The reason why people feel awful when they are sick is not because of the viruses that go into their bodies. Cytokines are the ones responsible for this. Cytokines are produced by the first line of defense by the immune system. When the immune system is under serious attack, it releases more cytokines that trigger two responses. The first one is the vagus nerve which runs throughout the body into the brain that sends information and passes near an important area of pain processing. Second, cytokines travel throughout the body to the hypothalamus which is responsible for controlling temperature, thirst, hunger, and sleep.

Have you ever wondered why you feel awful when you are sick? Most people often think that the reason behind it are the viruses that go into their bodies. But do you know that it is not the real reason? In fact, the body is the one responsible for this. People get sick when a flu virus gets into their system which infects and kills their cells. This alerts the immune system about your condition. Then, the body generates its defense mechanisms. The first line of defense is responsible for searching and destroying viruses and infected cells. Afterwards, they will release cytokines that recruit more virus-busting cells. To avoid the virus from spreading more, the immune system launches a stronger defense. However, when the immune system is under serious attack, it produces more cytokines which trigger two responses. The first one is the vagus nerve which runs throughout the body into the brain. It sends information to the brain that passes near an important area of pain processing. Second, cytokines travel throughout the body to the hypothalamus. It is the one responsible for controlling temperature, thirst, hunger, and sleep. It also sends signals that tell muscles to contract and causes a rise in body temperature. It also makes people sleepy and feel thirsty and lose their appetite.

The professor was talking about the real reason why people feel awful when they are sick, the topic mentioned in the passage. According to the reading passage, people do not feel awful when they are sick because of the viruses that go into their bodies. Rather, it is caused by cytokines that are produced by the first line of defense of their immune system. The professor mentioned the two responses that trigger cytokines when the immune system is under serious attack. The first one is the vagus nerve that runs throughout the body into the brain. The professor mentioned that the vagus nerve sends information to the brain that passes near an important area of pain processing. The second trigger is when cytokines travel throughout the body to the hypothalamus. The professor mentioned that the hypothalamus is responsible for controlling temperature, thirst, hunger, and sleep.

Lower esophageal sphincter is one of the most important muscles in our body that can be found between the chest and the abdomen. It plays a crucial role to help people eat. However, when it malfunctions, it causes heartburn. Two of the main causes of this are the diet and the consumption of nicotine and alcohol. Foods like caffeine and peppermint contain ingredients that relax the LES which makes it incapable of doing its job. Meanwhile, smoking increases the risk of heartburn because of the nicotine found in cigarettes. Moreover, carbonated beverages can bubble up the stomach which may force to open the valve.

Do you know that one of the most important muscles in our body is found between the chest and the abdomen? It is called the lower esophageal sphincter also known as LES. It plays a crucial role to help us eat. However, when it malfunctions, it causes heartburn which many people have been experiencing for thousands of years now. Heartburn is a condition where people feel like there is a flame in their heart down to their esophagus or sometimes a sour-tasting chest-spasm. But what are the reasons why many people suffer from heartburn? Let us talk about the two of the main reasons for this which are their diet and consumption of nicotine and alcohol. Let us first talk about the diet. Foods like caffeine and peppermint contain ingredients that relax the LES which makes it incapable of doing its job. Moreover, other acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes can worsen irritation of the esophagus when it releases stomach acid. Second, smoking increases the risk of heartburn because of the nicotine that can be found in cigarettes. The nicotine relaxes the LES. In addition to that, carbonated beverages can bubble up the stomach which may force to open the valve.

The professor was talking about the lower esophageal sphincter also known as the LES, an important muscle that can be found between the chest and the abdomen, the topic mentioned in the passage. According to the reading passage, when the LES malfunctions, it causes heartburn which many people have been experiencing for thousands of years now. It is a condition where people feel like there is a flame in their heart down to their esophagus or sometimes a sour-tasting chest-spasm. The professor mentioned two of the main causes of this; diet and consumption of nicotine and alcohol. The first cause mentioned in the passage is the diet. The professor mentioned that foods like caffeine and peppermint contain ingredients that relax the LES which makes it incapable of doing its job. Moreover, other acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes can worsen irritation of the esophagus when it releases stomach acid. The second cause of heartburn is the consumption of nicotine and alcohol. The professor mentioned that smoking increases the risk of heartburn because of the nicotine that can be found in cigarettes. The nicotine relaxes the LES. In addition to that, carbonated beverages can bubble up the stomach which may force to open the valve.