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Following on the heels of his immensely popular book, Your Brain: The Missing Manual, Matthew MacDonald conducts an entertaining, informative, and highly practical tour of the human body in this visually rich, full-color guide, Your Body: The Missing Manual.
Perfect for anyone interested in the human machine, this book features neither dumbed-down self-help nor dense medical text. Instead, MacDonald provides you with clear explanations of how our bodies work, and focuses on practical, realistic steps you can take to fine-tune your own vessel.
You'll get a look at the fascinating quirks, curiosities, and shortcomings we've all learned to live with (shivering and dizziness, to name just two), and just enough biology to improve and exploit the oddities of your body. Learn all about hair loss (and unwanted hair), breathing techniques to improve voice projection, advice on fasting and digestive "cleansing" strategies, and much more.
With the same engaging writing that has turned so many Missing Manuals into bestsellers, Your Body: The Missing Manual offers you a fascinating view of the human body that may well change your life.
List of contents
Inhaltsverzeichnis
From the Outside In
Chapter 1 Skin: Your Outer Layer
The Protective Wrapper
Skin and the Sun
Going Deeper
The Oil Factory
Your Temperature Control System
Hair
Chapter 2 Fat
The Purpose of Fat
Fat Up Close
Taking Stock of Your Body Fat
Where Fat Lives
Understanding Your Body's Anti-Starvation System
Chapter 3 Muscles
Meet Your Muscles
Exercise
A Grab Bag of Strength Exercises
Chapter 4 Bones
The Skeletal System
Living Bone
Joints
Your Spine
Chapter 5 The Doors of Perception
Vision
Hearing
Smell
Taste The Machinery Inside
Chapter 6 Your Lungs
The Respiratory System
Breathing
The Path to Your Lungs
Your Voice
Pollution
Chapter 7 Your Heart
The Pump Inside
The Circulatory System
Heart Attacks
Cardio Exercise
Chapter 8 Your Digestive System
In Your Mouth
Your Stomach
Your Small Intestine
Your Large Intestine
Chapter 9 Your Immune System
Self-Defense
Bacteria
Viruses
Cancer
Flaws in the System
Sex and Death
Chapter 10 Sex and Reproduction
Male Sex Organs
Female Sex Organs
The Main Event
Chapter 11 Your Final Exit: Aging and Death
Life Expectancy
Why We Die
Aging
The Anatomy of Death
Appendix The Final Word
About the author
Matthew MacDonald ist Programmierer und Buchautor. Er hat in unserer Missing Manual-Reihe Handbücher zu Excel, Access und zur Website-Entwicklung verfasst, außerdem ein gutes Dutzend Bücher über die .NET-Programmierung. Irgendwann davor hat er auch einmal Englische Literatur und Theoretische Physik studiert - daran kann er sich aber nur noch dunkel erinnern.
Summary
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.
