ASIS Massage Education Blog

Nerve Impulses

Nerve Impulses

A nerve impulse can be defined as a wave of negative electrical energy that travels across the external membrane of a neuron. The impulse is generated at the receiving end of the branched axon, called a recptor.

The negative voltage potential across the membrane is due to the diffusion of sodium ions into the cytoplasm of the axon. Under normal conditions the external membrane of the axon is relatively impermeable to sodium. The resting potential of the membrane is sustained by maintaining a high concentration of sodium ions outside the axon, balanced against a high concentration of potassium ions inside the axon. Membrane proteins called sodium-potassium pumps continually pump sodium out of the cell and potassium in against the concentration gradient (active transport) in order to preserve the balance. The energy expenditure to drive the pumps accounts for the large number of mitochondria found in the perikaryon.

When an impulse is generated, the permeability of the external membrane to sodium is substantially increased. Sodium rushes into the cell and the balance of charged particles is temporarily disrupted. Equilibrium is quickly restored by the activity of the sodium-potassium pumps, but before that can happen the negative charge at the neurolemma causes an increase in permeability to sodium in the next section of membrane. The process repeats and the wave of negativity is passed from one section of membrane to the next.

The junction between the axon of one neuron and the perikaryon, dendrite, or axon of another neuron is called a synapse. The axon terminates in synaptic knobs at the ends of the telodendrion branches. The pre-synaptic membrane of the axon (end of the giving neuron ) is separated from the post-synaptic membrane of the receiving cell by a narrow interstitial space called the synaptic cleft.  The presence of the neurotransmitters in the cleft causes changes in proteins embedded in the postsynaptic membrane that either contribute to or inhibit the generation of an impulse in the receiving neuron.  The proteins generated by one neuron affects the other neuron, hence communication between neurons.

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NERVE TISSUE

"As for him who looks through eyeglasses, everything he sees seems to be the color that they are.  And just as things appear smaller or larger according to the shape of the lenses, the passions and affectation of the soul make everything appear according to the passion that governs it."

                               Juan de Borya, the Empresas Morales, 1581

 

NERVOUS TISSUE

         Nerve cells, or NEURONS, are specialized for the electro-chemical transmission of information in the form of nerve impulses. They consist of a cell body, which maintains the cell, and an axon, which transmits impulses.

The cell body, is also known as the perikaryon.  The PERIKARYON resembles a typical nucleated cell in structure except that it may be surrounded by tree-like projections of the plasma membrane called dendrites.  

DENDRITES are specialized to increase surface area and receive impulses from other neurons. The ends of the dendrites are covered with receptors. 

RECEPTORS are the areas on the dendrites which receive information from either other neurons, the central nervous system, the inside environment, and the outside enviroment. 

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Teaching at ASIS Massage Education

In researching educational ideas, coupled with the concept of "grading"students at massage school, I find myself more committed to the on going struggle of balancing what is often referred to as a "FREE" school, with the desire to create competent, productive massage therapists.
    
    The Philosophy of Freedom, the fundamental philosophical work of Rudolf Steiner, focuses on the concept of free will. Originally published in 1893, it is called in Waldorf schools: Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path.

   Steiner initially divides the idea of free will into freedom of thought and freedom of action. He argues that inner freedom is achieved when we bridge the gap between our PERCEPTION, (which reflects the outer appearance of the world), and our COGNITION, (which gives us access to the inner structure of the world).  Hence, freedom arises when we bridge the gap between our ideals and the constraints of our external reality, letting our deeds be inspired by what he terms "moral imagination". Steiner considers inner and outer freedom as integral to one another, and that true freedom is

only achieved when they are united.

    Steiner describes how from both sides of our existence, our experience works to make us un-free.  Between the impulses of our two natures, neither of which is individualized, we find the freedom to choose how to think and act. By overcoming the dictates of both sources of experience, we try to create a meeting place of objective and subjective elements of experience to become true and free individuals.  In massage school, we call this awareness: a place where the mental chatter slows down enough that we can
then hear our own physical truth. This work we do is not designed to replace the student/client's concepts with our own, but instead to offer up different and maybe even new ideas to try out.  We must hold any results or desires very lightly.

    Western philosophy recognizes that dualism is innate to human
consciousness. Our sensory perceptions inform us about the outer appearance of the world, while our thought life penetrates its inner nature. This division defines human experience. As instructors, when we put labels on students, we are imposing our ideas on to the student, and like it or not, we are the "authority".  When we make strong comments about ability, intent, or even people's religious inclinations, we are adding to their years of confusion.

    A student's response to ideas and change will always be individual, it cannot be predicted or prescribed. As Steiner states, "this radical individualism is a characteristic of freedom".  This is the power of what we do, and at the same time, the heavy burden.  As we speak our words, please be conscious of what you are saying, and be aware of "WHY" you are saying it.  The idea of pass/fail rather than grades is just one more opportunity for us to get out of the way of our student's experience.

