Your Body: The Missing Manual : The Missing Manual

What, exactly, do you know about your body? Do you know how your immune system works? Or what your pancreas does? Or the myriad -- and often simple -- ways you can improve the way your body functions? This full-color, visually rich guide answers these questions and more. Matthew MacDonald, noted author of __Your Brain: The Missing Manual__, takes you on a fascinating tour of your body from the outside in, beginning with your skin and progressing to your vital organs. You'll look at the quirks, curiosities, and shortcomings we've all learned to live with, and pick up just enough biology to understand how your body works. You'll learn: * That you shed skin more frequently than snakes do * Why the number of fat cells you have rarely changes, no matter how much you diet or exercise -- they simply get bigger or smaller * How you can measure and control fat * That your hair is made from the same stuff as horses' hooves * That you use only a small amount of the oxygen you inhale * Why blood pressure is a more important health measure than heart rate -- with four ways to lower dangerously high blood pressure * Why our bodies crave foods that make us fat * How to use heart rate to shape an optimal workout session -- one that's neither too easy nor too strenuous * Why a tongue with just half a dozen taste buds can identify thousands of flavors * Why bacteria in your gut outnumbers cells in your body -- and what function they serve * Why we age, and why we can't turn back the clock * What happens to your body in the minutes after you die Rather than dumbed-down self-help or dense medical text, __Your Body: The Missing Manual__ is entertaining and packed with information you can use. It's a book that may well change your life. **Reader comments for __Your Brain: The Missing Manual__, also by author Matthew MacDonald: "Popular books on the brain are often minefields of attractive but inaccurate information. This one manages to avoid most of the hype and easy faulty generalizations while providing easy to read and digest information about the brain. It has useful tricks without the breathless hype of many popular books." -- Elizabeth Zwicky, The Usenix Magazine** "...a unique guide that should be sought after by any who want to maximize what they can accomplish with their mental abilities and resources." -- James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review - Wisconsin Bookwatch "If you can't figure out how to use your brain after reading this guide, you may want to return your brain for another." -- The Sacramento Book Review, Volume 1, Issue 2, Page 19 "It's rare to find a book on any technical subject that is as well written and readable as Your Brain: The Missing Manual. The book covers pretty much anything you may want to know about your brain, from what makes it up, through how it develops to how to mitigate the affects of aging. The book is easy reading, fact packed and highlighted notes and practical applications. So if you want to learn more about your brain, how it works, how to get the best out of it or just want to stave off the ravages of Alzheimers (see chapter ten for details of how learning helps maintain your brain) then I can't recommend this book highly enough." -- Neil Davis, Amazon.co.uk "MacDonald's writing style is perfect for this kind of guide. It remains educational without becoming overly technical or using unexplained jargon. And even though the book covers a broad scope of topics, MacDonald keeps it well organized and easy to follow. The book captures your attention with fun facts and interesting studies that any person could apply to their own understanding of human ability. It has great descriptions of the brain and its interconnected parts, as well as providing full color pictures and diagrams to offer a better explanation of what the author is talking about." -- Janica Unruh, Blogcritics Magazine Skin: Your Outer Layer......Page 18 The Protective Wrapper......Page 19 Skin and the Sun......Page 24 Going Deeper......Page 29 The Oil Factory......Page 32 Your Temperature Control System......Page 34 Hair......Page 41 Fat......Page 48 The Purpose of Fat......Page 49 Fat Up Close......Page 50 Taking Stock of Your Body Fat......Page 55 Where Fat Lives......Page 62 Understanding Your Body’s Anti-Starvation System......Page 66 Muscles......Page 76 Meet Your Muscles......Page 77 Exercise......Page 83 A Grab Bag of Strength Exercises......Page 91 Bones......Page 100 The Skeletal System......Page 101 Living Bone......Page 103 Joints......Page 106 Your Spine......Page 109 The Doors of Perception......Page 116 Vision......Page 118 Hearing......Page 126 Smell......Page 135 Taste......Page 138 Your Lungs......Page 144 The Respiratory System......Page 145 Breathing......Page 149 The Path to Your Lungs......Page 151 Your Voice......Page 156 Pollution......Page 160 Your Heart......Page 168 The Pump Inside......Page 169 The Circulatory System......Page 175 Heart Attacks......Page 179 Cardio Exercise......Page 183 Your Digestive System......Page 190 In Your Mouth......Page 191 Your Stomach......Page 197 Your Small Intestine......Page 201 Your Large Intestine......Page 206 Your Immune System......Page 216 Self-Defense......Page 217 Bacteria......Page 223 Viruses......Page 231 Cancer......Page 237 Flaws in the System......Page 240 Sex and Reproduction......Page 246 Male Sex Organs......Page 247 Female Sex Organs......Page 254 The Main Event......Page 263 Your Final Exit: Aging and Death......Page 268 Life Expectancy......Page 269 Why We Die......Page 272 Aging......Page 276 The Anatomy of Death......Page 280 Takes you on a tour of your body from the outside in, beginning with your skin and progressing to your vital organs. This book helps you learn: that you shed skin more frequently than snakes do; why the number of fat cells you have rarely changes; how you can measure and control fat; and, that you use only a small amount of the oxygen you inhale. This book takes you on a fascinating tour of your body from the outside in, beginning with your skin and progressing to your vital organs. You'll look at the quirks, curiosities, and shortcomings we've all learned to live with, and pick up just enough biology to understand how your body works