Universal lifestyle behaviors that promote longevity

Buettner talks about universal lifestyle behaviors that promote longevity, why they're so hard to adopt in the U.S., and how one town undertook its own Blue Zone experiment, to great effect.

Are you also interested in taking the True Happiness Test? Or the Vitality Test?

Life's Greatest Miracle

A sequel to one of the most popular NOVAs of all time, "Miracle of Life," this Emmy Award-winning program tracks human development from embryo to newborn using the extraordinary microimagery of Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson.

Charity Tillemann-Dick: Re-learning how to breathe

After giving a wonderful performance in part 1, the soprano Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick tells us why breath is life, a fact we take for granted all too often. The soprano tells of re-learning to breathe, one gasp at a time. A recipient of two double lung transplants, she speaks and performs frequently at concerts, conferences and events around the United States.

Hormone Blues

A quick reference for recalling the hormones that should be memorized for the MCAT.. But in song form!

If we get views, we may make songs for a few more MCAT topics.

Thanks to Nathan Domek for both helping to record the song and filming/editing the actual video, and Morgan Komure for performing the song with me. 

Special thanks to The Snake, who portrayed a very convincing snake.

You Gotta Walk the Walk ... the "Heart Walk"

When it comes to keeping folks heart healthy, our Vanderbilt Heart team takes their job seriously. Add to their knowledge and commitment a little Music City talent, and you've got a catchy song and fun music video on your hands. We hope you enjoy their work, share with your friends and family and take their message about the importance of "walking the walk" to heart!

To learn more about our team and services, visit http://www.VanderbiltHeart.com. 

X-Ray video shows beautiful view of Yoga

Hybrid Medical Animation has developed an incredible video with X-ray imaging during yoga in motion. Check it out.

Cheetah's speed secrets are revealed

A sprinting cheetah is like "a rear-wheel-drive car," say scientists.

Japanese researchers mapped the muscle fibres of the big cat known to accelerate to record-breaking speeds.

By comparing the cheetah's muscles with those of a domestic cat and dog, the team identified the special propulsion power of its hindlimb muscles.

Read the rest here on BBC. Also interesting facts on cheetah's myology and physiology here.

Want to go more deep? Read "Distribution of muscle fibers in skeletal muscles of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Megumi et al, on http://www.sciencedirect.com/:

Abstract

We examine the muscle fiber population of skeletal muscles from whole body in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). In the present experiments, we showed the characteristics of fiber composition in the cheetah by comparative studies among the cheetah, domestic cat, and the beagle dog. Fiber population was determined on muscle fibers stained with monoclonal antibody to each myosin heavy chain isoform. Histochemical analysis demonstrated that many muscles in the cheetah and domestic cat had a low percentage of Type I fibers and a high percentage of Type IIx fibers, while those in the beagle dog showed a high percentage of Type IIa. The hindlimb muscles in the cheetah had a higher percentage of Type II (Type IIa + IIx) fiber than the forelimb muscles. This fact suggests that the propulsive role of the hindlimb is greater than the forelimb in the cheetah. The longissimus in the cheetah had a high percentage of Type IIx fibers over a wide range from the thoracic to lumbar parts, while the population of muscle fibers in this muscle was different depending on the parts in the domestic cat and beagle dog. This indicates that the cheetah can produce a strong and quick extension of the spinal column and increase its stiffness during locomotion. Furthermore, we found the notable difference of muscle fiber type population between flexors and extensors of digits in the cheetah. The present experiments show the characteristics of muscle fibers in the cheetah, corresponded to its ability to perform high-speed running.

Athletics - Men's 200m - T44 Final - London 2012 Paralympic Games

GOLD OLIVEIRA Alan Fonteles Cardoso BRA - Brazil

SILVER PISTORIUS Oscar RSA - South Africa

BRONZE LEEPER Blake USA - United States of America

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to develop sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

For further information, please visit http://www.paralympic.org.

The future of medicine (8 TED talks)

http://www.ted.com/playlists/23/the_future_of_medicine.html

Murderball

Murderball is a 2005 American documentary film about tetraplegic athletes who play wheelchair rugby. It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games.

You MUST watch it if you want to work with these guys!!!

The desire to do something greater in your life

When Kyle Maynard was 14 years old, he put his own socks on for the first time -- not an easy thing to do for a young man with virtually no arms and no legs. The first sock took him 30 minutes. The second one took him 15 minutes. Facing challenges and succeeding has been the hallmark of the life of Kyle Maynard, who made a name for himself into a high school wrestling champ and now as an adult, looks to inspire others with what he can do. ESPN has the story of Kyle's riskiest challenge ever... a transformative moment... for a guy who now gets his socks on... in 60 seconds.

A circus and performing arts camp

The Camp Winnarainbow Kids Camp program is driven by its two core philosophies (The Show Show and The Life Show) and all of its activities are designed to reflect their goals.

The Show Show

Our performance philosophy emphasizes taking risks in a physically and emotionally safe environment. Drawing from the world of circus and theatrical arts, we teach timing, balance, and a sense of humor. We honor the creative spirit of each child in an atmosphere of approval and mutual encouragement.

The Life Show

Camp Winnarainbow provides a training ground to nurture leaders for a peaceful, harmonious and sustainable world by teaching responsibility for one’s own behavior and developing confidence, inner security and appropriate self-expression. We encourage respect for oneself, others, and the environment while valuing the uniqueness of each individual, within the diversity of racial, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds that comprise our camp community.

Patch Adams - the representative of optimism

- ...and how do you keep your optimism Doctor..?

