Inside the Human Body with Dr. Oz

[Guest guest]

Inside the Human Body with Dr. Oz

JoAnn Guest

Sep 17, 2006 20:51 PDT

--

 

Inside the Human Body

From the shows Inside the Human Body and Insiders' Guide to Make You

Younger and Healthier

 

www.Oprah.com

 

 

Dr. Mehmet Oz is one of the most respected surgeons in the world, as

well as host of Second Opinion on the Discovery Health Channel.

 

Today, Dr. Oz brought a selection of real healthy and damaged organs

to demonstrate what goes on inside the human body. If you overeat,

smoke or drink too much, you may be surprised to see what you're

doing to your body.

 

The healthy heart (left) is very supple, firm and poetic, according

to Dr. Oz.

 

The unhealthy heart (right) is larger and paler. The lighter spot in

the middle indicates that this person had a heart attack. That

scarred vessel was unable to bring blood to the heart, and the

damage can be seen on the inside.

 

Once an artery is closed, it doesn't heal, which is a devastating

problem, Dr. Oz says. While medicine has gotten better at curing

heart attacks, damage is still done after a heart attack, creating

an epidemic of heart failure.

 

Surprisingly, Dr. Oz says it's nearly impossible to find an aorta

without plaque. The healthy aorta (left) is such a rarity, it took

Dr. Oz a month to find one. Most people's aortas look more like the

unhealthy example (right).

 

The plaque that is created in the aorta is hard, like a rock, so it

literally causes hardening. While plaque is dangerous, the

possibility of a clot forming is even more worrisome. It is possible

to reverse some of the effects of plaque on the aorta, but the best

solution is prevention, says Dr. Oz.

 

This should put your dieting into perspective—this container holds

five pounds of human body fat! Imagine carrying five or ten of these

on your back. That's what you're doing to your body when you gain

weight.

 

The reason we get fat, Dr. Oz explained, is because our ancestors

survived because they could store fat. In modern society, with no

problems of food shortage, we're taking in more fat than we need to

survive. By controlling your weight, Dr. Oz says, you can add years

to your life.

 

 

Dr. Oz took a cross-section of a healthy liver (left) and an

unhealthy liver (middle) to better demonstrate the differences.

 

The healthy liver is soft, smooth and supple. The unhealthy liver

contains little nodules, which is an example of cirrhosis, caused by

drinking too much alcohol. The liver serves to process all the

materials you bring into your body, which it can't do if it's

diseased.

 

The worst thing that can happen to your liver is cancer (right).

When your liver becomes damaged, and the body is continually trying

to repair itself, it can lead to cancer.

 

 

If you're trying to quit smoking, this could be the day you go cold

turkey. The healthy lung (left) is generally pinkish and healthy,

with a bit of damage from living in an urban area. The unhealthy

lung (middle) comes from a smoker, and is riddled with dark tar from

cigarettes.

 

What's even more worrisome than tar, according to Dr. Oz, is cancer.

A cancerous lung (right) will have nodules of cancer cells that grow

and spread, invading into everything around them.

 

 

In this cross-section of the spine (left), there's a bit of tissue

called the meniscus that acts as a shock absorber between the pieces

of the spine. If you're overweight, every time you take a step, you

take seven times that weight on your spine. If you don't stay limber

or lose weight, over time that piece of tissue can get crushed down.

In addition, according to Dr. Oz, you recreate your bones every ten

years. If you don't do some sort of weight-bearing exercise, your

bones will become fragile from osteoporosis and break more easily.

 

The knee (right), also has the meniscus to protect your joint. In an

overweight person, it can get fractured and the bones begin to wear.

This can lead to knee pain, back pain, and a number of orthopedic

ailments.

 

 

If you fall into the Four F's (Fat, Female, near Forty and Fertile),

you're a likely candidate for gallstones. Gallstones are created in

the gallbladder, which stores materials including cholesterol and

bile, usually squeezed into our intestines to digest. When that

doesn't happen, the stones can get lodged in the gallbladder, which

is painful, especially under your ribcage on the right side.

 

To alleviate the problem, the gallbladder is often removed, which

Dr. Oz says is one of the most common operations performed by

doctors.

 

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 18 million

people in the United States have diabetes. Dr. Oz says that although

diabetes can be managed, it's important to pay the right kind of

attention to the disease. " One of the problems with diabetes is that

you feel normal, so you don't take things seriously, " he says.

 

What diabetics can't see is how blood vessels can shrink, causing

harm to the kidneys. On the left is a normal kidney; on the right, a

damaged kidney. The good news is that Type 2 diabetes can be

prevented through exercise and diet.

 

Using the term " egghead " to describe a genius isn't too far off from

reality. That's because the consistency of the human brain is

similar to the white part of eggs.

 

Dr. Oz calls the brain a " spectacular " organ that can actually

shrink if you don't exercise it. What's the best way to do that?

 

" Daydream, " says Dr. Oz. " You finally have an excuse! "

 

There's a lot more to the tongue than you might think: when you

stick it out, you're actually seeing only part of it. The full

tongue muscle reaches back to include the Adam's apple.

 

Dr. Oz says that if the tip of your tongue is too red, it could mean

emotional or physical stress.

 

The stomach is an amazing organ. When you eat, its muscular walls

stretch to hold up to three pints of food.

 

Unfortunately, stress can literally eat away at the body, says Dr.

Oz. That's a leading cause of painful stomach ulcers, shown here at

left. The black spots and discolored craters are signs of an

overworked stomach.

 

To protect your own stomach from these problems, try relaxing,

stress-busting exercises like meditation.

 

Along with a lack of fiber and insufficient water, stress can cause

major problems for the colon. " When you eat food that isn't high in

fiber, " explains Dr. Oz, " food gets caught in the crevices. Years of

abuse can create bigger problems. "

 

Foods high in fiber include oatmeal, blueberries, brown rice,

berries, carrots, beans, and peas.

 

 

You might be surprised by how small the uterus is (left). The

fallopian tubes reach out to the ovaries, and the uterus— " a small

and elegant structure, " says Dr. Oz—stretches to hold a fetus.

 

Humans are the only mammals without a bone in their penises (right).

This is because when men are sexually aroused, blood flows into the

penis to make it stiff. That's another reason that men should

exercise and eat well; doing so will keep the blood flowing

throughout the entire body.

 

Dr. Dean Ornish is the first doctor to prove that heart disease can

be reversed through diet and exercise.

 

His low-fat, high-fiber eating plan has helped millions of people,

but he says another key to good health is avoiding stress.

 

" When you manage stress better, when you exercise, when you eat

better, your quality of life improves, " he says.

 

He suggests meditation as a way to reduce stress, adding that

patients who meditate show improved medical tests.

 

Foods that Battle Heart Disease

 

Dr. Dean Ornish suggests eating certain foods to reverse or prevent

heart disease. A diet full of fresh vegetables and fruits is

optimal.

 

Choose organic foods whenever possible. Here are some of his

suggestions for foods that can actually improve your health:

 

 

Bananas: high in potassium, they can stabilize the rhythm of your

heart.

 

Blueberries: high in fiber and rich in antioxidants, they can

prevent scarring in the arteries.

 

Tomatoes: it's easy to incorporate these antioxidant-laden

vegetables into your diet through sauces, salsa and many recipes.

 

Garlic: this little bulb adds loads of flavor, all while helping

your heart.

 

-

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets