‘Health’ Archives
Processed Meat
Processed Meat Processed meat is meat that has been modified by chemical treatment and extensive manipulation. This category includes BACON, PASTRAMI, SALAMI, LIVERWURST, HAM, HOT DOGS, hot SAUSAGES, LUNCHEON MEATS, cold cuts, BOLOGNA, and Polish sausage. Sausages and processed meats are some of the fattest foods available. Salami, bologna, and [...]
Natural Sweeteners
Natural Sweeteners Naturally occurring CARBOHYDRATES or compounds related to SUGARS that are used as sweeteners. Carbohydrate sweeteners contribute four CALORIES per gram (less than half as much as fat). The most common are the simple sugars or materials that are primarily sugars: FRUCTOSE and high fructose corn syrup; GLUCOSE (known in the [...]
Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter A chemical required to transmit nerve impulses between nerve cells. Unlike an electrical network, nerves are not continuous; the end of a nerve cell does not touch its target. Instead, individual nerve cells are separated by a microscopic gap called a synapse. In response to a nerve impulse traveling down the nerve cell, the [...]
Histology
Histology Histology, simply defined, is the study of tissues. The term comes from the Greek words ‘‘histos,’’ meaning web (or tissue), and ‘‘logos,’’ meaning study; and the word histology first appeared in 1819. Without the microscope, there would be no modern field of histology; however Marie Francois Bichat, an anatomist and [...]
Electroencephalogram
Electroencephalogram (EEG) An electroencephalogram (EEG) is the graphic measurement and analysis of electrical activity in the brain. The technique allows diagnostic information about brain activity to be determined noninvasively; that is, without recourse to surgery. Electrical activity in the body was studied from as early as the 1780s as [...]
Foods Additives and Substitutes
Foods Additives and Substitutes Advances in food and agricultural technology have improved food safety and availability. Food technology includes techniques to preserve food and develop new products. Substances to preserve and enhance the appeal of foods are called food additives, and colorings fit into this category of additives that are [...]
Psychiatry
Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty for diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. During the twentieth century, psychiatry adapted and abandoned several technologies in the treatment of mental illness with the notable exception of electroconvulsive therapy, which from its invention in 1938 has remained an [...]
Macrobiotic Diet
Macrobiotic Diet A DIET emphasizing plant foods and complex carbohydrates (STARCH and FIBER). The macrobiotic diet was introduced by George Ohsawa in the 1960s in California and it continues to be popular. The macrobiotic diet encompasses more than foods; the belief that DIGESTION and assimilation are aided by eating slowly in a peaceful, [...]
Hypervitaminosis
Hypervitaminosis Toxicity due to an excessive intake of VITAMINS, especially overdosing with fatsoluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are not readily excreted and thus accumulate in fatty tissue. In contrast, the water-soluble vitamins are excreted by the kidney and, with the exception of VITAMIN B12, are not stored. Chronic high levels of [...]
Performance-enhancing Drugs
Performance-enhancing Drugs Substances ingested or injected to improve strength or endurance, typically among competitive athletes. Among the most commonly used performance-enhancing drugs are anabolic steroids, stimulants, enzymes such as erythropoeitin (EPO), and pain relievers and antiinflammatory drugs. Performance-enhancing drugs are [...]
