It is still flu season. Normally, the major flu season runs from October to March, but this year has been pretty nasty. There is still a significant amount of influenza being reported in all age groups and the rate of disease, hospitalization, and deaths due to flu has been higher this year than any since […]
Category: physiology
Article #30: Hormones and Neurons and Glands–Oh, My!
I’ve mentioned it before, but I am, by training, a Physiologist. That means I’ve spent a lot of time learning about the structure and function of body systems. You might have noticed that I like science—all the sciences. I don’t understand nearly as much about most of them as I would like to, but I’ve […]
Article #26: The Moon. Super, Blue or Otherwise
Let’s talk about the Moon. It’s been particularly spectacular recently and you might have been hearing about “supermoons” and all that in the media. If nothing else, maybe it will help you answer your grandkids’ questions, one of these days. The Far Side of the Moon. Credit NASA. First of all, I’ve always wondered why […]
Article #24: Let’s Eat. And Be Thankful
Source: Norman Rockwell. Freedom From Want. This Image is in the public domain Halloween is just passed and Thanksgiving is on the horizon, so maybe this is a good time to talk about eating. It’s a WAY more complex subject than you might think. First off, let’s “set the table” and outline the basic facts […]
Article #22: A Half-pound of Kidneys Goes a Long Way
I think I mentioned when I started writing these columns that I am a Physiologist by training and I did research in Neurophysiology in a previous life. Despite that, I haven’t written a single column on physiology, yet. So, let’s fix that. It’ll be fun to play in my own sandbox. So much to pick […]