Human Body

Everyone suffers from bad breath at least once in their lifetime, but why do we get it. Here are some of the facts to help us avoid it.

Dehydration is one of the main causes of bad breath. As a dry mouth and lack of saliva makes the bacteria in our mouth grow quicker which in turn releases bad odours, this is usually why you have bad breath when you first wake in the morning.

Another reason for bad breath is strong smelling foods, such as garlic, onions, coffee and hot spices, which linger in the mouth, making it seem like your breath is smelling a little bit off!

Smoking, amongst other things, also affects your breath. Just like strong tasting food, the strong tabacco odours linger in your mouth, but smoking also increases the risk of gum disease, which in turn causes bad breath.

The bacteria in your mouth can be controlled if you brush and floss regularly. Unfortunately, food and drink not only stick to our teeth, but in between and also on our tongue and gums. If not properly looked after, the bacteria grows in our mouth and this releases unpleasant gases – which of course gives you bad breath.

Unfortunately for some people, they are born with weak gums and over a period of time if not caught early on, the onset of gum disease will kick in and those nasty bacterias that lay dormant in your mouth, will eventually cause tooth decay and consequently bad breath will prevail.

So to avoid an embarressing bad breath scene, make sure you clean your teeth, tongue and mouth daily and get a regular check up with your dentist, then hopefully you won’t have to suffer any humiliating bad breath days.

Did you know that Scotland has the highest percentage of people with ginger hair.

There is on average about 40% of people in Edinburgh that carry the gene with 13% of them expressing this through their hair colour.  

It is believed that red hair and fair skin originated in the region of Northern Europe due to its cloudy and dark climate and thus it compensated the rare sunny days to boost vitamin D production.

Orthokeratology which is also known as ortho-K is the treatment of corneal re-shaping from overnight vision correction.

A select few opticians now offer this service which is to use a specially designed rigid gas permeable (RGP) hard contact lens, which is worn overnight and fitted by the optician, and this lens helps to alter the shape of the cornea – which is the transparent part at the front of the eye.

With the specially adapted flat top, the contact lens helps o reshape your eye and it will consequently reduce or correct a low to moderate level of myopia – short sightedness. It can also assist in low levels of astigmatism.

Everyone’s body is put together using 25 different raw ingredients called Elements.

Although the human body is mainly made up of water, the cells consist of between 65 and 90% water by weight, there are other elements involved like Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen and Carbon which make up 96% of our body weight.

Oxygen – a generous amount of oxygen should be combined with hydrogen to make water. Freshly breathed in oxygen goes directly to cells to release energy.

Nitrogen – This makes a small contribution to the body, but nonetheless nitrogen is art of key molecules such as proteins and DNA.

Hydrogen – these atoms are needed inside every complex molecule including carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Carbon – these atoms bond together in chains and form the “backbone” of most of the molecules inside and outside the body’s cells.

A breakdown of all of the elements and smaller atoms/molecules are listed below:

Oxygen 65%
Carbon 18%
Hydrogen 10%
Nitrogen 3%
Calcium 1.5%
Phosphorus 1.0%
Potassium 0.35%
Sulphur 0.25%
Sodium 0.15%
Chlorine 0.15%
Magnesium 0.05%
Iron 0.008%
Iodine 0.00004%

There are also trace amounts of Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Fluorine, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Selenium, Silicon, Tin, Vanadium and Zinc!

There are many super cells within our body’s that concentrate on different areas, here’s a breakdown…

Bone Cells – Bones are made from a mixture of matrix which makes them strong, whilst other cells help them grow and fix themselves. The bone building cells are called Osteoblasts, whilst the maintenance cells are called Osteocytes.

Epithelial Cells – Your outer skin, as well as the inside of your nose, mouth lungs and digestive tract is lined with these cells and they stop fluids or pathogens getting through to the tissue below.

Fat Cells – These are found in the layer under your skin and around other body organs. These cells resemble plastic bubbles filled with oil. These cells can increase or decrease depending on much energy rich fat they store.

Liver Cells – A key function of liver cells is to adjust the composition of your blood, removing toxins and regulating levels of sugar, fats and amino acids.

Muscle Cells – These are very hard-working cells that convert chemical energy into movement. The skeletel muscles packed with thousands of long muscle cell fibres, can contract when set off by a nerve signal. They contract and pull our bones to make us move.

Nerve Cells – These cells are hard at work in the brain and nervous system and they collect and send out information through tiny electrical impulses. Branches on the cell body are called Dendrites and they bring data to the cell, while the Axons take it away.

Photoreceptor Cells – There are two types of cells in the eyes, Rods are the sensitive to light, dark shapes and movement, whilst Cones help you see colour. Special pigments in the cells convert light into nerve impulses when they reach the brain and consequently turns them into pictures.

All these different super cells have important powers and all work well together within our bodies.