Archive for the ‘Physiology’ Category

How to Conceive a Baby Boy

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Posted 21 Mar 2011 — by admin
Category Home Remedies, Keeping Healthy, Physiology

Baby Boy
Image Credit: mommylife.net

It is every man’s dream to have a baby boy. If you and your partner are aiming to make your dream come true, there are scientifically proven ways to assist you in achieving your goal. Although there is no hundred percent certainty that these methods can succeed with you because of the factor of individual response, you may want to try these methods on how to conceive a baby boy.

The Concept

The gender of the child depends on the chromosome present in the sperm cell. If it is the Y sperm cell that fertilizes the egg, you have a baby boy and if it is the X, it is a girl.

Time the Ovulation

Y sperms are fast and very energetic but easily die. If you have the intercourse during the ovulation of the woman, the Y sperm reaches the egg first and fertilize it. But if the contact is before ovulation, most of the Y sperm are dead by the time the egg cell comes.

Depth of Penetration

The Y sperms are more fragile than the X sperms. If you want to reduce the damage in the male sperm and place it closer to the egg, deep penetration is recommended.

Female Orgasm

Female orgasm creates a more alkaline environment which is supportive of the Y sperm. If the orgasm of the female happens before that of the man, you can keep more Y sperm alive.

Combining these three tips can increase your chance of having a baby boy.

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The Four Levels of Stress: Which level are you in?

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Posted 16 Mar 2011 — by admin
Category Diseases and Conditions, Keeping Healthy, Physiology
  • The four levels of stress differentiate the extent at which stressors cause an impact to an individual’s daily life. These levels present the extremes of a spectrum wherein stress is healthy to an individual at one end, and very harmful to an individual on the other end.

These are the four levels of stress:

Level 1 :

The first level is characterized by mild anxiety. Among the four levels of stress, it is the first level that is considered as “healthy stress”. On this level, a person is highly motivated and his energy

levels are sufficient to cope up with the stressor. It is also in this level that a person feels very productive. Examples of situations of the first level are times when manageable life changing events occur, like a job promotion or getting married.

Level 2 :

The second  level of stress is experienced by an individual when a stressor continues to make a considerable effect on an individual’s daily life. At this stage, the individual may already have some complaints of overloading and a feeling of overwhelm and distress.

Level 3 :

The third level is already characterized as chronic stress. If the stressor is still not addressed

during this level of stress, there would already be explicit negative manifestations of stress such

as feelings of irritability and even somatic manifestations such as tension-related headaches.

Level 4 :

At this stage, the individual chronically feels exhausted, both physically & emotionally. The individual may even feel a reduced sense of self-fulfillment. Some serious somatic manifestations without supporting medical diagnosis may also be experienced. This final level among the four levels of stress requires consideration of anti-stress remediations.

  • There are factors that can determine which among the four levels of stress a person might go through.
  • First, the characteristics of the stressor may contribute to the level of stress an individual might be experiencing. Some stressors are acute stressors which can place an individual on the lower levels. Examples of acute stressors are daily life hassles like traffic jam, arguing with an officemate or preparing for an important exam. However, some stressors are chronic, and can bring the individual on the higher levels of the four levels of stress. Among the major chronic stressors are: unsatisfactory marriage, very demanding job or financial difficulties.
  • The controllability of an event also influences our levels of stress. A stressor that is more controllable like dealing with a stubborn colleague brings a person to lower levels of stress. However, major uncontrollable events like having cancer or death of a loved one can really cause the individual to experience the higher levels of stress.
  • These four levels of stress are identified to help one determine if stress has already reached a level dangerous to one’s physical and mental health. It is advised that a person should watch out for signs that one is already on the higher levels of stress. It may be a loved one or it may be you. Once determined, one must seek help regarding coping mechanisms to avoid self-injurious behavior like suicide or major psychosomatic illnesses.
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Brain Exercises to Boost your Mind Power

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Posted 17 Dec 2010 — by admin
Category Keeping Healthy, Physiology

The human brain is your most powerful asset. From the time you were born, it gathers information from your environment just the way sponges take water. It is made up of millions of nerve cells all working together every millisecond of your life. If you think intelligence comes only from good genes, then try these simple brain exercises and see how you can boost your mind power.

You’re Never Too Old to Learn

Some people give up learning once they get their college diploma. But in reality, the brain continues to learn new things. Recall the first time you tied your shoelace. The start was very difficult but after completing the task, the feeling was exhilarating. Why don’t you treat yourself to the same rewarding feeling? Try to use your non-dominant hand to move your mouse right now, to brush your teeth later and to comb your hair. These new tricks will allow your brain to learn skills despite your age.

Laugh Your Stress Out

By simply laughing, you can raise the endorphin level in your body. The hormone is known to improve your thinking abilities. If you want to have better disposition, laugh when you are stressed. Intelligent people like Albert Einstein have very good sense of humor. If you too have a good humor, you might just flourish a bright idea that the next generation will be proud of.

Engage in Mind Stimulating Activities

Puzzles, yoga, tai-chi, chess and sculpture are some of the activities that can stimulate your brain and boost your mind power. Instead of using your 10-12 hours in watching television or playing computer games, you can enjoy and think at the same time with these activities. Ask a friend to join you to make things more enjoyable.

Improve the acuity of your Senses

People learn by maximizing the senses. Of the 5 senses, the vision is the most important. To improve it, try dressing up with your eyes closed or unwrap your chocolate cookies without looking. See how you get better in using your other senses despite the absence of the sense of sight.

Listen During your Dead Times

Dead times are the times you wait for your turn in the line, you pull grasses in your yard or you walk to the park. Instead of wasting these times, you can use them to listen to a book-on-tape. In fact, you spend 14,000 hours in your whole lifetime with these dead times. Now, don’t you think it’s a bright idea if you can use these times well?

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Tips to Maximize Your Growth

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Posted 16 Dec 2010 — by admin
Category Physiology

By Engracia S. Arceo, MPH, RMT

Tall people have several advantages over shorter people. Be it with jobs or just an added boost in their confidence, height really matters. Although your genes dictate much on how tall you will grow, there are possible things that you can do to maximize your growth potential.

Diet

Your diet ensures that your body gets all the essential nutrients to grow taller. For every meal, you should have a balanced diet. It should have 40% carbohydrate, 40% protein and 20% fats. Vitamins and minerals are also crucial for bone development. Eat foods rich in vitamin C and D and high calcium foods. Avoid carbonated beverages since they reduce the amount of calcium in the body.

Exercises

To maximize your growth, complement your balanced diet with proper exercises. High intensity trainings with higher repetitions boost the level of growth hormone in the body. Right after an intensive work out, the level of growth hormone rises which stimulates the muscles and bones to grow. Include a lot of stretching exercises to make you look taller.

Supplements

The last option for people who want to grow taller is the use of supplements. These growth enhancing drugs are available with your local pharmacists. But before you take any of these supplements, ask your doctor’s advice.

Sleep

When you are below 18, you should have sufficient sleeping hours because it is 2 hours after sleep that the Growth Hormone or GH is increased in its concentration causing growth of cells and tissues in the body. This is the time that the bone epiphyses grow to meet each other. Adequate sleep will not only enhance the secretion of the growth hormone, but it will also promote good health and wellness. When people do not sleep, they experience disorientation, forgetfulness, lack of muscle coordination and many more abnormal conditions.

Healthy Lifestyle

Live a healthy lifestyle by avoiding substances of abuse like alcohol, cigarettes and other illicit drugs. These substances can cause physical and emotional dependence, which can muddle the mind and destroy the body.

If you observe all these tips, then you can be sure, you can maximize your growth mentally, physically and emotionally.

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In Vitro Fertilization – The Way to Overcome Infertility

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Posted 05 Dec 2010 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Laboratory Procedures, Physiology, artificial methods

By:  Engracia S. Arceo, MPH, RMT

In these modern times, in vitro fertilization is one way to overcome infertility. Infertility produces mental and emotional depression. Because the ultimate goal of couples is to have a child, inability to have may lead to your breakup. But with the advances in medicine, it is now possible to defy nature and conceive a child even with the so called “artificial method”.

Preparation

Prior to the In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), the couple has to undergo a thorough physical and medical assessment. The doctor checks the sperm quality of the male and tracks the menstrual cycle of the female. When everything is clear, the procedure commences.

Procedure

IVF starts when the egg cell from the sperm and egg cell are allowed to meet outside the woman’s body. When fertilization is successful, the fertilized egg will be injected back to the female uterus for normal intra-uterine development to occur. From this time onwards, the female will experience the normal course of pregnancy and childbirth.

Success

One IVF may not necessarily lead to successful pregnancy. Some couples experience several failed procedure before they finally have their baby. Some common scenarios include miscarriage and premature birth. While many couples only aim for a single baby, you have the option to ask your IVF provider to implant multiple embryos.

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How Fats in the Body are Metabolized

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Posted 08 Mar 2010 — by admin
Category Physiology

Fats or lipids enter the body through the food that we eat. There are many sources of lipids like meat fat, vegetable fat and dairy products.  Fats in the body are metabolized through these simple steps.

Mouth

These foodstuffs are ground into morsels by the mouth and the teeth.  Although salivary amylase is present, it does not have any action on lipids but only on carbohydrates.  The fats then go down into the stomach.

Stomach

Due to the high acidity of the stomach, metabolic breakdown of fats still do not occur.  Fats then move to the small intestines with the help of peristalsis.

Small intestines

Fats are then broken down into small micelles and acted upon by bile salts and bile acids coming from the bile pigment from the gall bladder.  These bile salts act with co-lipase and lipase to complete the digestion of fats.

Absorption

Digestion of the fats into fatty acids occurs. Fatty acids are the simplest forms of fats. They are now absorbed by the intestinal villi and distributed where they are most needed.

Unused fats

When the person is sedentary most of his fats are not  metabolized because the primary source of energy of the body are carbohydrates, so the body has to use the carbohydrates first before it utilizes fats  as source of energy.  That is why when a person does not exercise; fats are not burned off as energy and are therefore stored as triglycerides in the adipose tissues and the liver.

These unused fats could also form plaques in the lining of the blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis, which eventually leads to cardiovascular disorders. This is how fats in the body are metabolized

Significant points to remember:

  1. Meat fat is considered bad fat because they contain less protein. They are the low-density type of fats.
  2. Use fish fat or vegetable fat, they are safer because they contain the high density in protein type of fats.
  3. Exercise regularly to burn off excess carbohydrates and fats.
  4. Most fast foods are rich in bad Trans fats, so be judicious in selecting your food.
  5. Do not eat so many sweets like cakes and chocolates, because when unused, these are converted into triglycerides, which is one type of bad fat.
  6. Eat more fruits and vegetables to help reduce the effects of fats. Fruits and vegetables have anti-toxins and natural constituent that help the body remove impurities.

Know how your fats in the body are metabolized and stay healthy.

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