It’s time again, my adventuring friends, to put on our thinking caps for another round of Ask Dr. B.! Today we’re talking about the brain—what it does for us, and how we can help it do its job even better. If you have a question about how the body works, ask me—Dr. B.—at knowyourself.com/pages/ask-dr-b or on our social media pages. Now, if you have the nerve, let’s dive head-first into your questions!

Bonne journée, adventurers! We spend so much time learning about our bodily machines, it only makes sense to take a look at the fuel they run on -- food! This week, as usual, our young adventurers are hungry for knowledge, and I’m excited as ever to dish it out! In discussing nutrition, the scientific mumbo-jumbo can get dairy complicated, so I’ll try not to milk it and keep the info nice and palatable. Anyway, enough stalk -- let’s get down to the meat and potatoes!

Good marrow to you, Adventurers! Adventure 10 is already here, and I bet you can tell we’re dying to ex-spleen the lymphatic system to you. The lymphatic system is a network of tubes that does many jobs - catches bacterial invaders, transports nutrients, carries lymph through its tubes and drains it into separate ducts. A system so amazing might seem like a pipe dream, but we’ve got questions this week from some adventurers who’ve found it very real. Read onward, and I’ll enlighten you with some lymphatic node-how.

Welcome back to another Ask Dr. B. Today we’re talking about social psychology—that is, how your thoughts, beliefs, and actions are changed by interacting with others (and I don’t just mean things you do by yourself that you would be embarrassed to do in front of other people—like singing into your stethoscope in front of a mirror! Not that I do that….). Let’s get out of our heads and into the questions.

When an allergen enters your respiratory system, it can set off a false alarm that causes your immune system to mistake it for an invader. Recall from Adv. 6 that your immune system responds to viral invaders by creating antibodies[note for web design: link to Adv. 6materials]. The immune system does just that - it forms antibodies to fight the allergen, even though it’s harmless. Each time you encounter the allergen thereafter, the new antibodies alert the immune system, which responds by releasing histamine (Say it like this: HI-stuh-meen).Histamine is a hormone, and we remember from Adv. 8 what they do[note for web design: link to Adv. 8 materials]- they tell your cells to do stuff! In this case, they tell your cells to sneeze, cough, irritate your eyes, or make your nose run.

Hello, Adventurers! Today I’m answering your questions about the endocrine system—the system in your body that regulates all kinds of important functions inside of you. Your brain and other organs do this by sending out signals in the form of  hormones, which instruct parts of your body to grow, adjust temperature, process nutrients, and almost everything else that keeps you up and running. At any given time, your hormones might be telling you that you need to eat, take a nap, or put on a sweatshirt…mine are telling me to move on to your questions.

Hello, Adventurers! Dr. B here again, ready to answer all of your burning questions. Speaking of feeling the burn, today we’re talking about sore muscles. We’re told, “No pain, no gain,” but do you ever wonder what causes the tenderness in your triceps, the fatigue in your forearms, or the cramp in your calves after a day of hard exercise? Fortunately, I have a  tendon-cy  to know these things! Read on to learn why some of your most helpful body parts can make you feel so miserable

Hello to all you adventure boos and ghouls! It’s your skeleton friend, Dr. Bonyfide, ready to answer all your eerie inquiries. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, autumn is upon us, and this round of questioning falls on Halloween! In the spirit of the season, you sent in a bunch of creepy  questions -- I never knew you s-cared so much! -- but I could only answer three, and it was tough to decide...witch.

Hey there, Adventurers. Today you’ve injected me with some great questions! I’m thrilled to return the favor and you with answers! As a skeleton, I don't have any muscle tissue or bloodstreams to receive a vaccine through, so while I may not understand your experience getting a shot, I can tell you all about them anyway! I am Dr. B, after all. I also don’t have a nose, so I can’t pick it like some of you do (c’mon, be honest!). But, I can tell you all about your favorite topic - loogies, boogies, nose gold... what else do the kids call it these days? Ah! Yes! Boogers! Snot! You might think they’re gross, but boogers and snot actually play really important roles in keeping us healthy.

Welcome back, Adventurers! Are you ready to digestsome knowledge? The digestive system is responsible for powering your daily activities. It does this by absorbing nutrients from your food and removing waste through excretion. The digestive system is a BIG deal - literally! If you laid an adult’s small intestine out in a straight line, it would measure around 20 feet in length.

Hey, Adventurers! Dr. Bonyfide here, back to answer a few of your questions about the skeletal system. Keep them coming - remember to submit  your children's questions here or on social media!