Although your spleen is a vital part of your immune system, sometimes doctors must remove it. Most often, this occurs when the spleen ruptures after an abdominal injury, but it's also necessary as a treatment for certain cancers, blood disorders or infections.

Growing up, you’re always told, “Eat your fruits and vegetables and drink water!" While everyone knows these things are good for you, following that advice is not always easy. Eating mostly fruits and vegetables and drinking water provides you with vitamins, minerals and fiber, but doesn't always lead to weight loss.

When MMA -- or mixed martial arts -- fighters go to combat, the amount they weigh is an important factor for many reasons. Just as in boxing and wrestling, there are weight classes. If you come in above your weight class, you are fined. If you come in under, you run the risk of the disadvantage of being outweighed.

About 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years are obese, reported the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014.

When it comes to weight loss, drinking salt water as a cleanse isn't a permanent solution. It may help you lose some fluids, but not in a pleasant way. In fact, it may even be harmful to your health. If you're trying to lose weight, you may want to skip the salty drink and watch your calories instead.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the amount of calories you burn depends on several factors. Physical activity level, resting metabolic rate and genetics can all determine how quickly calories are metabolized, or burned, after consuming food.

Fasting--or consuming nothing but water for a specific period of time--seems a quick and easy way to drop a few pounds quickly. Most major health organizations, including the American Heart Association, do not recommend taking drastic measure to lose weight.

Curves is a chain of fitness center franchises providing 30-minute workouts exclusively for women in a supportive environment. The Curves exercise circuit consists of hydraulic resistance machines, and women move from one to the next with aerobic exercise in between, such as jogging in place or using a mini trampoline.

Each year, millions of consumers turn to diet pills in an effort to lose weight. Some use these pills to supplement other weight loss efforts such as exercise and nutrition, while others simply hope the pills are an effective substitute for effort.

When you are severely overweight, usually by at least 100 pounds, you are considered to be morbidly obese. If you are morbidly obese, you are at a higher risk for heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. You may also have a more difficult time being active.

To shed pounds, you must create a caloric deficit by burning more calories than you eat each day. To lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, you must burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume per day.

A fast pulse is called tachycardia. Tachycardia is an arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) defined as a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute.