Good Morning Everyone
How are you all doing?
This Blessed Morning, I want to discuss with us some parts of our body system and how exactly are they functioning
Dr. Ifeoluwaseun is here this Morning, let us look at our heart and how it works.
HEART
Everyone knows that the heart is one of the most vital organs of the human body and is located on the middle-left side of your chest. The heart important function is to pump blood through the circulatory system, thus providing the oxygen-rich blood required for staying alive.
How does your heart work?
The Human Heart is made up of four different chambers.
The Upper chambers are called the left, and right atrium. And the bottom chambers are known as the left and right ventricles.
It all starts in the upper right atrium where the deoxygenated blood enters the heart. From there, the blood goes through the tricuspid valve to the second chamber called the right ventricle which pumps the blood to the left direction through the pulmonary valve, and then through the pulmonary artery directly into the lungs. That’s where the blood mixes with the oxygen. Then the oxygenated blood travels back through the pulmonary vein into the left atrium. And finally, into the Mitral valve into the fourth chamber called the left ventricle and then pumped out to the rest of your body. That’s quite a long journey.
Your Heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood every day
Also, your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day, and approximately 35 million times a year.
During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.
Now, let's go to the Brain
BRAIN
The reason we can do all these awesome things in our lives is due to an essential organ in our body called the brain.
Your brain is basically the boss of your body as it controls everything you do. Things like learning, thinking feeling, dancing and even breathing. And your heart rate is due to your brain. You can pull pranks on your siblings and friends and you won’t believe, but not even supercomputers can match its powerful ability to download, understand, and react to the volume of information coming to you through your senses
How does the brain manage all these?
Different parts of your brain control different functions, so let us start with the largest part called The Cerebrum (the part that faces the 12-noon sun) that takes up to 85% of your brain. It’s actually the thinking part of your brain and controls your muscles. It’s due to the Cerebrum you can walk, dance, play games, and most importantly, learn about various subjects on this Group as well.
Next comes a relatively small portion, but an essential part of your brain called, “The Cerebellum” (located close to the back of your neck) which helps you to maintain your balance and regulates motor movements (for example, if a bike man is riding his bike). That means without the Cerebellum, you will be falling all over the place.
Now comes a small but a mighty force to be reckoned with, “The Brain Stem” (close to the spinal cord that connect the skull) that is connected to the spinal cord. It controls those areas of your body that you don’t need to work on, like breathing, maintaining your heart rate, digesting food, etc. without us even knowing about it.
Then comes a little almond-shaped area of your brain called, The Amygdala (close to the Brain Stem but under the Cerebrum). It is responsible for emotions, survival instincts, and helps to store memories of events.
A small part with big responsibilities.
Did you know that?
Your brain generates about 12 – 25 watts of electricity, which is enough to power a low-wattage LED light.
Also, scientists have recently discovered that for a period of time, after you’ve exercised, your body produces a chemical that makes your brain more willing to learn. So, if you’re stuck on some difficult homework, go out and run, play or exercise around for a while, then tackle the problem again. You might discover that you’re much more able to solve it!
SKIN
We all have skin and it serves multiple purposes like, it is an essential barrier or our first line of protection against the outside environment. It is a crucial part of one of our five senses, (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hand) absorbs sunlight for Vitamin D and heat and controls our internal temperature and permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold.
How does it work?
Well, your skin is made up of three layers
1. The Epidermis,
2. Dermis
3. Hypodermis
Let’s start with the first layer known as, The Epidermis. The Epidermis is the outer layer of skin, is made up mainly of skin cells. The cells on the very outer layer of the epidermis are constantly dying and getting replaced by new cells every four weeks. As the new cells are formed, the older ones are pushed up. Once they reach the surface area, they provide a waterproof barrier from the invading microbes and other external forces.
The Epidermis also contains Melanin that sets the tone of your skin. More the melanin, the darker the skin. Melanin also helps to protect from harmful sun rays but it has its limits, and that’s why we need some sunscreen.
Now to the second layer known as, “The Dermis.” The Dermis contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles, sweat glands, and nerve endings through which the skin send the messages to the brain about all the things you touch. Then the brain and the nervous system decides how to respond towards it. For example, if you touch something too hot, your nervous system will tell your brain to move away from it.
The Dermis also contains the sweat glands where the sweat is generated and poured out all the way through the Epidermis, where the sweat comes out of the hole called Pores that helps to regulate your body’s temperature.
And the last part of your skin layer is called “The Hypodermis” also known as Subcutaneous tissue and is made of fat and connective tissue. The Hypodermis’s primary function is to store fat. The body needs some level of fat to cushion and protect your bones and organs. Also, it helps us to keep our body nice and warm.
Did you know that?
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It occupies nearly 1.73 square meters or more than 18.5 square feet to cover up our flesh and bones, and makes up about 16% of our body weight.
It feels so good to attend the nature’s call. It’s always important not to hold your pee for a longer period as it might cause certain complications. But first, it’s essential to know how your urinary system works
The Urinary system comes into play for the disposal of liquid waste. Our bodies keep generating a lot of hazardous and unwanted liquid waste. These are toxic waste products will circulate in our blood until disposed off and as excess water can be waste too, our body gets rid of some of it through the urinary system.
How does it work?
The urinary system starts here in our kidneys. These organs are located in the upper abdominal area against the back muscles on both the left and right side of the body that acts like filter devices for our body. When the blood passes through the kidneys, it gets cleaned and separates the waste compound. These waste combines with excess water makes urine to which we generally call Pee. After that, the urine is pumped down through a couple of tubes called, “The Ureters” leading to “The Bladder,” a pouch-like an organ that holds the pee until the body is ready to get rid of it, and you feel like going to the toilet. And finally, the bladder contracts and pushes pee into another tube we call “The Urethra” which carries the pee out of the body.
Did you know that?
You make a habit of holding in your pee for ages, you’re subjecting yourself to severe long-term effects, including a high risk of infection.
Constantly holding in your pee can weaken our bladder muscles, which could lead to urinary retention, a dreaded condition that prevents you from being able to fully empty your bladder when you pee, and makes you feel like peeing a lot.
So, in the interest of long-term health, it’s not a good habit to hold your pee for too long. But fortunately, for the short term, your brain and body have got you covered.
Let us discuss about Skin
SKIN
We all have skin and it serves multiple purposes like, it is an essential barrier or our first line of protection against the outside environment. It is a crucial part of one of our five senses, (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hand) absorbs sunlight for Vitamin D and heat and controls our internal temperature and permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold.
How does it work?
Well, your skin is made up of three layers
1. The Epidermis,
2. Dermis
3. Hypodermis
Let’s start with the first layer known as, The Epidermis. The Epidermis is the outer layer of skin, is made up mainly of skin cells. The cells on the very outer layer of the epidermis are constantly dying and getting replaced by new cells every four weeks. As the new cells are formed, the older ones are pushed up. Once they reach the surface area, they provide a waterproof barrier from the invading microbes and other external forces.
The Epidermis also contains Melanin that sets the tone of your skin. More the melanin, the darker the skin. Melanin also helps to protect from harmful sun rays but it has its limits, and that’s why we need some sunscreen.
Now to the second layer known as, “The Dermis.” The Dermis contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles, sweat glands, and nerve endings through which the skin send the messages to the brain about all the things you touch. Then the brain and the nervous system decides how to respond towards it. For example, if you touch something too hot, your nervous system will tell your brain to move away from it.
The Dermis also contains the sweat glands where the sweat is generated and poured out all the way through the Epidermis, where the sweat comes out of the hole called Pores that helps to regulate your body’s temperature
And the last part of your skin layer is called “The Hypodermis” also known as Subcutaneous tissue and is made of fat and connective tissue. The Hypodermis’s primary function is to store fat. The body needs some level of fat to cushion and protect your bones and organs. Also, it helps us to keep our body nice and warm.
Did you know that?
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It occupies nearly 1.73 square meters or more than 18.5 square feet to cover up our flesh and bones, and makes up about 16 percent of our body weight.
How does urine form in our body?
URINE
It feels so good to attend the nature’s call. It’s always important not to hold your pee for a longer period as it might cause certain complications. But first, it’s essential to know how your urinary system works
The Urinary system comes into play for the disposal of liquid waste. Our bodies keep generating a lot of hazardous and unwanted liquid waste. These are toxic waste products will circulate in our blood until disposed off and as excess water can be waste too, our body gets rid of some of it through the urinary system.
How does it work?
The urinary system starts here in our kidneys. These organs are located in the upper abdominal area against the back muscles on both the left and right side of the body that acts like filter devices for our body. When the blood passes through the kidneys, it gets cleaned and separates the waste compound. These waste combines with excess water makes urine to which we generally call Pee. After that, the urine is pumped down through a couple of tubes called, “The Ureters” leading to “The Bladder,” a pouch-like an organ that holds the pee until the body is ready to get rid of it, and you feel like going to the toilet. And finally, the bladder contracts and pushes pee into another tube we call “The Urethra” which carries the pee out of the body.
Did you know that?
You make a habit of holding in your pee for ages, you’re subjecting yourself to severe long-term effects, including a high risk of infection.
Constantly holding in your pee can weaken our bladder muscles, which could lead to urinary retention, a dreaded condition that prevents you from being able to fully empty your bladder when you pee, and makes you feel like peeing a lot. So, in the interest of long-term health, it’s not a good habit to hold your pee for too long. But fortunately, for the short term, your brain and body have got you covered.
HAIR
Why do we have hair not only on our heads but also all over our body?
How does your hair grow?
There are two main reasons why we have hair on our heads.
Firstly, hair helps to keep your head warm.
And second, it helps to cushion your skull a bit in case you bump your head while playing.
But what about other visible hair? What are they there for?
Depending on where it is, hair has different responsibilities like the Eye Lashes protect your eyes by limiting the amount of light and dust that go into them. And eyebrows, protect your eyes from sweat dropping down from your forehead. But some people will still shave this eyebrow away and replace it with eye led or tattoo. I wonder how this will prevent the running down water from the head from entering the eyes?
How does hair grow?
Well, no matter on what part of your body hair is, it all starts under your skin that has tube-like tiny holes called, “Hair Follicles.” And at the bottom of each follicle is the “Hair Bulb” that contains active hair growing cells made up of a protein. Small blood vessels in the skin give the root nutrients to help with cell growth allowing the hair to grow, and as the hair begins to grow, it pushes up from the root and out of the follicle and eventually breaks through the surface of the skin. And finally, you can see the hair. The visible part of the hair is known as “Shaft.” And once the hair is at the skin’s surface, the cells within the strand of hair aren’t alive anymore and contains dead cells. That’s why it doesn’t hurt when you get a haircut. If the hair cells were still alive, a haircut would be very unpleasant.
Did you know that?
You have more than 100,000 hairs on top of your head but you lose some every day. And you lose nearly 50 to 100 strands of hairs every day while you’re washing your hair, combing it, or even when you do nothing. But don’t worry, your body has covered it for you as new hairs regularly replace those that have fallen out. In its journey, each hair grows around 2 to 6 years and rests for a few months, before it finally falls out just to be replaced by a new hair growing from the same hair follicle. This circle of hair helps to maintain just the right number of hairs on your head or these results would have been hilarious.
Let us look at other parts of the body
NOSE
As we all know that your nose lets you smell, breathe and is the main gate for the respiratory system. And it all starts with “The Nostrils” which is the entrance point of your nose separated by a wiggly wall in the middle called “The Septum” made of a very thin piece of skin and bone known as the cartilage.
Right behind your nose is a space called the nasal cavity that connects with the back of the throat. As you inhale the air through your nostrils, it enters the nasal passages, and travels into your nasal cavity. Then the air moves downwards through the Trachea generally known as the windpipe all the way to the lungs. Then the whole process occurs in reverse order as you exhale the air out. But your nose is not limited to acting as a passageway for air, it also warms, moistens and filters the air before it goes to the lungs with the help of a moist, thin layer of tissue called a mucous membrane which makes mucus, that sticky stuff in your nose commonly known as snot. The snot works with your hair and trap unwanted small particles, like dust and germs that could be harmful to your lungs. When this captured dirt dries up along with mucus, you get boogers. So, we need to appreciate these boogers as they are formed in the process of protecting your lungs. But sometimes, your nose traps something you wanted to get rid of (e.g. flies). And you know what happens next? You sneeze! I know you must be wondering, but where is the smelling part. Well, the reason you can smell different things around you is because of the “Olfactory Epithelium”. The olfactory epithelium contains special receptors that notice the smell and sends the signals along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb. And finally, those signals go to the other parts of the brain to be interpreted as a smell you may recognize, like food, fruits, flowers or smelly socks.
Did you know that?
Anosmia is the inability to perceive odor, or a lack of functioning olfaction, the loss of the sense of smell. Anosmia may be temporary, but some forms such as from an accident can be permanent. Anosmia can happen due to many factors, including inflammation of the nasal mucosa, blockage of nasal passages or destruction of one temporal lobe.
Let's check our nails too
NAILS
We hardly notice about our nails unless it causes some trouble or you want to paint them or your spouse asks you to cut it short. But do you know that your nails have a vital job to do? So, today, let us learn about this nail-biting topic and explore the hard surface of essential tools attached to your fingers called, “Nails.”
A nail is a horn-like envelope that not only protects the tip of your fingers and toes from injuries, but it also makes it easier to scratch an itch. But mostly, just by observing the condition of your nails, doctors can get clues about your health condition. But whatever people do with their nails, they are made of the same material called, “Keratin.” Keratin is the same protein that makes up hair and the outer layer of the skin.
How do the nails grow?
Nails start growing behind your U-shaped cuticle in the root area of the nail called, “The Matrix.” The Matrix is loaded with specialized cells that keep diving and creating nail cells. These nail cells grow and produce the protein called, “Keratin.” Then, these protein-filled new cells force the old ones to get packed together pushed up through the skin as the new cells continue to form behind them. Eventually, once they come out, they lose the ability to multiply and die to form the visible part of your nail known as, “the nail plate” that lies on the nail bed, the part underneath your nails.
Did you know that?
The small, whitish, half-moon shape that you see sometimes see at the bottom of your nails is called, “Lunula.” It gets its name from the Latin word for Moon Luna. Also, it’s necessary to trim your nails on a regular basis because when you play in the mud or scratch your skin, little dust and dirt particles get under the nail and skin. This dirt may mix with your food if you fail to clean your hands thoroughly and can cause diseases.
EAR
The ability to accurately identify sound is possible due to the auditory system that is comprised of your ears and the brain. The ear’s job is to convert the sound energy into a new neutral signal which later is received by your brain through three parts of the ear; the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.
How does it work?
Well, it all starts with the sound waves falling on the outer part of your ear known as the PINNA that acts as a funnel and sends the sound into the EAR CANAL, another part of your outer ear. And heads towards the middle part of your ear hitting the EAR DRUM, a very delicate piece of tightly stretched skin, making it vibrate like the head of an actual drum. This vibrating eardrum shakes a tiny chain of three bones called the OSSICLE that starts with the HAMMER and passes through the ANVIL and moves the third bone known as STAPES / STIRRUP. But it’s not over yet. Once the sound passes the middle ear through the OSSICLE, it travels into the COCHLEA, a small circular tube filled with liquid situated in the inner ear. The vibration caused by the OSSICLES create waves in the COCHLEA fluid, converting the sound vibration into liquid vibration. The COCHLEA is consisting of many hairs and when the fluid in COCHLEA moves, it moves these tiny hairs, creating nerve signals that get sent through the auditory nerve into the brain. The Brain process these signals as sounds, and so YOU HEAR!
Did you know that?
Cochlea means “snail” in Latin. The Cochlea gets its name from its unique coiled up shape that looks like a snail’s shell. Also, not all living creatures hear with ears. Snakes use jawbones, fish respond to pressure changes, and male mosquitoes use antennae.
Let start from our teeth
TEETH (A Bony enamel coated structures)
As we all know, your teeth help you chew your food while eating, assist you while talking and makes you look better when you flash a smile for those selfies. But there is a lot about this essential tool we call the teeth you probably don’t know. So first, let us know about the types, parts, the ins, and outs of teeth. Although you’re born with 20 baby teeth. They aren’t visible until they start to come through the gums when you are about 6 to 12 months old. And by the time you are 2 to 3 years of age, all the teeth will usually appear. This process called teething and the new set of teeth are called the primary teeth, baby teeth, or milk teeth. And as you get older around five to six years of age, these primary teeth begin to fall one after the other. This happens because it is being pushed out of the way by the permanent tooth that is behind it and gradually replaces the primary teeth. By the time you are around 12 or 13, most of you have lost all your baby teeth and have a full set of permanent teeth. But its not over yet, between the age of 17 and 25, most of you will have four teeth called, “Wisdom Teeth” that grow at the back of your mouth to complete the adult set of 32 shiny white teeth. These thirty-two set are divided into four different types.
Let’s start with the Incisors
These are your eight front teeth, with four on the top and four at the bottom. They help you to cut your food into small pieces making it easier to swallow.
Next comes the Canine
These are the sharp, pointy teeth next to your Incisors. There are two on the bottom and two on the top. They help you tear food, especially chewy foods like meat.
Then comes Premolars also called Bicuspids
Located next to your canine teeth. They are somewhat flat with ridges on top, they are four on each side and helps you to crush and grind the food you eat as they are stronger than your incisors and canines. But not the strongest because that little Molars located in the back of your mouth, and there are four on both the top and the bottom.
Finally, comes the fifth type of tooth that is somewhat rare in most people is the “Third Molar,” also known as a “Wisdom Tooth.” Wisdom Teeth sometimes must be removed because they can crowd and damage other teeth, causing pain,
Did you know that?
Experts believe that Wisdom Teeth may have been needed by people millions of years ago who had larger jaws and ate food that required a lot of chewing like raw meat.
Also, Right handed people chew food on the right side of their mouths, and Left-handed people chew food on the left side. If not, then do observe your friends and family’s eating pattern, but do not go too close to their mouth or else, it will be awkward for them.
Now, let's go to tongue
TONGUE
As we all know, your tongue is a muscular organ that helps you to perceive the taste and texture of food, assist you to create speech while talking and is vital for jump-starting the digestive process when you eat.
Tongues amazing flexibility and movability enable you to speak. Without it, it will be tough to pronounce words. For instance, just try to say “Delivery Dogg” without using your tongue. Go ahead and try it! There you go. I am sure you must be having a difficult time saying it. That’s because tongue is essential for articulating the consonants “t,” “d,” “l” or the rolling “r.” When pronouncing the letter “k” and “g” the tongue is slightly narrowed at the back. And when we say “s” the tip of the tongue moves backward. Also, the tongue being extremely movable helps us to eat. It enables us to turns solid food into a mash with the support of your teeth. And while the teeth grind the food, it gets mixed with saliva also known as “Spit.” This mixture of food and saliva then get pushed by your tongue to the back of the throat where it goes down through your ESOPHAGUS and into your stomach.
Feature of your tongue i.e. tasting. Most people mistake the rough, bumpy structure on the surface of the tongue as taste buds, but these are PAPILLAE. And it’s actually papillae that contain the taste buds that help you to taste everything, and you can detect the variety of flavours like sweet, bitter, sour and salty. But it won’t be possible to enjoy these flavours without the amazing smelling powers of the nose as taste and smell are interdependent. So, do not forget to learn about the incredible nose as earlier discussed.
Did you know that?
There are between 3,000 and 10,000 taste buds on the human tongue. The taste receptors on our tongue can’t really taste our food until the saliva in our mouth has moistened it. Also, some animals like frogs, chameleons and anteaters have tongues that are designed to help them catch their prey. Their tongue is usually extra-large and extends out of their mouth to grab insects but the largest among all animals is that of the blue whale. Their tongue weighs an average of 2.7 metric tons.
MUSCLES
Muscles you have over six hundred of them. They come in all shapes and sizes to bind you, hold you together and help you to move and lift heavy backpacks. You control some of your muscles, while others do their jobs without you thinking about them at all. But one thing is sure, and that is, they need your regular attention because the way you treat them will determine their condition if they will grow or shrink with time.
How do they grow?
Imagine you’re about to lift a box of yummy cookies, your brain and muscles are aligned to help you to do the task at hand. First, your brain will send signals to the motor neurons in your body. When they receive the message, they cause the muscles to contract and relax, which pull on the bones in your body resulting in needed movement. But what if this box is filled with stones? At this point, your arm muscles will find it hard to generate enough tension to lift and exposing it to stress, causing little damage which in this case is a good thing. These damaged cells the release inflammatory molecules called, “Cytokines” that activate the immune system to repair the injury. This is where your muscles building process happens. The more the damage to the muscle tissues, the more your body needs to fix itself, eventually making your muscle bigger and stronger. But your muscles depend on more than just exercising or playing to grow. Without proper nutrition and rest it will be hard for your body to repair the damaged muscle fibers. So, play, eat, sleep and repeat. That’s the mantra for a healthy body.
Did you know that?
There are three different types of muscles in your body; smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles, which means you can control what they do. Whereas smooth and cardiac muscles are involuntary muscles. That means they move on their own without thinking about them.
That's all for today
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