- hmmm... let me tell you this... I have never done anything hard in my life... I have never had any struggle... there is no tension in my life... I believe that if you are you, as the designer made you, made your person good, and then use that person as you decide... is this gonna be hard? How the hell can this be hard..? I have not watched TV for 40 years, I am reading 100-150 amazing books per year, I am exercising 1 hour per day, I love my life, my sons, my work..! Hard is doing what you are not! Hard is working in a job you hate, when you look in the mirror and you do not go "WOW!". When you love yourself, whatever anyone says about you... you do not care... you don't even think about it... because you love yourself and you are wondering how to spend it..!

Visit http://patchadams.org/.

RadioArt - The Art of Antistress Music

Do you need to take some rest and relax from your stressful studying times? Listen to this wonderful radio station.

Neil Pasricha: The 3 A's of awesome

"...and that's what authenticity is all about. It's just about being you and being cool with that. And I think when you're authentic, you end up following your heart, and you put yourself in places and situations and in conversations that you love and that you enjoy. You meet people that you like talking to. You go places you've dreamt about. And you end you end up following your heart and feeling very fulfilled..." - Neil Pasricha, TEDx talk.

Eleanor Longden: The voices in my head

What I keep from this speech is the following:

"...the human animal is a unique being endowed with an instinctual capacity to heal and the intellectual spirit to harness this innate capacity. In this respect, for members of society, there is no greater honor or privilege than facilitating that process of healing for someone, to bear witness, to reach out a hand, to share the burden of someone's suffering, and to hold the hope for their recovery. And likewise, for survivors of distress and adversity, that we remember we don't have to live our lives forever defined by the damaging things that have happened to us. We are unique. We are irreplaceable. What lies within us can never be truly colonized, contorted, or taken away. The light never goes out."

What doctors don't know about the drugs they prescribe

When a new drug gets tested, the results of the trials should be published for the rest of the medical world -- except much of the time, negative or inconclusive findings go unreported, leaving doctors and researchers in the dark. In this impassioned talk, Ben Goldacre explains why these unreported instances of negative data are especially misleading and dangerous.

Ben Goldacre unpicks dodgy scientific claims made by scaremongering journalists, dubious government reports, pharmaceutical corporations, PR companies and quacks.

Sign the petition here if you wish.

Can Physical Therapy help Angelina Jolie?

We all heard recently the story of Angelina Jolie and her decision to have a double mastectomy operation in order to minimize the possibilities to have breast cancer.

Did you know that Physical Therapy is recommended after this kind of operation? Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos co-founder of www.handsonpt.org is giving a brief talk on why this is true.

What is the strongest muscle in the human body?

Source: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/muscles.html

There is no one answer for this question since there are different ways to measure strength. There is absolute strength (maximum force), dynamic strength (repeated motions), elastic strength (exert force quickly), and strength endurance (withstand fatigue).

Most sources state that there are over 650 named skeletal muscles in the human body, although some figures go up to as many as 840. The dissension comes from those that count the muscles within a complex muscle. 

The following are muscles that have been deemed the strongest based on various definitions of strength (listed in alphabetical order):

External Muscles of the Eye

The muscles of the eye are constantly moving to readjust the positions of the eye. When the head is in motion, the external muscles are constantly adjusting the position of the eye to maintain a steady fixation point. However, the external muscles of the eye are subject to fatigue. In an hour of reading a book the eyes make nearly 10,000 coordinated movements.

Gluteus Maximus

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body. It is large and powerful because it has the job of keeping the trunk of the body in an erect posture. It is the chief antigravity muscle that aids in walking up stairs.

Heart

The hardest working muscle is the heart. It pumps out 2 ounces (71 grams) of blood at every heartbeat. Daily the heart pumps at least 2,500 gallons (9,450 liters) of blood. The heart has the ability to beat over 3 billion times in a person’s life.

Masseter 

The strongest muscle based on its weight is the masseter. With all muscles of the jaw working together it can close the teeth with a force as great as 55 pounds (25 kilograms) on the incisors or 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) on the molars.

Muscles of the Uterus

The uterus sits in the lower pelvic region. Its muscles are deemed strong because they contract to push a baby through the birth canal. The pituitary gland secretes the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates the contractions.

Soleus

The muscle that can pull with the greatest force is the soleus. It is found below the gastrocnemius (calf muscle). The soleus is very important for walking, running, and dancing. It is considered a very powerful muscle along with calf muscles because it pulls against the force of gravity to keep the body upright.

Tongue

The tongue is a tough worker. It is made up of groups of muscles and like the heart it is always working. It helps in the mixing process of foods. It binds and contorts itself to form letters. The tongue contains linguinal tonsils that filter out germs. Even when a person sleeps, the tongue is constantly pushing saliva down the throat.

A journey through the human body

At CORPUS, in a period of 55 minutes, you will experience a spectacular Journey through the Human Body, unique to the Netherlands and even the whole world. There is nowhere else where you will be able to take such a special look at how the human body functions. You will learn how the human body is made up, how it works and what you should do to keep it healthy. A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and enough exercise form the philosophy of CORPUS!

Accompanied by an audio tour, available in 8 languages (Dutch, English, German, France, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Chinese), in groups of 16 people as a maximum, you will experience the Journey through the Human Body. It is as if you are walking in your own body. You enter the body through a huge knee and at the end of the journey you leave through the brain. Afterwards, you can look round at your own pace in our Medical Information centre, the interactive part of CORPUS, where you will find a wealth of information about the human body, as well as be able to do all kinds of fun tests and play challenging games. An average visit to CORPUS lasts 2½ hours.