Credit: iStock/viafilms Firefighters operate in a world of extremes, where physical endurance and split-second decision-making can mean the difference between life and death. While discussions about firefighter health often focus on physical fitness and training, one critical factor deserves more attention: nutrition timing—specifically, how fasting affects performance and safety. The cardiovascular demands of firefighting are … Continue reading Fasting and Firefighting: Unlocking the Power of Meal Timing
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Can Laughing Gas Help With Depression?
Credit: iStock/Stock Rojo Verde y Azul When most of us think of nitrous oxide—or “laughing gas,” as it’s commonly called—we think about going to the dentist for a filling. The anesthetic gas can make you feel relaxed or giddy (hence the term “laughing gas”) for just a few minutes before the feeling is gone. But … Continue reading Can Laughing Gas Help With Depression?
The Epigenetic Code: What Controls Our Genes Without Changing Them?
Credit: iStock/selvanegra Epigenetic modifications are changes in our genetic material that do not change our DNA sequence. They are heritable—they can pass from parent to child—but are reversible. Therefore, epigenetics is also referred to as gene control without gene mutation. If we compare DNA to the hardware of a computer, then epigenetics can be compared … Continue reading The Epigenetic Code: What Controls Our Genes Without Changing Them?
What You Need to Know About Animal Research
Credit: iStock Using animals in scientific research is often seen as a controversial topic with many opinions and voices on both sides of the issue. Rats are a crucial part of my research—I’m studying the effects alcohol has on brain function and behavior. Working with research animals for over nine years has given me a … Continue reading What You Need to Know About Animal Research
How Does the Heart Adapt during Pregnancy?
Credit: iStock/Onfokus When someone is pregnant, the body goes through many changes, and these can vary from person to person. Common experiences include morning sickness, swelling in the legs and feet, a faster heartbeat and increased fatigue. These changes are mainly due to the hormonal shifts and changes in the heart and blood vessels during … Continue reading How Does the Heart Adapt during Pregnancy?
May The Best Immune System Breathe!
Credit: iStock Our immune system’s job is to protect our body and work as a self-defense tool against viruses and other harmful substances. Our immune system works as a cohesive unit spread across our body in different organs, cells and even the blood. Without it, our bodies would be more prone to infection and we … Continue reading May The Best Immune System Breathe!
New Thoughts on Why You Can’t Sleep
Credit: iStock This month, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Physiological Society journal Physiological Reviews, we are highlighting recent research published in the journal. Interested in reading more in celebration of Physiological Reviews’ birthday? Read our spotlight on migraine, about bariatric surgery’s effect on hunger and about targeting the immune system to treat cancer. It’s the … Continue reading New Thoughts on Why You Can’t Sleep
Season’s Greetings from I Spy Physiology!
Credit: iStock I Spy Physiology is taking a short break for the holidays. We’ll be back in 2020 with more physiology news, facts and features. While we’re gone, check out these winter-themed posts: Is (Winter) Happiness in the Eye of the Beholder? Bring on Winter! (But Stay Safe and Healthy) And don’t forget to catch … Continue reading Season’s Greetings from I Spy Physiology!
Spotlight On: The Skeletal System
If you’ve ever seen a house being built, you’ll recognize the wooden framework as the beginning of the structure. Just as this framework provides the structure for the insulation, walls and roof of a house, our bones are also a strong framework. Bones provide a firm support system that protects our internal organs and give … Continue reading Spotlight On: The Skeletal System
Running on Empty: No Oxygen Needed!
Take a deep breath in. Now breathe out. Each time we breathe, oxygen enters the bloodstream to keep our organs alive and working. When oxygen can’t get to our body’s tissues, they begin to fail. This is true of all organs, but most of all the brain. In conditions like stroke and cardiac arrest—when the … Continue reading Running on Empty: No Oxygen Needed!