Eirflower Wellness

If your body was High School, the Brain would be Valedictorian, the Heart would be the Quarterback, the Lungs would be the Cheerleaders, the Liver would be the Cool Guy who has all the parties. But, the Kidneys would be the nerds. Yup. The ones that do all the hard work, but never actually get the credit. The little guys in the back of the room, picked last for Dodgeball, but are secretly endurance machines? That's the kidneys.   The main function of the kidneys is to filter out blood and create urine. That sounds really simple, right? NOPE! There is so much more to your kidneys. Only about the size of your palm, or a computer mouse, but there is a lot packed inside.  The kidneys are located in the back of your body, just below your rib cage. The right kidney is slightly lower and a little smaller because the liver sits right above it. They are just the start of your urinary system (one of the reasons they get picked last for dodgeball), which is another story altogether. They...

When we think about the systems of the body, we think about the immune system, respiratory system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, etc, etc. (If you need a refresher, click  here ). We think about these systems working on their own. The cardiovascular system is in charge of making sure that blood runs through your veins and your heart keeps beating. The respiratory system delivers oxygen to your lungs. The nervous system is your brain and nerves (obvi). Your immune system is responsible for keeping you healthy and fighting infections. Each of these systems do their own work. It is almost an unconscious thought that if there is something wrong with one system, it is that system that needs to be fixed and wouldn't possibly interfere with another system being able to do it's work. If there is something wrong with your respiratory system, it has no affect on your cardiovascular.  As soon as you start to think more about the systems, it makes sense that they all work togethe...

Let’s talk abou t cells for a moment. You know, cells, the little pieces that make up you. Most of us don ’t remember high school biology, so here’s a brief synopsis: Rober t H ooke looked into a microscope and saw what looked like little chambers in the plant material. He described these as cells, and the name stuck.  Fast forward 300 years, and we know a little more than Robert Hooke. While cells have some varian ces depending on their function, each has a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and a nucleus. The nucleus is where most of the genetic information is stored. Considered the “brain” of the cell, the nucleus controls each of the organelles and replication (called mitosis). Cytoplasm is the stuff inside of the cell. Literally. Cytoplasm means cell substance. Invigorating, right?  I want to focus on the Cell Membrane though. This is the outside of the cell. It is created by a phospholipid bilayer. Think of a phospholipid like a magnet, instead of a north and south end, phospholi...