Heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is most often a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances, which form a plaque in the arteries that feed the heart (coronary arteries). The plaque eventually breaks away and forms a clot. The interrupted […]
The Human Body
What Causes a Stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. A stroke is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications. The […]
What is Atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. As you get older, fats, cholesterol, and calcium can collect in your arteries and form plaque. The buildup […]
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all the cells in your body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. There are two main types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) […]
How do Muscles work?
There are 639 muscles in the human body, each comprising around ten million muscle cells. Each of these cells is like a motor containing ten cylinders arranged in a row. The cylinders are tiny boxes that contain fluid and when a muscle contracts, the brain sends a message to these […]
How do people age?
Biological Ageing (senescence) is a result of the gradual failure of the body’s cells and organs to replace and repair themselves. This is because there is a limit to the number of times that each cell can divide. As the body’s cells begin to near this limit, the rate at […]
How do the kidneys work?
The kidneys work by effectively removing the majority of waste products from our blood and are vital to our health. We each have two kidneys, which lie on the back wall of the abdomen. From the inner side of each kidney a tube called the ureter runs down the abdominal […]