ABC’s of Body Gratitude

A-                      Armpit.  One of the warmest areas of the body and home to over 20 lymph nodes (which help fight infection).   

B-                       Bronchial tubes (bronchi).  One for each lung.  These tubes carry air to and from your lungs.  Air comes in through your mouth or nose, down your trachea, and into each of your bronchi.  Once air goes through the bronchial tubes it is then further separated to bronchiole and alveoli.  

C-                        Capillaries.  The smallest blood vessels of the vascular system.  If you put all your capillaries in a single line it would be over 100,000 miles.  They are small in size and mighty in impact.  They are the so called “train” for nutrients, gases, and fluids to move throughout the body. 

D-                       Duodenum.  The first part of the small intestine, connected to the stomach and the jejunum.  The duodenum mixes chyme with enzymes and bile which help make nutrients available to the body to absorb.  You could call this the “mixing pot” of the digestive system.  It mingles with the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder to receive enzymes and bile.  What team work!

E-                        Esophagus.  A hollow tube that is part of the digestive system.  Peristalsis squeezes your esophagus muscles from top to bottom to help with the transport of food that has been chewed and swallowed to move into your stomach.  It takes about 7 seconds for food to move from your throat to stomach. 

F-Fingers.  No two humans have the same fingerprints.  Fingers are more sensitive than the eyes!  Wired into each finger are receptors that help us experience touch and send messages to our brain.  Maybe this is why holding hands can be so special. 

G-                      Gut microbiome.  What exactly is this?  Well it is all the bacteria, virus, fungi, and a few other things that reside in the gut, mostly your large intestine.  It helps with digestion, destroys harmful bacteria, and is linked to your immune system.  Your gut microbiome can affect your brain function as some types of gut bacteria produce serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA.   

H-                      Heart.  A pump and a muscle.  Your heart beats over 100,000 times per day, without you even thinking about it!

I-    Immune system.  You have both an innate, something you were born with, (thanks Mom and Dad!) and an adaptive immune system, one that develops after being exposed to various microbes.  It is comprised of organs, glands, cells, and proteins.  This is your body’s built in army that fights invaders. 

J-    Jejunum.  Part of your digestive system.  It is connected to the duodenum and ileum.  Inside the jejunum you have tiny villi (it bitty hair like objects) which help with nutrient absorption.  No thinking required for this digestion.    

K-                      Knee/ knee cap.  It would be really hard to use our legs without these!  They are one of the most complicated joints in the body.  As a baby, our knees are cartilage.  Knees start turning into bone between 2 and 6 years. 

L-                       Lungs.  On average you take about 20,000 breathes per day.  It is in our lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs.  Our autonomic nervous system enables us to keep breathing even while we are asleep. 

M-                    Mouth.  This enables you to talk, taste, chew, breathe, and experience different sensations (cold, hot, wet, dry, grainy, smooth).  Your smile is unique to you, in that your teeth rest in your mouth differently than any other person. 

N-                      Nose.  Allows you to breathe and smell and is intricately designed to help keep large particles out of your body.  Being able to smell also helps with your ability to taste. 

O-                      Occipital lobe.  This is the visual processing part of the brain.  It is responsible for depth, colors, distance, face and object recognition, and making sense of what we see. 

P-Palm.  The palm allows us to grab objects, squeeze objects, write, sew, and experience physical sensations.   

Q-                      Co enzyme q 10.  An antioxidant that your body produces naturally and is involved in making ATP.  The amount you can produce can vary due to age, medication usage, and overall wellness. 

R-                      Red blood cells.  These little guys are responsible for transporting oxygen from your lungs to the tissue in your body.  No oxygen = no energy. 

S-                      Scalp.  It is said that the scalp contains 100,000 follicles, allowing hair to grow.  The scalp naturally has its own biome which produces oil to keep the top of your head moisturized and protected from infection.

T-                        Tongue.  This enables you to taste and talk.  You even have a tongue print that is unique to only you.

U-                      Umami.  While this isn’t actually a body part, the papillae (tiny raised protrusions on your tongue that also include your taste buds) allow you to differentiate tastes.  Umami is the savory taste.

V-                       Veins.  Some of these veins (such as those in your legs and lower half of your body) have to work especially hard against gravity, to bring unoxygenated blood to your heart and lungs. 

W-                   White blood cells.  Part of your immune system.  These bad boys help in your body’s ability to fight off infection. 

X-               Xiphoid process.  A part of the sternum (also called breast bone) and an anchor for your abdominal muscles and diaphragm.  As a child this is cartilage and only once we are adults does it turn into bone.

Y-                       Neuropeptide Y.  This plentiful peptide found in the brain is linked to our stress response, food intake, circadian rhythm, and functioning of the cardiovascular system.   

Z-                    Zonule fibers.  Tiny thread like fibers in the eye that hold the lens of the eye in place, and also help the lens to change focus by tightening or becoming more relaxed.