Vitamin e

Vitamin E is an important fat-soluble antioxidant compound that aids the body in neutralizing the harmful after-effects of oxidation of fats. This vitamin plays an important role in stopping free-radical production, a key method of preventing the development of chronic diseases and ageing. But we can not only take extra vitamin E supplements, but also use an organic diet to get a large amount this antioxidant lipid. In fact, there are many foods with vitamin E.

1. Almonds. Almonds are one the best vitamin E foods. Just 30 g of almonds give 7.4 milligrams of vitamin E. You can also take it in the form of almond milk and almond oils.

2. Raw Seeds. Raw seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame, are another common food with vitamin E. In fact, eating just ¼ of a cup of sunflower seeds gives you 90.5% of your recommended daily value, making them one of the best vitamin E foods you can eat daily.

3. Hazelnuts. A perfect snack during a long workday, eating just 30 g of hazelnuts can provide you with approximately 20% of our daily requirements of vitamin E.

4. Broccoli. For generations now, broccoli has been considered one of the best detox foods, but it’s also one of the healthiest foods high in Vitamin E. Just one cup of steamed broccoli will provide you with 4% of your daily requirements.

The Spine

The vertebral column (backbone, spine) – extending from the skull to the coccyx – forms the skeleton of the neck and back and the main part of the skeleton (the articulated bones of the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum). Most vertebral columns in adults are 72 to 75 cm long, of which about one-fourth is formed by 4 discs, which separate and bind the vertebrae together. The vertebral column:

• protects the spinal cord and spinal nerves,

• supports the weight of the body,

• provides rigidity, flexibility and stability for the body and the head,

• plays an important role in posture and locomotion – movement from one place to another.

The range of movements of the vertebral column varies according to the region and the individual. Movements of the vertebral column are freer in the cervical and lumber regions. Flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation of the neck are especially free. Movements are extraordinary in some people, such as acrobats who begin to train during early childhood. The mobility of the vertebral column results from the compressibility and elasticity of the intervetebral discs. The following movements of the vertebral column are possible: flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation.

The Vertebral Column

The vertebral column in an adult typically consists of 33 vertebrae of five regions: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumber, 5 sacral, and 4 vertebrae of the coccyx.

Motion occurs between only 24 vertebrae: cranial, thoracic and lumber. The five sacral vertebrae are fused to form the coccyx. The vertebrae gradually become larger to the sacrum, and then they become progressively smaller to the coccyx. The vertebral column is flexible because it consists of many small bones – the vertebrae – that are separated by intervetebral discs. Although the movement between each two vertebrae is small, a column is flexible, rigid and stable.

The back muscles produce movements of the vertebral column. But these movements are not produced only by the back muscles. They are assisted by gravity and the action of the anterolateral abdominal muscles.

Although movements between adjacent vertebrae are relatevely small, especially in the thoracic region, the summation of all the small movements produces a considerable range of movement of the vertebral column as a whole (e.g. when bending to touch the toes).

Movements of the vertebral column are freer in the cervical and lumbar regions than elsewhere.

Muscles and their Structure in the Human Body

The muscular system is the biological system of humans that produces movement. The muscular system is controlled through the nervous system, but some muscles, like cardiac muscle, can be completely autonomous. Muscle is contractile tissue and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Its function is to produce force and cause motion, either locomotion or movement within internal organs. Much of muscle contraction occurs without conscious thought and is necessary for survival, like the contraction of the heart or peristalsis, which pushes food through the digestive system. Voluntary muscle contraction is used to move the body and can be controlled, such as movements of fingers or movements of biceps and triceps.

Muscle is composed of muscle cells (sometimes known as "muscle fibers"). The bundles of muscle cells are grouped together to form muscle. Skeletal muscles, which involve muscles from the skeletal tissue, are arranged in groups. An example is the biceps brachii. It is connected by tendons to processes of the skeleton. In contrast, smooth muscle occurs in almost every organ, from the skin (in which it controls straightening of body hair) to the blood vessels and digestive tract (in which it controls peristalsis).