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HEART

            The heart contains four chambers: two upper chambers called atria and two lower chambers called ventricles. Each atrium has an appendage called an auricle, which increases the internal surface area. The atria are actually one muscle separated only along the sagittal plane of the heart by an interatrial septum. The ventricles are also one muscle separated sagittally by an interventricular septum. The atria and ventricles are separated by connective tissue that is continuous with the valves of the heart. This separation causes an external groove or waist called the coronary sulcus. In this way two muscles form four chambers.

            The blood flows through the heart in the following manner: deoxygenated blood travels from the superior and inferior venae cavae and the coronary sinus to the right atrium, through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle, and out the right ventricle through the pulmonary trunk (which divides into right & left pulmonary arteries) to the lungs. Oxygenated blood then travels through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium, through the bicuspid valve to the left ventricle, and out the aorta to the body.

            Atrioventricular valves, between the atria and ventricles, are the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart and the bicuspid (mitral) valve on the left; these are continuous with the endocardium and are part of the coronary sulcus. The chordae tendineae attach to the flaps of the AV valves and with the papillary muscles anchor the flaps and prevent the backflow of blood into the atria. The pulmonary artery and aorta each have a semilunar valve to prevent backflow of blood into the ventricles.

The Pineal Body

Pineal Body

The pineal body, or pineal gland, is located close to the center of the brain just superior to the third ventricle at the point where the optic nerves cross. It is about 1/4" in diameter and is named for its pine cone shape. Calcium deposits called "brain sand" begin to form in the pineal gland at puberty. Little is known about the purpose or mechanism for this process.

The principal known secretion of the pineal gland is melatonin, which is an inhibiting factor for gonadotropic hormones possibly linked to regulation of the menstrual cycle in females.

             Histologically, the pineal body consists of secretory parenchymal cells called pinealocytes, neuroglial cells, scattered pregang­lionic sympathetic fibers, and calcified deposits referred to as brain sand.

The pineal body secretes melatonin which has been known to regulate menstrual cycle, sleep cycles, works as a natural anti-oxidant, boosts the immune system, and plays a role in dreaming.  In addition, it secretes adrenoglomerulotropin which stimulates adrenal cortex, and is a hormone that increases the reabsorption of sodium and water and the release (secretion) of potassium in the kidneys. This increases blood volume and therefore, increases blood pressure.

             Serotonin is also secreted which is involved in normal brain physiology and function. It is involved in the regulation of the circadian rhythm. A circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities.

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Say Yes to all of Life

So each new day is a great gift, and gives us all another chance to say "YES" to all Life!

 Margaret Gregorie

Taken from a memorial plaque in Castine Maine

 

Obesity, massage, health & wellbeing

What is the relationship of obesity and hypertension?

If you are obese, you might have heard from your doctor that you have to reduce your weight and loose that extra fat.
Obese patients often have hypertension due to an increase in the total blood vessel length caused by the additional blood vessels in their fats (adipose tissue). About 220 miles of additional blood vessels develop for each pound of fat.
The more fat you add, the more blood vessels you need, the greater the heart has to pump to supply.  That demand on the heart can be too much.

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.   Obesity is weighing heavily on America.

According to the population studies, it has been indicated that almost two-thirds of the people suffering from obesity are at risk of hypertension. Apart from an increased risk of hypertension, there are also risks associated to coronary heart disease and congestive cardiac failure.

Though the exact mechanism of how obesity is a cause for hypertension is unknown, but a lot can be attributed to the neuroendocrine mechanism and also the factors resulting from adipose tissue are considered to be a cause behind the link.

Obesity is found to affect a number of hormonal levels in our body, the worst affected is the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This system is responsible for controlling the blood volume of the body and along with the sympathetic nervous system; it controls the level of sodium and water retention in the body. Both these factors are responsible for the proper regulation of blood pressure and with obesity interfering with these systems, it can lead to hypertension. The adipose tissue deposition can lead to the irregular functioning of the kidney, which can lead to altering of the blood pressure.

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US Health Scare - why reform is needed.

Giving birth in the U.S. is more hazardous than in ANY other advanced nation - and it continues to get worse every year.

According to CDC, two decades ago there were 6.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 pregnancies; and that rate has more than doubled, to 13.3 dead mothers per 100,000.  This data ranks this great nation as 41st in the industrialized world.

"This is a national disgrace and a call to action", says Elliot Main, chief of obstetrics at San Francisco Pacific Medical Center.  In a new report from Amnesty International, the U.S. has the resources to achieve a mortality rate of 4% per 100,000, as in Great Britain.  The report blames lack of health care, costs and lack ofdoctors in rural areas, and inner cities.

