The Endocrine System might just be my favorite body system because it is in charge of communication. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands tell everyone else what to do and when to do it (bossy glands!) But this is just one aspect, one reason why I like it. The other is that it corresponds exactly with the traditional chakra system.
Science first: The Endocrine System is composed of glands that release hormones into the blood, which tell the various organs in our body what to do or stop doing (we got this). Let’s look at the major glands and their jobs: Read More…
Mind: No time to reap the mental benefits of a workout? No problem. According to a study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, just five minutes of exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, on a nature trail, or other green space will benefit mental health. So called “green exercise”, physical activity in the presence of nature, has been proven to decrease the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being. But until now, nobody knew how much time people needed to spend in green spaces to get those and other benefits. The study analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming. All natural environments were beneficial, including parks in urban settings. Green areas with water added something extra, and the researchers noted that a blue and green environment seems to be even better for health. Read More…
You have it, it’s a part of you, and it has your back like no one else: Your immune system. It protects you from things that bug you (like a cold), things that want to mess with you (like the sting of a bee) and things that could kill you (like cancer). Or, at least, it tries to. But, how well do you know your immune system?
Let’s find out. Read More…
Exercise: Poor air quality apparently affects the running times of women marathoners, according to a study. Higher levels of particles in the air were associated with slower running times for women, while men were not significantly affected. The differences, according to researcher Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech, may be due to the smaller size of women’s tracheas, which makes it easier for certain particles to deposit there and possibly cause irritation. “Although pollution levels in these marathons rarely exceeded national standards for air quality, performance was still affected,” Marr said. Her studies were conducted where major USA marathons are located, such as New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, where pollution tends to be highest. Although the regular person might not be significantly impacted by low-yet-still-acceptable air quality, marathoners typically inhale and exhale about the same amount of air as a sedentary person would over the course of two full days. This means they are exposed to much greater amounts of pollutants than under typical breathing conditions. Interestingly, the performances of female marathoners appeared to only be affected by particulate matter, and not other pollutants like carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide. The research was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise. Read More…
“Laughing Zebra” by August Jennewein
Emotions: Laughter is a universal language, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, conducted with people from Britain and Namibia, suggests that basic emotions like fear, anger, sadness and amusement are shared by all human beings. Conventional wisdom dictates that, while we all communicate, people from different cultures may not understand the same words, phrases or body language. In spite of this, the researchers discovered that emotions like laughter and anger are easily recognizable despite cultural differences, suggesting that these emotions and their vocalizations are similar across all cultures. Laughter was probably the best recognized among the positive emotions, which should not come as a surprise, as researchers have seen this with other primates such as chimpanzees, and other mammals, too. While previous studies have indicated that smiling is also universal, laughter is special because it symbolizes playfulness, probably one of the first steps in communication between children and their mothers. Read More…