Types of Body Muscles

There are approximately 640 skeletal muscles in the human body. There are three basic types of muscles in the body (smooth, cardiac, and skeletal). They differ in many regards and can create contraction and relaxation. In skeletal muscle, contraction is stimulated at each cell by nervous impulses, Muscular activity accounts for most of the body's energy consumption. Muscles store energy for their own use in the form of glycogen, which represents about 1% of their mass. Glycogen can be rapidly converted to glucose when more energy is necessary.

Smooth muscle or "involuntary muscle" is found within the walls of organs and structures such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, bronchi, bladder, and blood vessels. Smooth muscle cells contain only one nucleus.

Cardiac muscle is also an "involuntary muscle" but it is striated in structure. Like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle cells contain only one nucleus. Cardiac muscle is found only within the heart.

Skeletal muscle or "voluntary muscle" is fixed by tendons to the bone and is used to produce skeletal movement such as locomotion. Skeletal muscle cells are multinucleated with the nuclei peripherally located. Skeletal muscle is called 'striated' because of the longitudinally striped appearance under light microscopy.

Blood Groups and Transfusion

Blood transfusion is a very common hospital procedure nowadays. But this is more than just taking blood from one person and using it to help another. Although all blood contains the same basic components (red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma), not everyone has the same types of markers on the surface of their red blood cells. These markers (also called antigens) are proteins and sugars that our bodies use to identify the blood cells as the cells of our own system. So, medical experts group blood into four types based on the different markers. The four main blood groups are: blood group A has a marker known as "A", blood group B has a marker known as "B." In blood group AB the blood cells have both A and B markers. Blood group O has neither A or B markers.

Blood cell markers are microscopic. Each unit of blood goes through a dozen tests to check for infectious diseases and establish the blood type. Only after these tests the blood transfusion can be given to the recipient. About 5 million Americans need blood transfusions every year, for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, a transfusion is an emergency (like losing blood after an accident). Sometimes it's expected (as with treatment for cancer).

Lymphatic System and Lymph Organs

The lymphatic system consists of organs, ducts, and nodes. The lymph vessels form a network in the body as the blood network. It transports a watery clear fluid called lymph. This fluid distributes immune cells and other factors throughout the body. It also interacts with the blood circulatory system to drain fluid from cells and tissues.

 Lymph organs are found in every part of the body except the central nervous system. The major parts of the system are the bone marrow, spleen, thymus gland, lymph nodes, and the tonsils. The other organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, intestines, liver, and skin also contain lymphatic tissue. The ducts of the lymphatic system provide transportation for proteins, fats, and other substances in lymph. The lymph is drained from the tissue in microscopic blind-ended vessels called lymph capillaries.

Lymph nodes are filters of lymph. They may become enlarged due to a tumor or infection. The spleen is a filter of blood. 

The lymphatic system contains immune cells called lymphocytes, which protect the body against antigens (viruses, bacteria, etc.) that invade the body and, in such a way, it defends the body against diseases.

Classification of Tissues

Cells are the smallest units of life. In complex organisms, cells group together with one another and function to form tissues. Tissues provide the numerous functions of organs. They maintain biological life. The study of tissues is called histology, and is important to the understanding of how the human body is able to function as a unit.

The human body is composed of four basic types of tissues; epithelium, connective, muscular, and nervous tissues.

These tissues vary in their composition and their function. Epithelium forms the coverings of surfaces of the body. As such, it serves many purposes, including protection, adsorption, excretion, secretion, filtration, and sensory reception. Connective tissue is the most widely distributed tissue type found in the human body. The role of connective tissue is to protect, support, and bind together parts of the body. Muscular tissue is a tissue characterized by the ability to contract upon stimulation; its three varieties are skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. It is an extremely elastic one that can shorten or elongate to produce movement. Nervous tissue receives stimuli and conducts impulses. It is the main component of the nervous system and the brain.