The Medical Advisor

When asked how old you are, you likely answer based on the number of years that have passed since you were born. That would be your chronological age. But maybe your doctor says you have the physical conditioning of a 21-year-old. This would be considered your biological age, regardless of how many years ago you were born. Your chronological age will always be an easy-to-determine number, while your biological age depends on a number of variables that can change on a continuing basis. The difference between the two can be surprising and definitely worthy of further exploration. What is chronological aging? Your chronological age is the amount of time that has passed from your birth to the given date. It’s your age in terms of years, months, days, etc. This is the primary way people define their age. It’s also a primary risk factor for chronic diseases, mortality, and any impairments to bodily functions, such as hearing and memory. What is biological aging? ...

Cerumen, also known as earwax, is necessary for the health of your ear. In fact, it's not really wax at all, but made partially of dead skin cells from the ear canal. 1   The area inside the auditory canal consistently revitalizes itself, and as the dead cells are removed, they're pulled into a process producing earwax. The ear canal is also lined with hairs, 2  which help move the earwax along the canal and out of your body. Earwax is created by secretions from the ceruminous and sebaceous glands, located in the outer ear canal. 3  The ceruminous is a sweat gland, while the sebaceous glands excrete oil to help soften the skin. The role of earwax is to protect the skin from infection as it is a natural antimicrobial. Another function of earwax is to clean the ear canal as it slowly moves through the canal and out of the ear with jaw movements like chewing. 4  During this motion it carries with it debris and waste that may have made its way into the canal. 5 , 6 Like ...

This article was previously published July 20, 2020, and has been updated with new information. Your body uses vitamins for normal cell functioning; Essential vitamins must be consumed because they cannot be manufactured by the cells. Vitamins are grouped into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. 1  The fat soluble types get stored in fatty tissue and absorbed when eaten with dietary fat. Water soluble vitamins are not stored by your body. Instead, excessive amounts are excreted through the urine. This means that essential water-soluble vitamins must be consumed on a regular basis to prevent any shortages. Vitamin B7, colloquially called biotin, is a water-soluble vitamin your body uses for energy metabolism. Vitamins have different jobs within the body, including supporting your immune system, neurological system and energy metabolism. Biotin i...