Which Dirt Should Your Baby Eat? Looking for Natural Immunities

Mapping how bugs and virus help child! ren develop immunity.
By Amanda Schaffer
Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2010, at 7:09 AM ET

Too much cleanliness can be bad for your baby—so goes the prevailing theory that hypersanitized childhoods may be partly responsible for allergies, asthma, and other diseases. The idea is that early exposures to germs teach an infant's immune system to regulate itself. Just as babies' brains need input, stimulation, and training, so, too, do their immune systems.

But if bugs and viruses are a form of education, which ones make up the perfect curriculum? The research doesn't serve up a neat answer, and, of course, pathogens that actually make kids sick come at a cost. Still, evidence suggests that some gastrointestinal bugs and viruses, which might or might not cause illness, may protect later against allergy, asthma, and inflammation. Baby respiratory infections, on the other hand, probably don't shield kids in the same way. So what's a tiny baby to do? Chew toys off the floor, play in the mud, go to the petting zoo. But stay away from the flu.

The idea that germs protect against allergies started to gain traction around 20 years ago. A researcher named David Strachan found that children with more siblings, particularly older brothers, were less likely to develop hay fever. Strachan's work (like most of the research that followed) didn't prove a causal relationship. Nor did it address how, exactly, kids might school one another's immune systems. But it spurred the theory that all manner of germiness, from dirty hands to runny noses, might help kids in the long run. Researchers also linked growing up on a farm to lower risk of allergy. Dit! to for attending day care early on. (Though with caveats. In one study , for instance, day care only seems to protect allergy-prone kids if they attend before they're 3 months old.) But what is it about farms or day care that might help train the budding immune system—the scat, the snot, or something else?

It could be the scat, at least in part. Last fall, researchers analyzed a treasure trove of data from the Philippines, which tracked kids starting when they were in utero, in the 1980s. The data included information on the households the kids were born into as well as the sicknesses and symptoms their mothers reported them having before age 2. The researchers found that kids who were exposed to more animal feces, and who had more diarrhea before they turned 2, tended in their early 20s to have lower levels of C-reactive protein, a key marker of inflammation. This could mean that they had less of the chronic inflammation associated with a host of ills, from rheumatoid arthritis to heart disease, and thus better immune regulation, says anthropologist Thom McDade of Northwestern University, who led the work.

Bugs and viruses that go for the gut also turn up in studies that show lower risk of allergic conditions and asthma Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that lives in the stomach lining of as many as half the world's people, often without symptoms, though it's also associated with ulcers. In one paper, preschoolers who tested positive for H. pylori were less likely to su! ffer from the itchy skin disorder atopic eczema, a hypersensitivity reaction similar to an allergy. In another, H. pylori colonization was linked to a lower risk of childhood asthma.

Hepatitis A, a virus transmitted by contaminated food and water, seems to bolster immune training, too: Kids with a certain common gene variant who had been exposed to hepatitis A appeared to be less likely to suffer from a range of allergic disorders, according to this review by Graham Rook at University College London. (Hepatitis A seems to do this by tweaking the balance of different immune cell ty! pes.)

The silver lining of protection against later asthma or allergic conditions is harder to spot for respiratory infections. Papers that sort through the evidence generally find scant evidence that runny noses and sore throats help kids stay healthy later. In fact, children hospitalized for severe respiratory syncytial virus or bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later on according to Anne Wright of the Arizona Respiratory Center. The flu, too, might spur asthma's development. And early bronchitis or frequent common! colds seemed not to lower the risk of atopic eczema—bronchitis, in fact, seemed to increase it. The theme here seems to be: Ingest; don't inhale.

All of this makes some sense in evolutionary terms. Some of today's bugs and viruses have colonized and infected our ancestors, including other mammals, since way back when. In certain cases, we might have evolved in response to their presence. And so these organisms may now help to establish or maintain an aspect of our normal immune regulation. Respiratory viruses probably didn't play this role, Rook says, because they were sporadic and transient, present in some groups of humans but not others. Viral infections like measles, mumps, rubella, or chickenpox probably didn't either, for the same reasons. But pathogens like H. pylori and hepatitis A that infect the gut and are t! hought to be very old make sense as regulators of immune development. So do microbes found in mud, soil, and rotting vegetation. And so do little worms called helminths.

Note, however, that this is maddeningly hard research to do. Scientists must figure out which critters to pay attention to and then untangle how exactly these organisms interact with the immune system. And they must sort through other factors that probably affect how a child responds to the germy stew of life—like how old he is when exposed, what other infections have already occurred, and what his genetic predispositions are.

And so we're not likely anytime soon to have anything like a lesson plan for boosting your child's immune system by, say, exposing him to H. pylori at 1 month and parasitic worms at 3 months (especially given the risks of deliberate infection). But what we do know helps explain why that hour in the garden or cuddle with the dog is probably all for the good.

Art / Science / Homeostasis / Math & Beauty

 Mental Health Break

"Nature and numbers flow through each other with purpose to the tune of Wim Mertens’ “Often A Bird” in artist Cristóbal Vila inspired short, Nature by Numbers.

Click here for the magic and beauty: