get pumped

wow!  look at my arms!  they are super vascular!  molly, why do my arms get vascular from time to time?

coincidentally, i am studying the cardiovascular system right now, and i have some theories...

you get vascular because:
- your body fat is lower than 10%
- you are very hydrated
- you are using steroids
- your veins are close to the surface
- you work out regularly and you need to transport more blood to respiring cells for gas exchange, increased blood flow causes your veins and arteries to stretch
- you are too warm and your body is increasing heat loss from the surface of the skin by via vasodilation
- your body is used to caffeine which is a vasoconstrictor, but you haven't had caffeine today
- you consumed a lot of salt which causes high blood pressure and makes veins pop
- you drank alcohol which is a vasodilator
- you are using speed  ;)

if none of these are true, i have more musing to do...

mama mia!

my mother is one of the lucky ones who gets to listen to my educational monologues after i learn something new about the human body.  i don't know if she would tell you the same -- the "lucky" part.

she and i talked at length about current options for women who are dealing with the pains and discomforts of menopause.  unfortunately, it is inevitable that women will go through menopause, rife with physical and emotional changes.  as if the hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods and weight gain weren't enough, women also experience a decline in hormone levels which can cause moodiness, depression and loss of libido.

many women cope with these changes by using hormone replacement therapy, taking a supplement of estrogen paired with progestin (synthetic progesterone).  hormone therapy was thought to have long-term benefits of preventing heart disease and osteoporosis and it was used routinely until 2002 when a large clinical trial unearthed it's health risks.  these risks include heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, blood clots and abnormal mammograms.  depending on a woman's health history, hormone therapy is still the most highly-recommended treatment for coping with menopause symptoms, but there are more options for women who are at high-risk or women who don't want to supplement with synthetic hormones.  some women change their lifestyle while others choose a natural herbal supplement like estroven.

the discussion about hormone therapy is a complicated one, and one that won't be over soon.

pop!

recently our friend jeremi stopped over and couldn't find his way out of our cozy apartment.  alas, we all sat down with a beer and got to talking about a&p.  he studied neurophysiology, so he appeared less bored than many of my other friends who "get" to learn all about the human body when they hang out with me these days.


anyway, he made a comment that triggered my google search button, and in turn, my blogger keyboard.  he wishes he could wear contact lenses but he claims his eyeballs build pressure and change shape when he exercises and the contacts pop off his eyeball.  what?!?!  i've never heard such a thing.  and despite some significant research, i couldn't find anything reliable to prove or disprove jeremi's theory.  but i did find an interesting (although also unreliable) q&a about sunbathing with contact lenses.

Q: If you sunbathe while wearing contact lenses, is there a potential problem with heat dispersal? — S., England

A: Not really, but your corneas can swell and make your lenses fit tighter, causing some temporary redness and irritation. I recommend that my patients put some form of lubricating drops in their eyes before tanning. And remember to wear protective glasses to block the really harmful UV radiation from getting to your eyes — it has been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, etc. — Dr. Dubow

if corneas can swell from uv radiation it is not far-fetched to think they might also swell from high-intensity exercise.  but in this case, it sounds like the swollen corneas cause the contact lens to fit tighter, not to pop out of the eye.  i will be sure to ask my eye doctor about this next time i go in for my annual pupil dilation.

which turkey?

last week we spent six days in durango for the thanksgiving holiday.  although we had planned to spend much of our time outside, we hadn't planned on the cold weather.  we had enough forethought to bring kota's new snowsuit, but on our first outing we discovered that he is already too tall for it!  he was a good sport and he walked around in the snow for a good ten minutes, but we couldn't stop laughing because he looked like a bright red starfish.  he couldn't bring his arms down and he couldn't get his feet together!  but he was warm and that was the important part!

so, we learned that kids have a much lower tolerance for and excitement about snow than us adults.  notice kota's lack of excitement after ten minutes of play.  why is that?  is it mental or is there some physiological reason?

here are a few pointers about babies and cold:
-your baby will generally need more layers than you will, since he or she is not as active, therefor not producing as much heat
-humans lose more heat through their heads than anywhere else.  this is especially true for babies, who have proportionately bigger heads than adults.
-babies and toddlers need extra layers on their legs since they don't move at all, or, in the case of toddlers, they don't move very fast
-glare can be especially bad on snow, so consider a pair of sunglasses for your tot.
-periodically test your baby's warmth by touching his nose, cheeks, or fingers.  at the end of each adventure, as you unbundle your child in indoors warmth, immediately test his hands and feet, particularly to see if he's dry and warm.  this is the test of whether your outing has been successful and will give you clues to what may be needed on your next winter trip.


as in all cases, babies need special care and attention in the snowy world.

it's just nerves

that's what rob says when he tickles me. "it's just nerves!"  when he has captured me between his legs and stimulated my ticklish self to a point of either wetting my pants or simultaneously combusting, he says calmly, "it's just nerves."  when i have finally recovered (read: caught my breath and returned to a state of more love than fear) i try to retaliate.  but, of course, rob is not ticklish.

what is it that makes me so ticklish and rob so immune?  was it the years and years of "abuse" from my two older brothers?  was it that from an early age i enjoyed the laughter that accompanies tickling?  was it learned or is it inborn?  these are questions to which i have to know the answers.  if i could learn to like tickling, perhaps i could learn to be immune.

my internet research revealed some interesting results:
-tickling is probably limited to humans and primates, but it is not understood why some people are more ticklish than others.
-tickling is commonly accepted as an integral bonding activity, particularly between parents and children.  when expressed between siblings it is usually used for punishment and intimidation.  between friends and lovers tickling is the fifth and highest grade of social play and illustrates deep intimacy.
-perhaps we are ticklish for the purpose of bonding, perhaps it is an evolutionary adaptation to protect those particular areas of our bodies, or perhaps it has helped us develop combat skills.
-and the reason we can't tickle ourselves is not entirely understood, but it is likely that the cerebellum sends precise information about the position of the tickling target to the somatosensory cortex, voiding the element of surprise, which is required for tickling.

this is what it looks like when my brother tickles me:

notice that my headband is in his hand, i am totally stuck under his arm, and still, i am laughing.  it is an odd thing, tickling.  and i think i will be ticklish for the duration...

orgasmic birth

in recent history, women in the united states have been taught to fear the birthing process.  they have been advised to labor in the hospital for their own safety and for the safety of their child.  they have been encouraged to take advantage of the many drugs available to them to numb the pain.  and they have become increasingly comfortable with elective cesarean sections, a major surgery.  also, insurance has been stepping in to control options and expenses for pregnant women.

have we forgotten?  pregnancy is a gift.  it is not a disease.  it is not a condition.   it is a beautiful, natural, transformative, age-old gift.

women had been giving birth successfully for more than a few years before obstetric surgeons.  they used doulas and midwifes who were fully capable of meeting all of their basic needs before, during and after labor.  traditional labor can offer exceptional joy, connection and usually an elated feeling of orgasm from the loads of oxytocin pumping through the woman's body.  and of course, some intense pain is to be expected.

it's true, obstetric surgeons have been integral to helping many women and babies survive labor, and that is priceless, but most births don't require their level of intervention.  furthermore, most interventions in obstetric practices do not have a sufficient history of long-term effects.  already, many drugs and practices that were developed to facilitate labor have been discontinued because they were found to harm women and their babies.  for example, women took scopolamine for almost 40 years which was found to cause twilight sleep; women screamed, scratched at doctors, tried to climb walls and spat at people.  this drug took away memory, self-awareness and self-control so, as a result, women were tied to their beds, sometimes for days.  also, pregnant women had systematic x-rays of their bellies until this practice was linked to cancer in babies.  next, thalidomide was used, which caused babies to be born without arms and legs.  then cytotec was given to induce labor in women; those with previous cesarean sections incurred ruptured uteruses and thus dead babies.  the point is that obstetric interventions are being taken very lightly although they may cause serious, permanent damage to mothers and babies.

an ob/gyn and researcher, michel odent, depicts a metaphor comparing current obstetric practice to a traveler lost on the wrong path.  once the traveler realizes that (s)he is lost, (s)he turns back, starts over and finds a different, previously trodden path.  he implies that our society has gotten off the time-tested path, that we should start over and reconsider the midwife as our best option.

in the 1960's there was a resurgence of home births.  today, more and more women are exercising their right to decide what kind of experience and treatment they would like during labor.

below is an excerpt from a friend's blog who is training to be a midwife in peru; she is sorting out some of the differences between pregnancy in a first world country versus a third world country.

As a pregnant woman who lives in a developed nation in the 21^st century, I do not worry that I will not survive childbirth. I do not worry that my child will not survive her passage into this world or make it her first year. I enter into pregnancy and labor fraught with my own fears that are based on 21^stcentury realities, likely that I will not be able to bear the pain of childbirth, that it will be too much for me. I have no reason to call into question the formal health system – my midwife’s or physician’s training, the quality of the hospital or birth center where I will deliver, the medical interventions that will be performed upon my body, or prompt access to necessary treatment, facilities or medication that will ensure the survival of me and my baby. I also do not question that I will be treated with respect and dignity, that I will have a voice and a role in my own labor, childbirth and newborn care. As a first world citizen, I also have implicit faith in my health system and the personnel caring for me. It is a privilege to feel safe in my pregnancy and upcoming childbirth, and to be able to concentrate on the celebration and joy of my new role as mother, my changing body, and the knowledge I am creating new life.

This is one of the true marvels of being a citizen of a developed, politically stable, and wealthy nation.

ballerina

i spent much of my early childhood dreaming about becoming a ballerina. i would train and rehearse; i would break in pointe shoes, wear leg warmers and tutus; i would eventually become a prima ballerina! today i watched a documentary about five young russian ballerinas in the kirov ballet. each young woman was very interesting and brilliantly talented, and it was fascinating get their perspective about their lives as dancers. and i confirmed why i am not one!

the anatomy of a ballerina is specific. she should have a small head, long neck and long legs. she should be slender and strong. she will start training when she is just ten years old so it will be hard to tell whether she will have a dancer's body after puberty. she will progress from slippers to pointe shoes when she has adequate foot and ankle plantar flexion, technique, training, alignment and strength.

she will benefit from developing strong muscles, gaining balance and coordination and forming bonds with other ballerinas and teachers, and she will build confidence in her performance on the stage. these are healthy, direct effects of her studying.

but even a ballerina is bound by gravity.

her body will undergo severe stresses that can cause temporary or permanent damages to her body. for example, if, like many students, she breaks a toe when she starts "en pointe" and does not allow it to heal properly, she will have crooked toes. if she is undernourished, endures regular, hard physical exercise, or has a lower than average fat/lean ratio, she will likely start menstruation later than her peers. she is at a higher risk to experiment with calorie deficits and develop an eating disorder. and, finally, she may experience psychological distress from physical and technical perfectionism.

prima ballerinas personify one of the most internationally recognized fairy tale endings. every little girl has dreamt of picking up handfuls of flowers and smelling them for hours after a brilliant performance. 

but few have the audacity and the fortitude... nor will their bodies allow it.

and yet, even though ballet is not for all of us, there remain exciting challenges for the non-professional athletes.   the amazing thing about our bodies is that they can be stretched to amazing lengths, if only we apply ourselves...