HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The experiences of life fall into three [3] great categories for every human being. The first category is the biological. This consists of our instincts and our appetites, including our genetic, inherited characteristics. The biological category of is principally compulsory in its influence upon us. We cannot suppress our appetites and instincts completely without disastrous effects on both our mental and physical selves. We attempt to understand these biological functions and thereby keep them in rein. We can endeavor to be the master of our own vital forces instead of being driven by them. Man must regard the biological side of life as a tremendous dynamic force. In this regard it is a marvelous, perfect, and mysterious cosmic phenomenon. But a dynamic force must have purpose or its energy is dissipated. Our responsibility is to set goals. In this regard we may use the analogy of the candle flame. The chemical properties of the candle and of the air keep the f

                  The year was 1854, and London was in the grip of yet another outbreak of cholera –an intestinal ailment characterized by severe diarrhea and dehydration. The disease struck with alarming speed. Many who awoke in good health were dead by nightfall. There was no known cure. It was the most feared disease of the century, and the cause remained a mystery. Some thought cholera was contracted by inhaling offensive odors from decaying organic matter. Their suspicions were understandable. The River Thames, which coursed through London, emitted a horrible stench. Did the foul-smelling air carry the disease? Five years earlier, a physician named John Snow had suggested that cholera was caused, not by contaminated air, but by contaminated water. Another physician, William Budd, believed that a funguslike living organism carried the disease. During the 1854 epidemic, Snow tested his theory by studying the lives of those who had contracted cholera in the Lond

                                        When I get dressed, my wife checks that the colors I choose match, says Michael. At breakfast she selects a piece of fruit for me because I can’t see if the fruit is ripe. At work I can’t always see where to click on the computer screen, since items are often distinguished by color. When I’m driving, red and green traffic lights appear the same to me, so I observe whether the illuminated light is on top or on the bottom. Horizontal lights, however, can present a problem.                                                                   HOW DO WE SEE COLORS Light from object passes through the CORNEA and the LENS and is focused on the RETINA. THE RETINA contains CONE CELLS and ROD CELLS. Together they give the full range of vision. THE CONE CELLS are sensitive to RED, GREEN, OR BLUE light. The OPTIC NERVE carries visual impulses to the brain. The image is inverted but corrected later by the brain.                         

                             Sometimes one’s symptoms may indicate a serious sleep disorder. Chronic insomnia, which last more than a month, is often related to more serious problems, including depression. Chronic insomnia may also be a symptom of a serious physical ailment.                                                                          [A] SLEEP APNEA Ronaldo suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness. When he drove the family car, his wife had to watch him carefully, as he tended to lapse into momentary blackouts, which he rarely recalled. He snored loudly and irregularly every night and at times violently jerked himself awake, gasping for breath. Erratic, heavy apnea snoring is not to be confused with the occasional light, rhythmic snoring of many sleepers –the major detriment of which is that others in the same bedroom are kept awake. Ronaldo had the classic symptoms of sleep apnea. Apnea literally means “no breath.” An episode of sleep apnea may