Checking in with your brain and nerves in Visual Studio .NET

Printer QR Code 2d barcode in Visual Studio .NET Checking in with your brain and nerves

Your brain is the control centre for your activities, both conscious (such as moving about, talking and thinking) and unconscious (digesting food, breathing or doing things automatically) Your nerves pass on commands from your brain to other parts of your body by means of small electrical impulses and act as messengers for sensations such as temperature or pain Many nerves are bundled together in your spinal cord, which acts as your information highway , collecting and passing on messages from the brain and your peripheries and running through the bones in your spine Your brain needs oxygen and a good blood supply, and your brain cells are in serious trouble if they don t get enough oxygen for more than a couple of minutes If the blood supply to your brain is completely interrupted (for example, due to a stroke), you may suffer irreversible damage to your brain with potentially severe consequences Symptoms arising from your brain and nerves can come in various forms and include the following: Difficulty speaking or understanding: These symptoms may be due to a brain problem and are common in stroke Pain: Pressure on a nerve often causes pain and can be one of the reasons for back pain (for example, sciatica see 13) Tingling or numbness: Also referred to by doctors as paraesthesiae, these symptoms commonly affect the hands or feet and can be due to a variety of different conditions Weakness: Weakness in a limb or other part of your body may be due to a nerve or brain problem (such as a stroke)

This list contains only a selection of problems that can affect your nervous system for additional details check the table of contents or the index for problems in specific body areas

Accepting that it may be your hormones!

Hormones are chemicals produced by organs called glands They facilitate various body functions, but in a different way to nerves (described in the preceding section) Whereas nerves convey messages through electrical impulses, think of hormones as chemical messengers Here s a quick low-down on some of the important glands: Adrenal glands: These glands sit on top of your kidneys and produce hormones (known as steroid hormones) to help maintain the right levels of fluid, salts and sugar in your body They also produce another hormone called adrenaline, a stress hormone that helps to get you going when you re faced with physical or emotional stress Ovaries: The ovaries are two olive-size organs deep inside the pelvis of women that produce eggs as well as sex hormones, which are important for sexual and reproductive function (You can find more information on women s health issues in 18) Pancreas: The pancreas gland is an organ that lies behind your stomach in the back of your abdomen It helps to make digestive juices that break down your food and produces hormones called insulin and glucagon that are important for keeping your blood sugar levels stable Insulin acts like a key for getting glucose from your blood into your cells If you suffer from diabetes mellitus (which I discuss in detail in 20), you have a lack of insulin in your blood, and your blood sugar levels rise Pituitary gland: This gland sits on the base of your skull and, in a nutshell, controls the function of some other hormone- producing glands in your body (including your thyroid gland and your sex hormones) Testes: Testes are the balls inside the skinny bag between men s legs These glands produce a hormone called testosterone, which starts off puberty and helps develop some typical male features such as hair growth, the shape of the body and a deeper voice Thyroid gland: Your thyroid gland lies in front of your throat and produces a hormone that helps to maintain an even body temperature and keep a check on the way your body converts food into energy In essence, hormone problems can be two-fold: the levels may be too high or too low, and the subsequent problems very much depend on the role of the particular hormone A lack of the hormone insulin, for example, causes