VALO'S ARCHIVE

Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff, MD , Internal Medicine, answered The immune system is only moderately effective in fighting cancer. That's because cancer cells are essentially modified "self" cells. That means the immune system usually doesn't recognize them as harmful. The immune response is triggered only in certain types of cancer -- when cancer cells become so highly abnormal that they are recognizable as "nonself" cells. Sometimes these abnormalities involve changes in proteins made in the cancer cell. When these proteins appear on the cell surface via the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule, the immune system recognizes them as antigens and responds accordingly. But even then, the immune system must race to keep up with the rapidly dividing cancer cells. One reason cancer cells are difficult to recognize is that they "hide" by removing from their surface the chemical ID that says something is wrong. Even in that case, natural kill...

Chantal A. Vella, M.S and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. Introduction Maintaining ample hydration can be challenging for participants in outdoor and indoor aquatic exercise classes. Sustaining hydration is essential for normal bodily functions and for peak exercise performance. Many of your students do not associate aquatic exercise with any potential risk of dehydration, however, this is a fundamental issue in aquatic exercise. This article will overview, discuss and explain some of the key physiological concepts of body temperature regulation and hydration for aquatic exercise professionals. In addition, specific recommendations for optimal hydration during exercise and aquatic exercise are provided. How does the body regulate body temperature?  The human body regulates temperature by keeping a tight balance between heat gain and heat loss. Your temperature regulation system is more analogous to the operation of a home furnace, as opposed to the function of an air conditioner. Humans...

Though some like it hot, inducing heavy sweating is not an effective method of ridding your body of toxins — though it's very good at ridding your body of vital fluids, potentially leading to dehydration. Sweating releases traces of toxins (less than one percent of the body's total content), but in reality, its sole purpose is to prevent overheating . The liver and kidneys (not the sweat glands) are the body's true detoxifiers. They filter toxins out of the blood and the body releases them through urine and feces. When someone is dehydrated, these filtration mechanisms go haywire because of a reduction in the plasma level in the blood causing side effects like you experienced post-workout. During physical activity, the body naturally "thermoregulates" (cools itself down) in a variety of ways: radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation (sweating). If the environmental temperature exceeds skin temperature like in hot yoga where the room is often heated...

Exhaled Pounds: How Fat Leaves the Body When you lose weight, where does it go? Turns out, most of it is exhaled. In a new study, scientists explain the fate of fat in a human body, and through precise calculations, debunk some common misconceptions. Fat doesn't simply "turn into" energy or heat, and it doesn't break into smaller parts and get excreted, the researchers say. In reality, the body stores the excess protein or carbs in a person's diet in form of fat, specifically, as triglyceride molecules, which consist of just three kinds of atoms: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. For people to lose weight, their triglycerides must break up into building blocks, which happens in a process known as oxidation. When a triglyceride is oxidized (or "burned up"), the process consumes many molecules of oxygen while producing carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as waste products. [8 Strange Things Scientists Taste and Eat] So, for example, to burn 10 kilog...

Want some pep in your step? Perhaps a dash of good cheer? (Who doesn’t, right?). Look no further than the grocery store’s shelves. Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are not only super healthy, but can also increase happiness, lessen symptoms of depression, and quell anxiety  . How can foods improve our moods ? It all comes down to the brain. A healthy cognitive system is essential to regulating mood, and certain nutrients have a profound impact on maintaining normal brain function . To date, researchers have studied the association between foods and the brain and identified nine nutrients that can combat depression and boost our mood: calcium, chromium, folate, iron, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and zinc  . Try one of these foods for a mid-day pick-me-up, to promote long-term happiness, or to ward off the nagging worry that you forgot to lock the front door (You did remember, right?). A bit ab...

A wound is a break or opening in the skin. Your skin protects your body from germs. When the skin is broken, even during surgery, germs can enter and cause infection. Wounds often occur because of an accident or injury. Types of wounds include: Cuts Scrapes Puncture wounds Burns Pressure sores A wound may be smooth or jagged. It may be near the surface of the skin or deeper. Deep wounds can affect: Tendons Muscles Ligaments Nerves Blood vessels Bones Minor wounds often heal easily, but all wounds need care to prevent infection. Stages of Wound Healing Wounds heal in stages. The smaller the wound, the quicker it will heal. The larger or deeper the wound, the longer it takes to heal. When you get a cut, scrape, or puncture, the wound will bleed. The blood will start to clot within a few minutes or less and stop the bleeding. The blood clots dry and form a scab, which protects the tissue underneath from germs. Not all wounds bleed . For example, burns, s...

What are bleeding disorders? In people with bleeding disorders, the clotting process doesn’t work properly. As a result, people with bleeding disorders can bleed for longer than normal, and some may experience spontaneous bleeding into joints, muscles, or other parts of their bodies. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that affects approximately 1 in 10,000 people. People with hemophilia do not have enough clotting factor VIII or IX in their blood. As a result, they can bleed for longer than normal. The most common bleeding disorder is von Willebrand disease ( VWD ). It is generally less severe than other bleeding disorders. Many people with VWD may not know that they have the disorder because their bleeding symptoms are very mild.  Rare clotting factor deficiencies are disorders in which one of several clotting factors is missing or not working properly. Less is known about these disorders because they are diagnosed so rarely. In fact, many have only been discove...