Brain Injury Awareness Month

Side profile of the brain within the skull. On the left, the image shows the head tilting back. On the right, the image shows the head tilting forward, with the brain impacting against the skull.

March marks Brain Injury Awareness Month. Let’s explore one of the more common types of brain injury, a concussion. A concussion is classified as a mild traumatic brain injury. A concussion may be caused by a large impact or trauma to the head. Concussions can also be caused by rapid acceleration and deceleration of the […]READ POST

How We Sweat

With the new release of Dune: Part 2 coming out shortly, some of you may be familiar with the impressive stillsuit worn by the main characters. This ingenious concept collects the body’s moisture through its sweat or urine. It then filters the impurities out to create drinkable water. An ideal resource while spending days out […]READ POST

Coronary Artery Bypass

Visual of a heart with a coronary artery bypass graft. Visual of a close-up of the internal structure of a blocked coronary artery, showing that blood cannot pass properly

A coronary artery bypass or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is a surgical procedure used to treat coronary heart disease. When the major arteries become clogged by fatty substances, a CABG diverts blood flow around the congested parts and aids in oxygen supply to the heart. It is estimated that around 200 million people in […]READ POST

Matters of the Heart: Exploring the Rare Condition Myocarditis

Simply put, myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. Although it is a rare condition, it can develop from a viral infection, a drug reaction, or as a general inflammatory condition. This is a serious condition as the inflammation can reduce the ability of the heart to pump blood and in severe cases the heart […]READ POST

Glaucoma Awareness Month

Cross-section of the eye showing the improper drainage of fluid in the anterior chamber that is characteristic of glaucoma

January marks Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is a condition that affects the eyes. It can be caused by a number of factors. The most common cause is the build-up of fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye due to the fluid not being able to properly drain. This in turn can lead to increased […]READ POST

‘Tis the season…for rhinitis

At this time of year, there are different seasonal worries. In the southern hemisphere, where it is summer, rhinitis can be more prevalent. While in the northern hemisphere, where it is winter, the flu is more widespread.  Rhinitis is inflammation and swelling of the nasal passageway. This is caused by a trigger or allergen that […]READ POST

Types of hysterectomy

Healthy anatomy vs. Pathologies in female reproductive anatomy

In terms of medical terminology “hyster” refers to the uterus and “ectomy” refers to the surgical removal of. Therefore, a hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and most likely the cervix. Depending on the circumstances other tissues may also be removed in this procedure. In this post we will focus in on the four […]READ POST

Ghastly procedures from the past

Ghastly procedures from the past

Throughout history medicine has had some questionable procedures that were carried out on numerous patients. Today most of these procedures can be compared more to torture than an actual cure. In the spirit of Halloween and all things spooky, here are some examples of procedures that thankfully went out of favor.    Lobotomy- The neurologist Antonio […]READ POST

Myth: do different parts of the tongue taste the different flavors?

Use the Complete Anatomy micro model to visualize the taste receptors on the tongue

Have you ever seen an image of the tongue separating different regions to different flavors? This taste map designates areas such as the front to tasting sweet flavours. Meanwhile salty and sour are on the sides and bitter in the back. This mapping is however, a myth. In fact, chemosensory scientists debunked it long ago. […]READ POST

Types of contraception

Types of contraception

Today marks World Contraception Day. Let’s explore the different types of contraception.  The first type of contraception is a physical barrier that prevents the sperm interacting with the egg. These include condoms and the diaphragm. Male condoms are worn on the penis to prevent the sperm being released into the vagina. Female condoms are placed […]READ POST