The pancreas plays a crucial role in digestion. When food empties from your stomach into the small intestine, it mixes with digestive enzymes from the pancreas that neutralize stomach acid, preventing damage to the intestine. These enzymes also break down your food so that it can be absorbed by your body.
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There are many different times you can test your blood sugar. While a fasting blood sugar test, one taken when you have not had anything to eat or drink for the previous eight hours, is typically used to diagnose diabetes, testing at other times throughout the day can help you keep your blood sugar under control.
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Because caffeine contains antioxidants, it is used in a number of anti-aging products. In fact, Indonesians have long used coffee in spa body scrubs, and now you can purchase a variety of different skin care products containing caffeine.
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“The Maker's Diet” is the title of a book written by Jordan Rubin. In this book, the author recounts the story of how he became ill in college and regained his health following a diet consistent with biblical Old Testament principles.
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The shampoo you choose can make a difference in the health and appearance of your hair. The pH balance of your hair and skin is about 5, or slightly acidic. Shampoos can be either acidic or alkaline; a shampoo that advertises itself as being “pH balanced” should be slightly acidic.
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Two common causes of uncomfortable bumps or lumps in the female genital area are Bartholin's cysts and ingrown hairs.
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When it comes to removing unwanted facial hair, laser hair removal is an excellent choice for long-lasting results. The laser hair removal process is generally fairly quick, although several treatments may be required. Most users report only mild discomfort during treatment and recovery.
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Bile is produced by your liver. If bile is prevented from flowing along its normal path, bile products may find their way into the skin, resulting in itching, according to Temple University School of Medicine.
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Epilators are hair removal tools that remove hair from the root. While tweezing, sugaring, waxing and threading are all forms of epilation, you can also purchase epilator devices which use rotating, tweezer-like heads to remove hair.
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White nail tips look youthful and healthy, but many of the things we touch every day stain and dirty our fingernails. When cleaning with a nail brush alone is not enough to produce the results you want, use commonly available ingredients to whiten underneath your nails.
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Dermatologists specialize in caring for the skin, so it makes sense to consider the products they recommend for skin care. Moisturizing lotions may contain humectants to help draw moisture to the skin and emollients for soothing.
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During your pregnancy, your baby will grow from a microscopic fertilized egg to an average of about 8 lb at birth. Fetal development follows predictable stages and milestones, with some individual variance.
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Muscles grow through protein synthesis. Despite what supplement companies will tell you, there is no magic formula that will supersede the basic science of protein synthesis. Once you understand how protein synthesis creates muscle growth, you can achieve your athletic goals, whether they are bodybuilding or fitness.
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The Ironman is a particular type of triathlon, an endurance competition involving swimming, bicycling and running. In an Ironman competition, participants must swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in 17 hours.
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Gatorade G2 is a reduced-calorie electrolyte replacement, or sports drink, made by the Pepsi-Cola Company. Each 12-oz. bottle contains 40 calories and 10g of carbohydrates for energy in the form of sugars. The beverage is available in three flavors: orange, strawberry kiwi and grape.
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Protein is an important part of any healthy diet. If you are on a low carb diet, a larger percentage of your calories should be coming from protein sources than if you are following a low fat diet.
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Calcium is a vital mineral, not only for bone health, but for proper muscle and nerve function. Hypercalcemia is a condition caused by too much calcium in your blood stream; it usually results not from dietary intake but from a physiological cause.
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Many people take fish oil supplements for their health. When it is fresh, fish oil is a healthy source of omega-3 fatty acids. But like any other oil, fish oil can spoil and become rancid. Rancid oils are harmful to the body and taste unpleasant, so you should not ingest them.
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Kraft Foods is one of the largest food companies in the world, with many $1 billion brands. Its “blue box” macaroni and cheese product is a perennial favorite. Made simply at home, the macaroni and cheese product consists of dry macaroni with cheese sauce mix.
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Anticoagulant medications are commonly called blood thinners. These medications do not actually cause the blood to be thin, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but instead prevent the blood from forming clots too quickly or easily.
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