cellular damage caused by free radicals, which are formed by our bodies during metabolism, and are also spawned by pollution, cigarette smoke and radiation. As a result, researchers have for decades investigated the potential of these compounds for boosting immunity, staving off cancer and reducing excess inflammation; flavonoids also appear to help regulate blood flow and blood pressure.

----------------------

Brain-Cell Snacks
How might flavonoids influence cognition? By examining brain tissue from rats that ingested flavonoid-containing foods, researchers have shown within the past decade that some classes of flavonoids cross into the brain from the blood. Once in the brain, the compounds could influence cognition by acting as antioxidants, but recently scientists have questioned this theory. Data suggest that flavonoids are present in the brain in much smaller quantities than other antioxidants, such as vitamin C. Thus, compounds other than flavonoids are likely to be doing the bulk of free-radical scavenging there. Instead scientists have found that flavonoids change the chemistry of neurons in other ways.

Joseph and his colleagues discovered early on that four-month-old juvenile mice fed blueberry-enriched chow for eight months displayed higher levels of enzymes called kinases in their brain cells than did those who ate the standard chow. ­Although scientists do not know how flavonoids might spur kinase production, many types of kinases are essential to learning and memory; thus the additional enzyme could help boost cognition.

-----------------

Soy isoflavones may improve memory by acting like weak estrogens, binding to and stimulating estrogen receptors on neurons. Exciting these receptors is known to trigger changes in both neuronal shape and chemistry in the hippocampus, a structure involved in memory and whose function most likely diminishes with age. These changes may facilitate communication between neurons and thereby improve memory. Some flavonoids may even spur the growth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus.

Flavonoids may even defend neurons from damage and death and so combat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Animal and cell culture data suggest that flavonoids may ameliorate the effects of neurotoxins such as glutamate—a neurotransmitter that at high concentrations damages neurons—by preventing these toxins from binding to their receptors on neurons. Flavonoids also may oppose the action of enzymes called secretases that are involved in the destruction of nerve cells and that may be elevated in neurodegenerative disorders.

The science does not yet reveal which flavonoid-containing foods have the greatest potential for enhancing learning and memory. But eating flavonoid-rich foods is probably better than taking supplements. Processing may destroy or reduce the actual flavonoid content of supplements, and intact fruits and vegetables are likely to contain the amounts and combinations of these compounds that are most beneficial to the brain. Following the current USDA dietary guidelines—which call for eating two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables every day—will ensure that you get a generous variety of these health-bestowing compounds. Indeed, taking such advice just might help you remember.

What does this mean? They give the bottom line:

* Compounds in blueberries known as flavonoids may improve memory, learning and general cognitive function—and could slow age-related decline in mental function.

* Scientists have identified more than 6,000 different flavonoids. These chemicals are widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, cereal grains, cocoa, soy foods, tea and wine.

* Researchers now believe flavonoids affect cognition by interacting with proteins that are integral to brain-cell structure and function.

Want to know what flavonoids are? Check out myhealthguardian.com

Spinal Cord/Brain/Nervous System Facts

The four spinal nerve plexi and one nerve from each plexus are:

Cervical -	Phrenic nerve
Brachial -	Radial nerve
Lumbar -	Femoral nerve
Sacral -	Sciatic nerve

The lateral ventricles are connected to the third ventricle by the right and left interventricular foramina while the third ventricle is connected to the fourth ventricle by the cerebral aquaduct
The central sulcus divides the frontal/parietal lobes.
The longitudinal fissure divides left/right hemispheres of the cerebrum.
The parietiocciptal sulcus divides parietal/occipital lobes.
The lateral fissure divides the parietal/temporal lobes.
The transverse fissure divides parietal/occipital lobes.

Many spinal tracts undergo decussation to communicate across the mid-sagittal plane.

Rostral means towards the nose.

Spinal nerves are considered mixed nerves because they consist of bundles of axons carrying sensory information as well as bundles of axons carrying motor information.

The gray matter of the spinal cord is located in the deep layers of the spinal cord and deep to the white matter.

The medulla oblongata is the portion of the brainstem most involved in control of heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) is produced in areas known as choroid plexi.

Can You Build a Better Brain? - Newsweek

Interesting article: Can You Build a Better Brain? - Newsweek
A sample of the findings:

The holy grail of brain training is something that does transfer, and here there are three good candidates. The first is physical exercise. Simple aerobic exercise, such as walking 45 minutes a day three times a week, improves episodic memory and executive-control functions by about 20 percent, finds Art Kramer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His studies have mostly been done in older adults, so it’s possible the results apply only to people whose brain physiology has begun to deteriorate—except that that happens starting in our 20s. Exercise gooses the creation of new neurons in the region of the hippocampus that files away experiences and new knowledge. It also stimulates the production of neuron fertilizers such as BDNF, as well as of the neurotransmitters that carry brain signals, and of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. Exercise stimulates the production of new synapses, the connections that constitute functional circuits and whose capacity and efficiency underlie superior intelligence. Kramer finds that a year of exercise can give a 70-year-old the connectivity of a 30-year-old, improving memory, planning, dealing with ambiguity, and multitasking. “You can think of fitness training as changing the molecular and cellular building blocks that underlie many cognitive skills,” he says. “It thus provides more generalizable benefits than specifically training memory or decision making.”

The second form of overall mental training is meditation, which can increase the thickness of regions that control attention and process sensory signals from the outside world. In a program that neuroscientist Amishi Jha of the University of Miami calls mindfulness-based mind-fitness training, participants build concentration by focusing on one object, such as a particular body sensation. The training, she says, has shown success in enhancing mental agility and attention “by changing brain structure and function so that brain processes are more efficient,” the quality associated with higher intelligence.

Finally, some videogames might improve general mental agility. Stern has trained older adults to play a complex computer-based action game called Space Fortress, which requires players to shoot missiles and destroy the fortress while protecting their spaceship against missiles and mines. “It requires motor control, visual search, working memory, long-term memory, and decision making,” he says. It also requires that elixir of neuroplasticity: attention, specifically the ability to control and switch attention among different tasks. “People get better on tests of memory, motor speed, visual-spatial skills, and tasks requiring cognitive flexibility,” says Stern. Kramer, too, finds that the strategy-heavy videogame Rise of Nations improves executive-control functions such as task switching, working memory, visual short-term memory, and reasoning in older adults.

Blood Vessels

Arteries - blood away from heart
Capillaries - exchange vessels
Viens - blood to the heart

The vessel wall
Tunica interna
    Simple squamous epithelium or endothelium
    Loose connective tissue
Tunica media - muscle layer
    Smooth muscle and collagen fibers, some elastic fibers in arteries
    Provides vasoconstriction and vasodilation
Tunica externa - gives the vessel it's round shape
    Loose connective tissues that anchors vessel in placeArteries
Resistance vessels - maintain shape when empty or cut
Conducting or elastic arteries - large
    Tunica media has many elastic fibers
Distributing or muscular arteries
    Distribute blood to specific organ
    Mostly smooth muscle
    Usually have individual names
Resistance vessels
    Smallest are called arterioles
    Some end in metarterioles or precapillary sphincters (gate)

Arterial Sense Organs
Monitor blood pressure and blood chemistry and transmit to the brainstem to regulate heartrate, vasomotion, and respiration.

Carotid sinuses - baroreceptors in carotid artery and innervated by glossopharyngeal nerve to help adjust heartrate and blood pressure (monitors bp)

Carotid bodies - chemoreceptors in carotid artery that monitor carbon dioxide, oxygen and pH levels of blood, send signal via vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves to adjust respiration and kidney function

Aortic bodies - same as chemoreceptors in carotid bodies, but located in the aortic arch

Capillaries
Exchange vessels
Consist of only tunica interna
In every tissue except: tendons, ligaments, cartilage, epithelia, and the cornea and lens of the eye

Types of capillaries: (based on cellular junctions and permeability)
    Continuous capillaries - BBB (Blood Brain Barrier), stomach lining
    Fenestrated capillaries - most common, skeletal muscles
    Sinusoids - more holes than cells, in hypothalamus and liver

Capillary beds
    Thoroughfare channels - capillaries to arterioles

Tendons and ligaments are avascular so there is little blood supply to give nutrients and allow them to heal. This is why it takes less time for bones to mend than sprains or strains.

Also, the crazy German scientist who created Body Worlds that travels around the globe used a process called Plastination to keep the bodies the way they are. This works at an intercellular level allowing only blood vessels or muscles for example to be kept in place while all the other bodily tissues go away.Veins
Capacitance vessels - large capacity
Postcapillary venules - mostly tunica interna, somewhat permeable
Muscular veins - 1 to 2 layers of tunica media
Medium veins - have individual names and all tissue layers
    Venous layers - many femoral valves (to prevent varicose veins)
Venous sinuses - normal varicose veins where blood is SUPPOSED to pool
Large veins
    Mostly tunica externa

60% of our blood is in our veins @ all times because it is more difficult and takes longer for the blood to go against gravity back up to the heart from our limps.

Circulatory Routes
Typical route:
heart - arteries - capillaries - veins - heart

Exceptions to the typical route:
Portal systems
Anastomosis
    Arteriovenule anastomosis - arteriole to venule
    Arterial anastomosis - two arteries to one capillary bed
    Venous anastomosis - more than one vein draining capillary beds

Blood Vessel Facts

The three major branches from the aortic arch are the right brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery.

The medial cubital vein is a connection of the radial, ulnar, basilic and brachial veins, is found on the anterior portion of the elbow and is a common site for blood draws.

The renal artery supplies the kidneys with blood while the hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood.

The hole in the diagram that major blood vessels pass through is the aortic hiatus.

The longest blood vessel in the body is the great saphenous vien.

The portion of the descending aorta which is superior to the diaphragm is the thoracic aorta.

Blood Flow Through the Heart

Blood goes in this order starting with the systemic circuit:

1. Systemic circuit 2. Vena cava (superior and inferior) 3. Right atrium 4. Tricuspid valve 5. Right ventricle 6. Pulmonary semilunar valve 7. Pulmonary arteries (deoxygenated) 8. Pulmonary circuit (lungs)	9. Pulmonary veins (oxygenated) 10. Left atrium 11. Bicuspid (Mitral) valve 12. Left ventricle 13. Aortic semilunar valve 14. Aorta 15. Systemic circuit again

The Heart!

Some information regarding The Heart (doo doo doooooo!):

There should always be 5-6 liters of blood in the human body

Gross anatomy
The heart wall consists of 3 different tissues:
Epicardium - the surface of the heart
Myocardium - contractile muscles of the heart
    Cardiocytes
Endocardium - internal lining, simple squamous epithelium

Heart valves
Ensure one-way flow of blood
Consist of 2 or 3 cusps

Tricuspid valve - between right atrium and right ventricle
Bicuspid (Mitral) valve - between left atrium and left ventricle
    Chordae tendineae - 'cords of tendon'
    Papillary muscles - stabilize heart valves
Pulmonary semilunar valve - between systemic circuit and right atrium
Aortic semilunar valve - between left ventricle and aorta
Cardiac Conduction System
75 bpm on average in a resting adult
Myogenic - muscle cell, generates electricity
Autorhythmic - creates electricity while ignoring brain

Conduction system consists of modified cardiocytes

Sinoatrial (SA) node - group of myogenic cells
Atrioventricular (AV) node
AV bundles
    Left and right bundle branches
    Moderator band of R. ventricle
Purkinje fibers - fingerlike projections into ventricles

Cardiac muscle
Striated, but short, thick and branched
Fibers contain only one centrally placed nucleus
Cardiocytes are joined end to end by intercalated discs - allows cells to communicate

I liked this picture lol

Brain Dominance

Okay so for anatomy our assignment is to take some online tests and find out which side of the brain we use the most, print it out and write some about it. That's not a big deal, it was kind of fun. I found out I am pretty right side dominant so I read up some more on it. Come to find out that people who have right side dominant brains have deep feelings, learn by using their hands and are good with people. This is some information from About.com specifically for students.

Characteristics of Right-Brain Students

* You take notes but lose them. You may have a hard time keeping track of your research
* You might have a hard time making up your mind
* You are good with people
* You don't fall for practical jokes as easily as some
* You seem dreamy, but you're really deep in thought
* People may have told you you're psychic
* You like to write fiction, draw, or play music
* You might be athletic
* You like mystery stories
* You take time to ponder and you think there are two sides to every story
* You may lose track of time
* You are spontaneous
* You’re fun and witty
* You may find it hard to follow verbal directions
* You are unpredictable
* You get lost
* You are emotional
* You don't like reading directions
* You may listen to music while studying
* You read lying down
* You may be interested in “the unexplained”
* You are philosophical

Your Classes

* In history class, you enjoy the social aspects most. You like to explore the effects of things that happened in history. You like the essays, too.
* You can do well in math class if you apply yourself, but you get bored doing long problems.
* Science? Boring.
* You do well in English class, especially when it comes to reading literature and writing essays about books. You also do well in creative writing assignments.

Advice for Right Brain Students

* Choose to do personal essays
* Watch your daydreaming—keep it under control
* Let your imagination work for you in the arts
* Let your intuition work for you in social situations
* Let your deep thinking work for you during essay tests—but don’t ponder too long
* Be creative with essays. You can use colorful language well
* Use images and charts when you study
* Write down directions
* Try to be more organized!
* Don’t be overly suspicious of others
* Make outlines to organize your thoughts.
* Choose fiction in reading assignments
* Try to avoid teachers who lecture a lot; choose teachers who use activities
* You tell stories well, so write some!
* Put information into categories for better understanding
* Avoid getting bogged down by thinking of all possibilities when answering questions
* Finish things! You have so much talent, but you don’t always complete things.

You have great instincts and survival skills. If you study hard, you might be a finalist on Survivor one day!

Characteristics of Left Brain Students

* You probably work with a To-Do list
* You like to be the critic in class
* You're good at math or science
* You are rational and logical
* Your research is precise and well-documented
* You set goals for yourself
* You can interpret information well
* Your room is orderly
* You can answer questions spontaneously
* You follow directions and you do read directions (unlike some people)
* You aren't touchy-feely
* You can listen to a long lecture without losing patience
* You don’t let feelings get in your way
* You like action movies
* You read sitting up
* Your words are precise

Your Classes

* In history class, you are able to remember dates and processes.
* In math class, you enjoy going through a long calculation.
* You like the order of science.
* In English class, you have a good understanding of grammar and sentence structure.

Advice for Left Brain Students

* Study in a quiet room
* You can do math but get impatient trying to explain it to someone who struggles—so don’t volunteer to be a tutor unless you know you have the patience
* You like to lead in a study group, so go ahead and volunteer
* Join a debate team or academic competition
* Try to excel at the science fair. You can be a winner
* Take advantage of your skills in math and science
* Choose non-fiction reading
* You prefer factual questions and assignments, as opposed to open-ended questions
* You can organize your notes well, so you should
* Keep your room organized
* Don’t argue with the teacher too much
* Choose to do analytical essays
* Work alone when you have a choice. You get frustrated with others who “clown around”
* Avoid “free thinking” teachers if they confuse you
* Take more risks. Don’t be afraid to be creative

Check out the Left Right Brain Quiz

I have been taking anatomy this summer so that I will have a better chance of getting into nursing school. After reading this though, it seems that right sided people are doomed to be artsy while left sided people are going to achieve what I want a lot easier. Oy! I just want to help people people! Enough of this, I'm off to try and learn concepts that left sided people will learn easier than me...

Cranial Nerves

. # Name Class Foramen Function . NI Olfactory Sensory Olfactory foramen Sensory information for smell . NII Optic Sensory Optic canal Sensory information for sight . NIII Oculomotor Motor Superior orbital fissure Controls 4 of 6 extrinsic eye muscles . NIV Trochlear Motor Superior orbital fissure Controls superior oblique muscle of eye . NV Trigeminal Mixed Superior orbital fissure Sensory and motor for head and face . Sphenoid bone . Foramen ovale . NVI Adbucens Motor Superior orbital fissure Controls lateral rectus muscle of eye . NVII Facial Mixed Stylomastoid foramen Sensory for anterior tongue/motor to face . NVIII Vestibulocochlear Sensory Auditory meatus Vestibular branch for equilibrium . Cochlear branch for sense of hearing . NIX Glossopharyngeal Mixed Jugular foramen Sensory for taste of posterior tongue/pharynx/motor control of throat . NX Vagus Mixed Jugular foramen Sensory and motor to most major of organs . NXI Accessory Motor Jugular foramen Controls muscles of head and neck . NXII Hypoglossal Motor Hypoglossal canal Motor control of tongue

Cytology

Cytology is the study of cells

The Cell Theory:
All organisms are composed of cells
Cells are smallest physiological unit
Organism activity is based on cellular activity
Cells come only from preexisting cells
All cells have similar molecular characteristics

Cell Shapes and Sizes:
Squamous - fried egg shape
Cuboidal
Columnar
Polygonal
Stellate - star shaped
Spheroid/ovoid
Discoid
Fusiform
Fibrous

Basal - bottom, 'basement'
Apical - top, surface

Cells measured in micrometers - RBC's are 7-8 micrometers

The Outer-Cellular Components:
ICF - intracellular fluid
ECF - extracellular fluid

The Plasma Membrane:
Holds material in and out of cell
Many physiological functions
Fluid mosaic model - varied, nothing is solid
Phospholipid bilayer - fat w/ a phosphate attached
   Hydrophilic heads
   Hydrophilic tails
Cholesterol - makes hormones
Glycolipids - combination of sugar and fat

Membrane Proteins:
Integral proteins - pass all the way through membrane
Peripheral proteins - only found on either side
Functions:
   Receptors - allows chemicals in/out
   Enzymes - proteins, speed up cells
   Channels - passageway from ICF to ECF
   Cell identity markers - peripheral in ECF
   CAMS - cell adhesion molecules, keeps things in place
   Carriers - integral proteins (specific channels)
Membrane transport - how material gets back and forth through membrane

Outside the Cell Membrane:
The Glycocalyx - slim layer, ID's cell, keeps in place
   Glycolipids and glycolipids
   Functions - enables movement
Cellular Extensions:
Microvilli - smallest
Cilia
Flagellum - largest
Intercellular junctions:
keeps cells together
   Tight junctions - share a membrane (fence)
   Desmosomes - peripheral, snap connection/velcro
   Gap junctions - integral, direct communication

Cytoplasm:

Cytoskeleton - structure of cell, allows movement in cell
Micro filaments
Intermediate filaments
Microtubules

Organelles
The Nucleus - boss
   Nuclear envelope and pores, chromatin, nucleoplasm,
Endoplasmic Reticulum - production facilities
   Rough - produces proteins
   Smooth - produces lipids and carbohydrates
Ribosomes - make protein out of amino acids
   Free - mobile in ICF
   Fixed - attached
Golgi Complex - packaging, addresses proteins
Lysosomes - gets rid of waste, 'stomach of the cell'
Peroxisomes - gets rid of H2O2 and alcohol specifically
Mitochondria - powerplant, convert to ATP
   Crista (folds) - double membrane, inner, large surface area
   Matrix - fluid in mitochondria
Centrioles - expansion devices, makes new cells (divides)
Inclusions - storage sheds after product is made

Cytosol - ICF (potassium)
Fluid different in chemical composition than ECF (sodium)

Nervous Tissue

Ick, formatting did not work on this one.

Overview of the Nervous System

* Body must communicate on a cellular level
o Nervous system and endocrine system

Functions of the Nervous System

* Receive information about changes inside and outside the body
* Process this information and determine appropriate response
* Issue commands to cells to carry out the response

Hierarchical Organization of the Nervous System

* Central Nervous System
o Brain
o Spinal cord
* Peripheral Nervous System
o Sensory (afferent) division
+ Visceral sensory division
+ Somatic sensory division
o Motor (efferent) division
+ Visceral motor division (autonomic nervous system)
# Sympathetic division
# Parasympathetic division
+ Somatic motor division

Neurons

* Functional unit of the nervous system
* Properties
o Excitability
o Conductivity
o Secretion of neurotransmitters
* Functional classes of neurons
o Sensory (afferent) neurons
o Interneurons (association neurons)
o Motor (efferent) neurons

Structure of a Typical Neuron

* Soma
o Organelles
o Neurofibrils
o Nissl bodies
o Inclusions (lipofuscin)
* Dendrites
* Axon
o Axon hillock
o Collaterals
o Axoplasm and axolemma
o Terminal arborization
+ Synpatic knobs

The Muscular System

Myology is the study of the muscles

There are 3 different types of muscles

Skeletal Muscle -

Voluntary

Striated

Skeletal muscle fiber is also a skeletal muscle cell

85% is fiber, 15% striated

Cardiac Muscle -

Only in heart (duh)

Involuntary

Striated

Made of cardiocytes - fusiform shaped

Smooth Muscle -

Involuntary

Nonstriated - cytoskeletal is not striped

Made of fusiform cells called myocytes

Functions of Muscle:
Movement - can contract and change
Stability - keeps the bones together
Communication - facial expressions (smile, speak)
Control of body openings - voluntary
Heat production - keep body 98.6 degrees, muscle contractions (shiver - skeletal muscle)

Properties of Muscle:
Excitability - can work with electrical signals
Conductivity - can conduct electricity
Contractibility - ability to shorten
Extensibility - some ability to stretch
Elasticity - ability to return to original state

General Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles:
Made of muscle fibers, connective tissue, nervous tissue, and blood vessels.
Connective tissues:
Endomysium - single layer collagen that surrounds the inside like a cell wall
Perimysium and fascicles - end of each muscle cell, divided by perimysium
Epimysium - holds all the fascicles together in a muscle
Deep fascia
Superficial fascia - hypodermis

Fascicles and Muscle Shapes:
Determines strength and direction of tension

Fusiform muscles - fascicles nonparallel
-Biceps brachii
-Gastrocnemious

Parallel muscles
-Rectus abdominus
-Sartorius (allows us to cross our legs)

Convergent muscles
-Pectoralis major

Pennate muscles
-Unipennate (semimembraneous)
-Bipennate (rectus femoris)
-Multipennate (deltoid)

Circular muscles
-Orbicularis oris

Joints/Articulations

Articulations - any place two bones 'meet'
Arthrology is the study of articulations

Classification of Joints:
Joints are named for bones involved
Classification based on anatomical arrangement of two bones and range of motion

3 Physiological Classes:
Immovable
Slightly movable
Freely movable

4 Anatomical Classes:
Bony
Also called synostoses
Immovable
Two bones ossified together ex: epiphyseal line in an adult

Fibrous
Also called synarthroses
Two bones bound by collagen fibers
3 subclasses:
   Sutures - collagen fibers are short (between flat bones and skull)
   Gomphoses - immovable collagen fibers (between teeth and mandible, maxilla)
     Peridontal ligament
   Syndesmoses - slightly movable, joined by long fibers (tibia to fibula, radius to ulna)
     Interosseous membrane

Cartilaginous
Also called ampirthroses
Two bones bound by cartilage
All semi-movable
2 subclasses:
   Synchondroses - bound by hyaline cartilage (epiphyseal plate in child)
   Synphysis - bound by fibrocartilage (intervertebral discs)

Synovial
Also called diarthroses
Mostly freely movable

General Anatomy:
Articular cartilage (line capsule)
Articular cavity and synovial fluid (knee, shoulder)
Articulate capsule (surround epiphyses of bones)

Accessory Structure:
   Menisci - pad of fibrocartilage
   Tendons - muscle to bone
   Ligaments - bone to bone, extrinsic or intrinsic
   Bursae - packet of synovial fluid

Classes of Synovial Joints:
Based on patterns of movement
   Monaxial
   Biaxial
   Multiaxial

Hinge joints - monaxial - two flat surfaces (elbow)

Gliding joints - limited monaxial - both faces smooth (carpals)

Pivot joints - monaxial - rotational (C1-C2)

Saddle joints - biaxial - linear angular (twiddle thumb)

Condyloid joints - biaxial - (carpals)

Ball and Socket joints - multiaxial (shoulders, hips)

What limits ROM?
Structure and action of muscles
Structure of articular surface of bones
Strength and tautness of ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules