Aura – the Source of Spiritual Power

The aura is a vibratory essence that surrounds all living things. Awareness of the human energy field has grown and people are eager to learn more about this subtle realm.  The aura tells us we are so much more than just a physical body.  It shows that there is marvelous spiritual activity going on within and without.  We can learn to work with the aura and realize its power and potential.

Our aura is composed of spiritual energy which is the universal power behind the whole process of creation.  Spiritual energy is the Divine Light that propels the life force of God to manifest the multitudinous dimensions and material worlds.  It is the conduit of consciousness. Cosmic energy in all of its spectral colors is imbued with the divine attributes of God and this is what gives the light its power.

We can work with spiritual energy in any aspect of our aura and consciousness. By focusing the light into our spiritual energy centers (chakras) we build power. As the light flows from its celestial source into the aura, it generates the spiritual power necessary to create whatever we are focusing our attention on. For example, if we need more abundance in life, then we would ask for the turquoise ray; for greater will power, the gold ray; for harmony, the emerald green ray. Then we visualize the particular light we are requesting entering through the crown chakra and quickening each of the spiritual centers as it flows down the spine.
The secret to enhancing the aura is that our thoughts, words and deeds work like a magnet. The energies we have in our aura field draw toward them more of the same vibration.   If we are thinking loving thoughts, we draw to ourselves a deep rose pink light, which stays in our aura.  This attracts loving people and situations to us that enrich our life experience, which in turn encourages us to be more loving.

If we are habitually jealous, these repetitive thoughts create a vibration in our aura field, attracting situations that trigger envy.  This will continue until we learn to overcome this tendency by beautifying our aura. 

Our energy field viscerally shows that we are empowered children of the Divine and how the thoughts we think and the choices we make really do create our lives.  We receive light with every uplifting thought, word and deed.


Every positive effort, however small, recognized or unrecognized, provides greater inner and outer strength. The more light we receive, the brighter our aura becomes and the higher in consciousness we climb.  Spiritual light facilitates change by giving each soul the power to step into a greater awareness of its divine potential and the one Source of all life.

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Human Growth Hormone

Its primary role is the growth of bodily tissues and is often at its highest peak younger in age while we are growing rapidly and begins to slowly decrease as we grow older. Gender also plays a role in how much growth hormone we release, with females surprisingly releasing more than males.

Growth hormone is involved in the turnover of muscle tissue, which is particularly important for those of us who are looking to add lean muscle mass, as well as the remodeling of bone and collagen tissues (Godfrey, R., et al., 2003).

It also helps with the regulation of our metabolisms, which are essentially all the reactions that occur within the human body.

Two of the biggest factors that play a role in the release of this hormone are sleep and exercise.

1. Sleep

    Generally, our growth hormone release is highest during the first part of the night, which is why getting to bed at a decent time for a good nights rest is so important.

    When we cut our sleep short, we blunt the effect of growth hormone, thus also limiting our recovery and muscle growth ability.

2. Exercise

    Exercise is probably the largest contributor to growth hormone release. Exercise appears as though it effects the growth hormone release through numerous different mechanisms such as:

        Neural Input
        Direct stimulation by catecholamines
        Lactic & nitric oxide
        Changes in acid-base balance (Godfrey, R, et al, 2003)

    Different types of exercises impact the HGH in different ways however.

    Resistance Training:

        Resistance training offers one of the most influential environments for exercise induced growth hormone release (EIGR). The major factors that determine how much an increase is produced are load and frequency.

        When we lift heavier loads at a greater frequency (less rest time) we cause our bodies to release greater amounts of growth hormone.

        It should be noted however that in regards to protein synthesis, insulin-like growth factor-1 plays a larger role than growth hormone does.

        Resistance training programs that utilize many large muscle groups at once tend to elicit the greatest growth hormone release as more total muscle fibers are called into play. Also, growth hormone release tends to depend upon how much of a demand on anaerobic glycolysis there is during an exercise training bout.

    Endurance Training:

        With endurance training, the release of growth factor depends on intensity, duration, frequency as well as the type of exercise performed. Exercise performed above the lactate threshold for at least 10 minutes will create the greatest growth hormone release both during exercise and for the 24 hour period afterwards (Godfrey, R, et al, 2003).

        Due to the pulsatile release of growth hormone, the optimal environment for the release are shorter bouts of exercise performed for 10 minutes several times daily at an intensity greater than lactate threshold.

        Endurance training however, when taken too far, can actually cause a decreased effect on growth hormone release. When it lasts for longer periods of time, and is performed for a long duration, growth hormone decreases while cortisol (the hormone responsible for breaking down the body's tissues) increases.

        So it is essential to push your body hard enough during your cardio training to increase the release of the hormone, however care has to be taken not to over due it (overtraining) where your body can no longer recover and you move towards a catabolic state.

Aging & Growth Hormone

    Another thing growth hormone is known for is its effect on the aging athlete. As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass and increase our fat mass. This means a change in body composition resulting in a higher body fat percentage, which sets up for risks of many different types of disease such as high cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

    Growth hormone however, tends to produce changes in the body that are exactly opposite of this, increasing lean muscle tissue and decreasing body fat. For this reason, some aging people decide to start injecting growth hormone into their bodies to reap its benefits.


While these individuals do report an increase in lean mass and decreased fat mass, there are also other negative consequences such as impaired glucose tolerance that may provide enough reason to avoid this practice.

Rather, a better way to get the rewards of this hormone, are for the aging athlete to perform exercise at a higher intensity than what is normally prescribed for someone of this age level.

It has been demonstrated that while older athletes do not see quite the acute increase in growth hormone following a resistance training protocol that younger athletes do, their chronic growth hormone levels do increase the same way and they will still see the benefits of this hormone

Take Home Message

So what is the take home message from these studies? How can you use this knowledge to help benefit your training?

The first thing is to evaluate your workouts and determine whether you are more of a resistance athlete or an endurance athlete.

Resistance?

    If you are a resistance athlete, then you need to look at your workouts and ensure that you are lifting the correct loads and utilizing the right rest periods to elicit a greater release of growth hormone from your training.

Endurance?

    On the other hand, if you are an endurance athlete, you may want to consider adding some high intensity interval work into your training so you too can benefit from growth hormone, and also may want to take proper nutritional steps to ensure that on your longer sessions you minimize the catabolic properties of these types of workouts (since they tend to produce a decline in growth hormone). 

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Human skull `highly integrated`

London: Scientists have claimed that human skull is highly integrated, meaning variation in one part of the skull is linked to changes throughout the skull.

In fact, a team from the Universities of Manchester and Barcelona, studying a unique collection of human skulls, have shown that changes to skull shape thought to have occurred independently through separate evolutionary events may have precipitated each other, the `Evolution` journal reported.
For their study, the researchers examined 390 skulls from the Austrian town of Hallstatt and found evidence that the human skull is highly integrated, meaning variation in one part of the skull is linked to changes throughout the skull.

The Austrian skulls are part of a famous collection kept in the Hallstatt Catholic Church ossuary; the skulls are also decorated with paintings and, crucially, bear the name of the deceased.

The Barcelona team made measurements of the skulls and collected genealogical data from the church`s records of births, marriages and deaths, allowing them to investigate the inheritance of skull shape.

The team tested whether certain parts of the skull --the face, the cranial base and the skull vault or brain case-- changed independently, as anthropologists have always believed, or were in some way linked.

The scientists simulated the shift of the foramen magnum (where the spinal cord enters the skull) associated with upright walking; the retraction of the face, thought to be linked to language development and perhaps chewing; and the expansion and rounding of the top of the skull, associated with brain expansion.

They found that, rather than being separate evolutionary events, changes in one part of the brain would facilitate and even drive changes in the other parts.

"We found that genetic variation in the skull is highly integrated, so if selection were to favour a shape change in a particular part of the skull, there would be a response involving changes throughout the skull," said Dr Chris Klingenberg of Manchester University, a team member.

He added: "We were able to use the genetic information to simulate what would happen if selection were to favour particular shape changes in the skull."

Team leader Dr Neus Martinez-Abadias at the University of Barcelona added: "This study has important implications for inferences on human evolution and suggests the need for a reinterpretation of the evolutionary scenarios of the skull in modern humans."

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How To Gain Weight If You Are Underweight

Gaining weight is something most people try not to do. On every corner, in every store, on every magazine cover, and in whatever direction you turn, people are obsessed with weight loss. Fat loss, fat loss, fat loss. Even 95% of all fitness related sites on the Internet are geared towards losing fat. 

However, there are some people, who struggle their whole lives trying to pack on extra pounds and are underweight. I was one of those people. People, predispositioned to skinniness, are commonly referred to as “hard gainers.” This is the cool way to label your scrawny frame despite the fact that your body turns into a Number 2 pencil when you wear yellow! 

In the skinny guys defence, the reality is that some have been cursed with traits like Lamborghini type metabolisms, giraffe like limbs, and the strength of a senior citizen. These people have to fight with every bone in their body to do something about their small frame and to keep up to their male buddies who seem to grow muscle just by sneezing. Even though you I might think that your genetic deficiencies have sentenced you to a life of frailty and surprised looks when you tell others you lift weights. I am living proof that hard gainers with very ‘muscle-unfriendly genes’ can fight back against their genetics and gain muscle weight. 

If you are underweight than your first step to gaining weight is to understand that you must play by a different set up rules. You must think outside the box and give up the excuse of being a ‘hardgainer.’ It is time to stop listening to all the naysayers who have told you that is impossible to gain weight because of your genetics. It is time to give up the eating habits and workouts that have not delivered the results you have been looking for. Regardless of what you have been lead to believe, you do have the potential to build an impressive physique that turns heads and a new level of strength that intimidates! 

Below I have provided four very practical and straight forward tips that you can apply today. If you have attempted to bulk up and are still on the light side of the scale it is because of one main reason - you are trying to build a house without the cement and wood. You are trying to build a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. Both scenarios are literally impossible. The same holds true for building muscle and caloric support. Your muscles grow on calories and require more than you are currently eating if you are underweight and still resemble a mic stand. Start following these simple steps to gain an extra 10 pounds of muscle weight in the next month guaranteed. 

1. Double it up. 

One of the most practical steps you can take is by simply doubling what you are currently eating in the kitchen right now. If you are only eating one chicken breast per meal than cook up two. If you are only eating two slices of bread than make it four. If you are eating one handful of nuts than make it two. If you are using only two scoops of protein powder than make it three. Getting the point yet? Most likely you are only a few dozen meals short of filling out those underdeveloped body parts. I assume you are already in the kitchen and have the food out. Perhaps finding the time to get in extra meal is your next challenge to overcome but for right now you have to excuse not to shovel down a greater percentage of calories by doubling it up! 

2. Live your life around food.

Sure you know that you must eat every 2-3 hours but how well do you execute? Set your clock around or a countdown timer to go off every 2 and ½ hours so that you reinforce the habit of eating literally not a second late for each meal! You should be eating your first meal within 15-30 minutes of waking up - absolutely no later. Don’t be surprised if you are not gaining weight if you do not find yourself spending more time preparing food, more time eating food and more time cleaning your kitchen. You should also find yourself spending more time in the grocery store and you should also find that you are budgeting more money on food each week. 

3. Use BIG eating equipment.

If you want to bulk than you have to eat like Hulk. Do you think Hulk eats out of small plate, or a small bowel or a small cup? If you are aiming to get BIG, you are going to require large amounts of food most likely close to double of what you are currently eating. So get BIG eating equipment! Get a BIG cup, get a BIG bowel and get a BIG plate. Surround yourself with BIG. Most of the time hard gainers are nothing more than ‘under eaters.’ If you struggle to complete a meal than a bigger serving on a bigger plate will look small! 

4. Never train hungry.

How many times have you waken up, whipped up a protein shake and than headed off to the gym? Or maybe you had a long afternoon and missed a few meals and than attempted a weight training workout after work? I thought this was common sense until a few of my skinny clients confessed that they were showing up for their workouts having only eaten a piece of fruit and some crackers within the last half day. After dropping the 45 pound plate on my foot out of shock they reassured me that ‘they were not hungry.’ I sometimes screamed back, “Yeah, that’s because your metabolism is in starvation mode and shut right down you skinny pencil neck.” I understand that training in the morning is the only time for some however I recommend to aim for a minimum of at least three solid meals in your system prior to eating. Would you take your car out on a long trip with a half empty fuel tank? Not unless you want the car to die and push it the rest of the way. So why would you take your body through a grueling training session on a empty stomach? 

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Human Body - Muscular System

Muscular System

Muscular System : Introduction

The muscular system is the body's network of tissues that controls movement both of the body and within it (such as the heart's pumping action and the movement of food through the gut). Movement is generated through the contraction and relaxation of specific muscles.

The muscles of the body are divided into two main classes: skeletal (voluntary) and smooth (involuntary),

Skeletal muscles are attached to the skeleton and move various parts of the body. They are called voluntary because a person controls their use, such as in the flexing of an arm or the raising of a foot.

There are about 650 skeletal muscles in the whole human body. Smooth muscles are found in the stomach and intestinal walls, vein and artery walls, and in various internal organs. They are called involuntary muscles because a person generally cannot consciously control them. They are regulated by the autonomic nervous system (part of the nervous system that affects internal organs).

There are some others muscles which plays very important role in our body Cardiac Muscle (The heart is made up of the cardiac muscle), Facial Muscles (There are more than 30 muscles in the face) and Tongue (another unique muscle is the tongue, which is free at one end and only attached on the other end).

Another difference between skeletal and smooth muscles is that skeletal muscles are made of tissue fibers that are striated or striped. These alternating bands of light and dark result from the pattern of the filaments (threads) within each muscle cell. Smooth muscle fibers are not striated.

Human Muscle

The cardiac or heart muscle (also called myocardium) is a unique type of muscle that does not fit clearly into either of the two classes of muscle. Like skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles are striated. But like smooth muscles, they are involuntary, controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius (pronounced sar-TOR-ee-us). It runs from the waist down across the front of thigh to the knee. Its purpose is to flex the hip and knee. The largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus (pronounced GLUE-tee-us MAX-si-mus; buttocks muscles). It moves the thighbone away from the body and straightens out the hip joint.

Upon stimulation by an action potential, skeletal muscles perform a coordinated contraction by shortening each sarcomere. The best proposed model for understanding contraction is the sliding filament model of muscle contraction. Actin and myosin fibers overlap in a contractile motion towards each other. Myosin filaments have club-shaped heads that project toward the actin filaments.

Control : Muscular System

Neuromuscular junctions are the focal point where a motor neuron attaches to a muscle. Acetylcholine, (a neurotransmitter used in skeletal muscle contraction) is released from the axon terminal of the nerve cell when an action potential reaches the microscopic junction, called a synapse.

Muscle Control

A group of chemical messengers cross the synapse and stimulate the formation of electrical changes, which are produced in the muscle cell when the acetylcholine binds to receptors on its surface. Calcium is released from its storage area in the cell's sarcoplasmic reticulum.

An impulse from a nerve cell causes calcium release and brings about a single, short muscle contraction called a muscle twitch. If there is a problem at the neuromuscular junction, a very prolonged contraction may occur, tetanus. Also, a loss of function at the junction can produce paralysis.

Skeletal muscles are organized into hundreds of motor units, each of which involves a motor neuron, attached by a series of thin finger-like structures called axon terminals. These attach to and control discrete bundles of muscle fibers. A coordinated and fine tuned response to a specific circumstance will involve controlling the precise number of motor units used.

While individual muscle units contract as a unit, the entire muscle can contract on a predetermined basis due to the structure of the motor unit. Motor unit coordination, balance, and control frequently come under the direction of the cerebellum of the brain. This allows for complex muscular coordination with little conscious effort, such as when one drives a car without thinking about the process.

• Skeletal muscles : Muscular System

Skeletal

Skeletal muscles are probably the most familiar type of muscle. They are the muscles that ache after strenuous work or exercise. Skeletal muscles make up about 40 percent of the body's mass or weight. They stabilize joints, help maintain posture, and give the body its general shape. They also use a great deal of oxygen and nutrients from the blood supply.

Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by tough, fibrous connective tissue called tendons. Tendons are rich in the protein collagen, which is arranged in a wavy way so that it can stretch and provide additional length at the muscle-bone junction.

Skeletal muscles act in pairs. The flexing (contracting) of one muscle is balanced by a lengthening (relaxation) of its paired muscle or a group of muscles. These antagonistic (opposite) muscles can open and close joints such as the elbow or knee. An example of antagonistic muscles are the biceps (muscles in the front of the upper arm) and the triceps (muscles in the back of the upper arm). When the biceps muscle flexes, the forearm bends in at the elbow toward the biceps; at the same time, the triceps muscle lengthens. When the forearm is bent back out in a straight-arm position, the biceps lengthens and the triceps flexes.

Muscles that contract and cause a joint to close, such as the biceps, are called flexor muscles. Those that contract and cause a joint to open, such as the triceps, are called extensors. Skeletal muscles that support the skull, backbone, and rib cage are called axial skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles of the limbs (arms and legs) are called distal skeletal muscles.

Skeletal muscle fibers are stimulated to contract by electrical impulses from the nervous system. Nerves extend outward from the spinal cord to connect to muscle cells. The area where a muscle and a nerve connect is called the myoneural juncture. When instructed to do so, the nerve releases a chemical called a neurotransmitter that crosses the microscopic space between the nerve and the muscle and causes the muscle to contract.

Skeletal muscle fibers are characterized as fast or slow based on their activity patterns. Fast (also called white) muscle fibers contract

rapidly, have poor blood supply, operate without oxygen, and tire quickly. Slow (also called red) muscle fibers contract more slowly, have better blood supplies, operate with oxygen, and do not tire as easily. Slow muscle fibers are used in movements that are ongoing, such as maintaining posture.

Human Body

• Smooth muscles : Muscular System

Smooth muscles are controlled directly by the autonomic nervous system and are involuntary, meaning that they are incapable of being moved by conscious thought. Functions such as heart beat and lungs (which are capable of being willingly controlled, be it to a limited extent) are involuntary muscles but are not smooth muscles.

Smooth muscle fibers line most of the internal hollow organs of the body, such as the intestines, stomach, and uterus (womb). They help move substances through tubular areas such as blood vessels and the small intestines. Smooth muscles contract automatically, spontaneously, and often rhythmically. They are slower to contract than skeletal muscles, but they can remain contracted longer.

Like skeletal muscles, smooth muscles contract in response to neurotransmitters released by nerves. Unlike skeletal muscles, some smooth muscles contract after being stimulated by hormones (chemicals secreted by glands). An example is oxytocin, a hormone released by the pituitary gland. It stimulates the smooth muscles of the uterus to contract during childbirth.

Smooth muscles are not as dependent on oxygen as skeletal muscles are. Smooth muscles use carbohydrates to generate much of their energy.

• Cardiac muscle : Muscular System

The heart is made up of the cardiac muscle, which is also referred to as the myocardium. These muscles are thick and contract in order to pump out the blood and then relax in order to allow more blood in. The cardiac muscle is an involuntary muscle, or the type that works without your volition. Special type of cells in the cardiac muscle, called the pacemaker, help in controlling the heartbeat.

Cardiac

The cardiac muscle or myocardium contracts (beats) more than 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. Like skeletal muscles, myocardium is striated. However, myocardial muscle fibers are smaller and shorter than skeletal muscle fibers.

The contractions of the myocardium are stimulated by an impulse sent out from a small clump (node) of specialized tissue in the upper right area of the heart. The impulse spreads across the upper area of the heart, causing this region to contract. This impulse also reaches another node, located near the lower right area of the heart. After receiving the initial impulse, the second node fires off its own impulse, causing the lower region of the heart to contract slightly after the upper region.

• Facial Muscles : Muscular System

There are more than 30 muscles in the face. Not all of the facial muscles are attached to bones, as is the case in the other parts of the body.

Facial Muscles

Many of the facial muscles are attached to the underside of facial skin. The contractions of these muscles are what give the face its various expressions, such as frowning, laughter, surprise, sadness and so on.

• Tongue : Muscular System

Tongue is the unique muscles of musclar system, which is free at one end and only attached on the other end. The tongue actually comprises of a group of muscles, which work in unison, enabling you to chew and swallow food, and talk.

Tongue

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Human Body - Skeletal System

Human Skeletal

Skeletal System : Introduction 

Inside every person is a skeleton, a sturdy framework of 206 bones. The skeleton protects the body's organs, supports the body, and provides attachment points for muscles to enable body movement. The human skeleton consists of both fused and individual bones supported and supplemented by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage. It serves as a scaffold which supports organs, anchors muscles, and protects organs such as the brain, lungs and heart. Bones also produce blood cells and act as a storage site for minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

All humans are born with over 300 bones. But some bones, such as those in the skull and lower spine, fuse (join together) during growth, thereby reducing the number. The skeletal system is made up of living material, with networks of blood vessels running throughout. Living mature bone is about 60 percent calcium compounds and about 40 percent collagen (a fibrous protein). Hence, bone is strong, hard, and slightly elastic. Although mature bones consist largely of calcium, most bones in the human skeleton began as cartilage. Cartilage is a type of connective tissue that contains collagen and elastin fibers.

The biggest bone in the body is the femur in the thigh and the smallest is the stapes bone in the middle ear. In an adult, the skeleton comprises around 30-40% of the total body weight, and half of this weight is water.

Skeletal System

Fused bones include those of the pelvis and the cranium. Not all bones are interconnected directly: there are three bones in each middle ear called the ossicles that articulate only with each other. The hyoid bone, which is located in the neck and serves as the point of attachment for the tongue, does not articulate with any other bones in the body, being supported by muscles and ligaments.

Individual bones meet at areas called joints and are held in place by connective tissue. Cartilage lines the surface of many joints and helps reduce friction between bones. The connective tissues linking the skeleton together at the joints are ligaments and tendons. Both are made up of collagen, but serve different functions. Ligaments link bones together and help prevent dislocated joints. Tendons link bone to muscle. Because the bones making up the human skeleton are inside the body, the skeleton is called an endoskeleton. Some animals, such as the crab, have an external skeleton called an exoskeleton.

Structure : Skeletal System

The human skeletal system is divided into two main groups: the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton includes bones associated with the body's main axis, the spine. This includes the spine, the skull, and the rib cage. The appendicular skeleton is attached to the axial skeleton and consists of the bones associated with the body's appendages—the arms and legs. This includes the bones of the pectoral girdle (shoulder area), the pelvic girdle (hip area), and the arms and legs.

• Axial skeleton

There are 28 bones in the skull. In adults, the bones of the cranium (part of the skull that encloses the brain) are flat and interlocking at their joints. In infants, cartilage fills the spaces between the cranial bones. Known as soft spots or fontanelles, these spaces allow the skull bones to move slightly during birth. This makes birth easier and helps prevent skull fractures. Eventually, the fontanelles are replaced by bone. In addition to protecting the brain, skull bones also support and protect the organs responsible for sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

Skeletal Muscles

The skull rests atop the spine, which encases and protects the spinal cord. The spine, also called the spinal column or backbone, consists of 33 stacked vertebrae, the lower ones fused. The spinal column helps to support the weight of the body and protects the spinal cord. Disks of cartilage lie between the bony vertebrae of the back and provide cushioning, like shock absorbers. The vertebrae of the spine are capable of only limited movement, such as bending and some twisting.

Twelve pair of ribs (a total of 24) extend forward from the vertebrae of the upper back. Most of the ribs (the first seven pair) attach in the front of the body via cartilage to the long, flat breastbone, or sternum. These ribs are called true ribs. The next three pair of ribs, called false ribs, do not attach to the sternum. They are connected by cartilage to the ribs above them. The lower two pair of ribs that do not attach in the front are called floating ribs. Ribs give shape to the chest and support and protect the body's major organs, such as the heart and lungs. The rib cage also provides attachment points for connective tissue, to help hold organs in place.

• Appendicular skeleton. 

The appendicular skeleton joins with the axial skeleton at the shoulders and hips. Forming a loose attachment with the sternum is the pectoral girdle, or shoulder. Two bones, the clavicle (collar bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) form one shoulder. The major advantage to the loose attachment of the pectoral girdle is that it allows for a wide range of shoulder motions and greater overall freedom of movement.

Unlike the pectoral girdle, the pelvic girdle, or hips, is strong and dense. Each hip, left and right, consists of three fused bones—the ilium, ischium, and pubic. The pelvic girdle is bowl-shaped, with an opening at the bottom. In a pregnant woman, this bony opening is a passageway through which her baby must pass during birth. The pelvic girdle of women is generally wider than that of men, which helps to ease birth. The pelvic girdle protects the lower abdominal organs, such as the intestines, and helps supports the weight of the body above it.

Ligament

The arms and legs, appendages of the body, are very similar in form. The upper arm bone, the humerus, is the long bone between the elbow and the shoulder. It connects the arm to the pectoral girdle. In the leg, the thigh bone, or femur, is the long bone between the knee and hip that connects the leg to the pelvic girdle. The humerus and femur are sturdy bones, especially the femur, which is the longest bone in the body.

At the elbow the humerus attaches to a set of parallel bones—the ulna and radius—the bones of the forearm. These bones attach to the eight small carpal bones of the wrist. The hand is made up of 19 bones.

Similarly, in the leg, the femur attaches to a set of bones of the lower leg, the fibula and tibia. The tibia, or shin bone, is larger than the fibula and forms the joint behind the patella (kneecap) with the femur. At the ankle joint, the fibula and tibia connect to the seven tarsal bones forming the ankle and heel. These, in turn, are connected to the 19 bones that make up the foot.

Functions of the Skeletal System

• Support : 

The skeletal system is made up of bones and cartilages. There are 206 bones in the body and these bones and cartilages help provide the support and points of attachment to many soft tissues, muscles and ligaments in the body. There are different types of bones like the long bones, short bones, flat bones, irregular bones and sesamoid bones. The skeletal system functions also include providing rigidity and body shape. It helps supporting the weight of muscles and internal organs, without which the body would collapse.

Tendon

• Protection :

The skeleton protects many vital organs:

• The skull protects the brain, the eyes, and the middle and inner ears.
• The vertebrae protects the spinal cord.
• The rib cage, spine, and sternum protect the lungs, heart and major blood vessels.
• The clavicle and scapula protect the shoulder.
• The ilium and spine protect the digestive and urogenital systems and the hip.
• The patella and the ulna protect the knee and the elbow respectively.
• The carpals and tarsals protect the wrist and ankle respectively.

• Helping in Movement :

The bone joint act as levers and anchors for the muscles. The point of origin of the muscle is called the anchor and the bone acts as lever. There are three types of joints, viz. fixed joint or Synarthroses like the skull bones, the slightly movable or Amphiarthroses like the symphysis pubis and the freely movable or Diarthroses. The freely movable joints are divided into four groups. The first, ball and socket joint like the hip joint, the hinge joint in the anatomy of elbow, the pivot joint of the radius and ulna and the gliding joint are seen in the carpal joint of wrist.

• Storage of Minerals :

Bone matrix can store calcium and is involved in calcium metabolism, and bone marrow can store iron in ferritin and is involved in iron metabolism. However, bones are not entirely made of calcium,but a mixture of chondroitin sulfate and hydroxyapatite, the latter making up 70% of a bone.

• Production of Red Blood Cells :

The red blood cells as well as the white blood cells are produced in the red marrow of the bones. After birth and in early childhood, the red blood morrow is red in color. Then, in adulthood, half of the bone marrow turns yellow, as it consists of fat cells. The long bones consist of yellow marrow and the red marrow is found in the flat bones of hip, skull and shoulder blades. You may also find red marrow in the vertebrae and the end of the long bone. In extreme conditions, the body can convert some of the yellow bone marrow to red bone marrow.

• Chemical Energy Storage :

Bone cells release a hormone called osteocalcin, which contributes to the regulation of blood sugar (glucose) and fat deposition. Osteocalcin increases both the insulin secretion and sensitivity, in addition to boosting the number of insulin-producing cells and reducing stores of fat.

Human Body Muscles and Human Anatomy

Interesting Facts About Skeletal System

• There are 206 bones in an adult human body.
• A baby is born with 300 bones. But throughout the growth years, many of the bones of the skull and spine fuse together.
• Bones do not move on their own, they need the help of the muscles attached to the bones.
• Bones have life. They’re made up of living cells that is why they can grow and repair themselves.
• The longest bone, about one-quarter of a person’s overall height, is the femur bone. It’s located in the leg.
• The smallest bone in the body is the stirrup bone, located deep inside the ear. It is just a little larger than a grain of rice.
• The largest bone in the body is the pelvic bone.
• Collar bone is the most frequently broken bone in a human body. It is also known as clavicle.
• Hyoid bone is the only bone that is not connected to any other bone. It is located in the throat of a human’s body.
• Most bones consist of two types of bone tissues, namely compact hard bones and spongy bone.
• More than half of the bones in the body are located in the hands and feet together.
• Humans and giraffes have the same number of bones in their necks. It is just that giraffes have a much longer vertebra.
• Bones are filled with a substance called bone marrow that is critical for the production of red and white blood cells.
• There are two types of bone marrow. Red marrow produces blood cells while yellow marrow produces fatty cells.
• At birth, all bone marrow is red.
• The ears and the end of the nose don't have bones. These parts of the body are given their shape by cartilage.
• Cartilage is lighter and flexible than bone, allowing movement and the ability to bend.
• Cartilage degrades faster than bone that is why many human remains are found without a nose or ears.
• Cartilage contains no blood vessels or nerve cells.
• Embryos contain cartilage, not bones.
• In adults, the skeleton makes up for 15-20 percent of total body weight.

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Get The Gorgeous, Glowing Skin Naturally

Hey, you! Want clear, glowing, gorgeous skin? We thought so. So, we are publishing some facts and ways to get glowing skin naturally....

•   Wash your face way before you go to bed. If you wait until you're ready to hit the sack, you'll be too tired to wash up, and research shows skin repairs itself best around 10 p.m. So let skin breathe easy long before you start snoozing.

•   Wear sunscreen every day, year-round. Botox bites. So use a moisturizer that has an SPF 15 or higher (try   Eucerin Skin Renewal SPF 15 Day Lotion, $10, drugstores). UV rays can do their damage while you're sitting in class, riding in the car or walking the dog.

•   Be nice to your face. Picking, poking and squeezing force bacteria deeper into the skin, resulting in scarring and further breakouts. Yuck.

•   Stop thinking that if your skin feels tight it must be clean. Tight skin isn't clean skin--it's dry skin. If you're rushing to dab on moisturizer after you wash, time to find a cleanser that won't leave you high and dry. Normal and combination skin will benefit most from a gel formula (we love Nivea Visage Refreshing Cleansing Gel, $6, drugstores). Got dry or sensitive skin? Go for a creamy cleanser. Either way, choose a low foaming formula. More lather=more drying. Less lather=less drying.

•   Banish breakouts. If you've got major acne, an acne face wash is for you (we like Clearesil Total Control 5-in-1 Acne Cleanser and Moisturizer, $9, drugstores). If you just get spot breakouts, avoid acne washes. They worsen skin by drying out the clear parts and allowing dead skin-cell buildup. The buildup traps oil under skin, leading to more clogged pores and breakouts.

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Protect Your Liver By Natural Ways

According to some experts, there’s up to a 99 percent chance your liver is not performing at its very best. Your liver is the 4-pound organ that performs more than 500 bodily functions and chemical reactions every day to keep you alive.

1. In fact, this organ manufactures a full quart of bile daily to break down fat… 
2. filters harmful toxins and substances out of nearly 100 gallons of blood every day…
3.  produces more than 13,000 crucial chemicals and hormones… 
4. regulates blood sugar levels… 
5. stores essential vitamins and minerals… 
6. and detoxifies all internal and external environmental pollutants.

However, an overworked liver that is exposed to the everyday pollutants of our modern world can result in a variety of health problems such as…

• High blood pressure
• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritable bowels
• Joint pain
• Elevated cholesterol levels

1. You could also be at risk for chronic indigestion… 
2. neuromuscular illnesses… 
3. blood sugar problems… 
4. poor eyesight… 
5. allergies, rashes and itchy skin… 
6. lung congestion… 
7. kidney failure… 
8. or sexual dysfunction.

But don’t think that prescription or over-the-counter meds can help restore the function of your liver. Luckily there are natural solutions such as exercising and watching your diet, as well as supplementing with natural nutrients that can help you maintain good liver function.

In studies published in the journal Hepatology, researchers have found that exercise and decreasing the cholesterol and protein in your diet can help improve your health if you have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)—the most widespread form of liver disease in the developed world.

A study conducted as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that the more protein you eat, the higher your risk category for being hospitalized from cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer—or dying from either condition.

Mother Nature can provide help in the form of natural nutrients such as milk thistle, soy lecithin (phosphatidylcholine), artichoke leaf, turmeric root, burdock, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC), alpha lipoic acid (ALA), trimethylglycine (TMG), dandelion root and olive leaf.

By using these natural methods and keeping an eye on your diet, you can help revive and regenerate healthy liver cells so you can experience the optimum quality of living that you deserve.

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Shocking Facts Of Human Body

The Shcoking Facts of human body, this facts never seen on the internet world.

• The average human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells.
• Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles (274 km) per hour.
• The thyroid cartilage is more commonly known as the adams apple.
• The only jointless bone in your body is the hyoid bone in your throat
• It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
• Your stomach needs to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it would digest itself.
• It takes the interaction of 72 different muscles to produce human speech.

• The average life of a taste bud is 10 days.
• The average cough comes out of your mouth at 60 miles (96.5 km) per hour.
• Relative to size, the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
• Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
• When you sneeze, all your bodily functions stop even your heart.
• Babies are born without knee caps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.
• Children grow faster in the springtime.
• It takes the stomach an hour to break down cow milk.
• Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
• Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people do.
• There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long (eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum).
• If you go blind in one eye you only lose about one fifth of your vision but all your sense of depth.
• The average human head weighs about 8 pounds.
• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
• In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.
• An average human scalp has 100,000 hairs.
• The length of the finger dictates how fast the fingernail grows. Therefore, the nail on your middle finger grows the fastest, and on average, your toenails grow twice as slow as your fingernails.
• The average human blinks their eyes 6,205,000 times each year.
• The entire length of all the eyelashes shed by a human in their life is over 98 feet (30 m).
• Your skull is made up of 29 different bones.
• Your ears and nose continue to grow throughout your entire life.
• After you die, your body starts to dry out creating the illusion that your hair and nails are still growing after death.
• Hair is made from the same substance as fingernails.
• The average surface of the human intestine is 656 square feet (200 m).
• A healthy adult can draw in about 200 to 300 cubic inches (3.3 to 4.9 liters) of air at a single breath, but at rest only about 5% of this volume is used.
• The surface of the human skin is 6.5 square feet (2m).
• 15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second.
• The pancreas produces Insulin.
• The most sensitive cluster of nerves is at the base of the spine.
• The human body is comprised of 80% water.
• The average human will shed 40 pounds of skin in a lifetime.
• Every year about 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced.
• The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet (9 m).
• You were born with 300 bones. When you get to be an adult, you have 206.
• Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.
• Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.
• There are 45 miles (72 km) of nerves in the skin of a human being.
• The average human heart will beat 3,000 million times in its lifetime and pump 48 million gallons of blood.
• Each square inch (2.5 cm) of human skin consists of 20 feet (6 m) of blood vessels.
• During a 24-hour period, the average human will breathe 23,040 times.
• Human blood travels 60,000 miles (96,540 km) per day on its journey through the body.

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Getting Great Skin The Natural Way

There are a plethora of creams, oils, notions and potions out there available to help make your skin look healthy, moist and young. All of them have all sorts of ingredients, some that can help your skin and some that can harm. But there are natural ways to help your skin and they tend to cost much less than their chemical laced replacements.

First of all, if you have unhealthy skin, take a look at your diet. Your diet will have a strong effect on the health of your skin. If your skin is in poor shape, your diet is probably just as poor. Change your diet to reflect a healthier way of eating.

If you want a good replacement for your night cream that won’t cost you a fraction as much, take a lime, squeeze it into a bowl and add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin. Let it sit for half an hour after stirring, then apply it to your face, hands and feet before retiring to your bed. This will also help to cure pimples.

Have dry rough skin? Take a shower and exfoliate it, then take the yoke of an egg, mix in a few drops of lime juice and extra virgin olive oil. Spread it on your face and leave it until it feels dry. Wash it off with ordinary water and then splash on cold water.

There are many natural remedies you can use for your skin, you have but to research the subject.

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Blood and Blood Disorders

Human Blood

Your blood is living tissue made up of liquid and solids. The liquid part, called plasma, is made of water, salts and protein. Over half of your blood is plasma. The solid part of your blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Red blood cells deliver oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and organs. White blood cells fight infection and are part of your body's defense system. Platelets help blood to clot. Bone marrow, the spongy material inside your bones, makes new blood cells.

Blood cells constantly die and your body makes new ones. Red blood cells live about 120 days, platelets 6 days and white cells less than a day.

There are many types of blood disorders, including: bleeding disorders, platelet disorders, hemophilia and anemia. If you lose blood, you may need a transfusion.

Blood Basics

Blood is a specialized body fluid. It has four main components: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Blood has many different functions, including:

• transporting oxygen and nutrients to the lungs and tissues
• forming blood clots to prevent excess blood loss
• carrying cells and antibodies that fight infection
• bringing waste products to the kidneys and liver, which filter and clean the blood
• regulating body temperature

Blood

The blood that runs through the veins, arteries, and capillaries is known as whole blood, a mixture of about 55 percent plasma and 45 percent blood cells. About 7 to 8 percent of your total body weight is blood. An average-sized man has about 12 pints of blood in his body, and an average-sized woman has about 9 pints.

The Components of Blood and Their Importance

Many people have undergone blood tests or donated blood, but hematology – the study of blood – encompasses much more than this. Doctors who specialize in hematology (hematologists) are leading the many advances being made in the treatment and prevention of blood diseases. If you or someone you care about is diagnosed with a blood disorder, your primary care physician may refer you to a hematologist for further testing and treatment.

Plasma

The liquid component of blood is called plasma, a mixture of water, sugar, fat, protein, and salts. The main job of the plasma is to transport blood cells throughout your body along with nutrients, waste products, antibodies, clotting proteins, chemical messengers such as hormones, and proteins that help maintain the body's fluid balance.

Red Blood Cells (also called erythrocytes or RBCs)

Known for their bright red color, red cells are the most abundant cell in the blood, accounting for about 40-45 percent of its volume. The shape of a red blood cell is a biconcave disk with a flattened center – in other words, both faces of the disc have shallow bowl-like indentations (a red blood cell looks like a donut).

Production of red blood cells is controlled by erythropoietin, a hormone produced primarily by the kidneys. Red blood cells start as immature cells in the bone marrow and after approximately seven days of maturation are released into the bloodstream. Unlike many other cells, red blood cells have no nucleus and can easily change shape, helping them fit through the various blood vessels in your body. However, while the lack of a nucleus makes a red blood cell more flexible, it also limits the life of the cell as it travels through the smallest blood vessels, damaging the cell’s membranes and depleting its energy supplies. The red blood cell survives on average only 120 days.

Red cells contain a special protein called hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and then returns carbon dioxide from the body to the lungs so it can be exhaled. Blood appears red because of the large number of red blood cells, which get their color from the hemoglobin. The percentage of whole blood volume that is made up of red blood cells is called the hematocrit and is a common measure of red blood cell levels.

White Blood Cells (also called leukocytes)

White blood cells protect the body from infection. They are much fewer in number than red blood cells, accounting for about 1 percent of your blood.

The most common type of white blood cell is the neutrophil, which is the “immediate response” cell and accounts for 55 to 70 percent of the total white blood cell count. Each neutrophil lives less than a day, so your bone marrow must constantly make new neutrophils to maintain protection against infection. Transfusion of neutrophils is generally not effective since they do not remain in the body for very long.

The other major type of white blood cell is a lymphocyte. There are two main populations of these cells. T lymphocytes help regulate the function of other immune cells and directly attack various infected cells and tumors. B lymphocytes make antibodies, which are proteins that specifically target bacteria, viruses, and other foreign materials.

Blood Groups

Platelets (also called thrombocytes)

Unlike red and white blood cells, platelets are not actually cells but rather small fragments of cells. Platelets help the blood clotting process (or coagulation) by gathering at the site of an injury, sticking to the lining of the injured blood vessel, and forming a platform on which blood coagulation can occur. This results in the formation of a fibrin clot, which covers the wound and prevents blood from leaking out. Fibrin also forms the initial scaffolding upon which new tissue forms, thus promoting healing.

A higher than normal number of platelets can cause unnecessary clotting, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks; however, thanks to advances made in antiplatelet therapies, there are treatments available to help prevent these potentially fatal events. Conversely, lower than normal counts can lead to extensive bleeding.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

A complete blood count (CBC) test gives your doctor important information about the types and numbers of cells in your blood, especially the red blood cells and their percentage (hematocrit) or protein content (hemoglobin), white blood cells, and platelets. The results of a CBC may diagnose conditions like anemia, infection, and other disorders. The platelet count and plasma clotting tests (prothombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and thrombin time) may be used to evaluate bleeding and clotting disorders.

Your doctor may also perform a blood smear, which is a way of looking at your blood cells under the microscope. In a normal blood smear, red blood cells will appear as regular, round cells with a pale center. Variations in the size or shape of these cells may suggest a blood disorder.

Where Do Blood Cells Come From?

Blood cells develop from hematopoietic stem cells and are formed in the bone marrow through the highly regulated process of hematopoiesis. Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of transforming into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. These stem cells can be found circulating in the blood and bone marrow in people of all ages, as well as in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. Stem cells from all three sources may be used to treat a variety of diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, bone marrow failure, and various immune disorders.

Blood Pressure

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Beauty Skin starts with Healthy Liver

In essence, liver is the most overworked organ in the body, having to break down all the increasing toxins found in our environment (including our air and water) and our food. Commonly refers as the chemical factory of your body that builds or recycles substances you need for goodhealth and breaks down those you don’t.

If your liver isn’t functioning properly, toxins that would normally be filtered by the liver will then gets accumulated in the body. Most people’s livers today work only at around 3?5-40% of their potential capacity because of the large amount of toxins we ingest. If your liver isn’t functioning properly, toxins that would normally be filtered by the liver will then gets accumulated in the body.

Most people’s livers today work only at around 3?5-40% of their potential capacity because of the large amount of toxins we ingest. If you have health insurance with a company like Aviva or Bupa then it may be worth checking with them to see if you are covered before visiting your doctor to check on your liver. It is not too much hassle and is a good idea because just in case there is a problem, you can get treatment promptly

When liver is functioning properly, the organ can clean up to 99% of bacteria and toxins from the blood. Around 2.25 litres of blood pass through the liver every minute for detoxification, and every day the liver manufactures about 1 litre of bile, which helps carry away toxins via the bowel.

tired outTypical symptoms of a sluggish liver are, feeling constantly tired even though you have slept, nausea (especially after a fatty meal or alcohol), skin disorders such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, muscle and joint pain, age spots on the skin, and regular infections.

Also, most don’t associate being constipated with poor liver function, but blood from the bowel goes first to the liver, via the portal venous system, hence a bowel loaded with rubbish is going to overload the liver too.

Other symptoms of poor liver function can include yellowing whites of the eyes, yellowish alike  skin, fever, nausea, difficulty digesting fatty foods, and an increased sensitivity to cigarette smoke, strong perfume, petrol and other chemicals.

Because the brain is unable to disarm a wide range of toxins, it relies on the liver to clean the blood before it gets there. So, over the long term, an under-performing liver can have dire consequences for the brain and nervous system, including memory loss, Parkinson’s Disease and zheimer’s Disease.

While detoxification is the key function of the liver, it also performs these important functions :-

* produces bile to aid fat digestion ;

* as well as eliminate toxins ;

* manufactures and balances hormones ;

* stores various vitamins and minerals ;

* assembles amino acids ;

* makes cholesterol ;

* controls glucose and fat supplies ;

* plays a key role in immunity.

healthy dietaryYour digestive system is closely involved in the health of your liver, as the blood from your gestive system, where nutrients are absorbed from your food, goes directly to the liver for filtering before it goes anywhere else in the body. If your diet is good and your digestion and absorption are working well, then the nutrients needed for good health will make it to the liver and then on into the body.

However if your digestive system is generally toxic, result from a poor, low nutrient, high-fat diet, constipation, poor gut flora, and so on, these toxins, and any others foods that you ingest, will similarly be delivered directly to your liver which adds to the liver’s workload.

The good news is that the liver is capable of regenerating itself, so with a good diet and lifestyle and the right supplements there’s no reason you can’t maintain liver function at an optimal level at any age.

And if you look after your liver, your skin literally glows with health. Begin with Healthy Lifestyle !

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