Video tool kit for physiology
Finding free online resources to help students understand human physiology is even more difficult than finding them for learning anatomy.
My own searches have produced a few sites, though, that I think you may find helpful. The videos tend to be longer on the subject of physiology than those about anatomy.
Understanding physiology requires a bit of imagination. Physiologists talk about things happening in a chemical universe of molecules that cannot be seen, only imagined.
Chemistry Resources
Proteins quickly and naturally fold into three dimensional structures. Protein structure is vital to physiologic function. But these structures are hard to imagine using textbook images. Three-dimensional protein folding is better described in a YouTube video named Protein Structure. This video is 2:38 minutes long. Different sequences of amino acids fold into unique structures. This uniqueness is forced by the R groups (sometimes called side chains) of the amino acids. It is the R group need for space and compatible neighbors that determines the final fold.
An aspect of biochemistry that is often missed by the way textbooks are written is that the backbone and side chains of the protein’s amino acids are in constant motion. The motion of these molecules is of great importance during development of new drugs.
As you study Physiology you will discover that its principles depend greatly upon physiologic chemistry. A chemistry resource you may find helpful is the Interactive Periodic Table. Hovering over an element in this table provides expanded information about that element. Clicking on an element takes you to the Wiki information page for it.
Physiology’s Master Controllers
There are 3 master controllers of all of physiologic function. The master controllers use molecules and ions to connect the body’s many compartments together. The master controllers are the nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the endocrine system.
When studying any of the organs into which anatomy and physiology courses divide the human body, start by surveying what the nervous system does to regulate that organ, how the cardiovascular system supports it and how the endocrine system co-ordinates its affairs over the long term.
Most courses put off talk about the nervous system until near last, but that makes it even more difficult to understand how all the body’s compartments and their activity are interrelated. So, let’s talk about the nervous system first.
Nervous System Resources
Mindset matters
This talk by Dr. Alia Crum illustrates that what we think affects a wide range of other physiologic processes within the body.
Learning and memory
This video discusses one of the hottest topics in neuroscience research right now, memory. Dr. Frank Longo of Stanford University describes what is known about memory when it works well and what happens when it fails.
Cardiovascular System Resources
Exercise physiology
For students interested in careers in allied health, excellent career opportunities exist with a major in Exercise Physiology. Here are two links to videos that you will find informative. The first is an interview of Richard J Bloomer MD, Defining Exercise Physiology. In this video Dr. Bloomer explains the difference between exercise physiology and sports medicine. It is a short 3:58 minute video. Click on the title in blue to open the link.
More on the topic of Exercise Physiology and careers is found in a video on YouTube created by Australian Universities. The video, Exercise and Sports Science Careers, does an excellent job of describing professional opportunities both in sports and in the clinic.
You may not be interested in attending university in Australia, but the video is still very much worth your time. The career opportunities described exist worldwide. A third related video from YouTube is about exercise and homeostasis. It is titled Simple Exercise Physiology and is only 3:45 minutes.
Endocrine System Resources
The first video is by Mr. Ford. Actually, you will find a lot of his videos about anatomy and physiology on YouTube. Here he introduces the endocrine system.
After introducing the endocrine system as a whole, most anatomy and physiology courses move quickly to talking about the pituitary gland and its control by the brain. This is where the distinction between endocrinology and neurophysiology gets a bit fuzzy.
This video by Ryan Scott Patton of the Khan Academy will give a a good start on understanding the intersection of the endocrine and nervous systems.
More helpful links will be added to this page over the next few months. So, check again later for updates. If you discover other links in your own online searches that you think your fellow students will find useful, please include them in a comment in the box below or send me an email at DrReece@medicalsciencenavigator.com and I will incorporate them into this article.
If you find the material on this page helpful in your study of physiology, please share it with your friends on social media.
Do you have questions?
Margaret Thompson Reece PhD, physiologist, former Senior Scientist and Laboratory Director at academic medical centers in California, New York and Massachusetts is now Manager at Reece Biomedical Consulting LLC.
She taught physiology for over 30 years to undergraduate and graduate students, at two- and four-year colleges, in the classroom and in the research laboratory. Her books “Physiology: Custom-Designed Chemistry”, “Inside the Closed World of the Brain”, and her online course “30-Day Challenge: Craft Your Plan for Learning Physiology”, and “Busy Student’s Anatomy & Physiology Study Journal” are created for those planning a career in healthcare. More about her books is available at https://www.amazon.com/author/margaretreece. You may contact Dr. Reece at DrReece@MedicalScienceNavigator.com, or on LinkedIn
Dr. Reece offers a free 30 minute “how-to-get-started” phone conference to students struggling with human anatomy and physiology. Schedule an appointment by email at DrReece@MedicalScienceNavigator.com.
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