Human Body

Some of your body’s systems are … electrified! In a unique way, your body uses electrical impulses to keep certain systems going strong. Your circulatory system has miniscule impulses of electricity that keep your heart beating correctly, and the nervous system makes use of electrical impulses to keep those ideas jumping between the neurons in your brain.

Physicians use electricity to diagnose and treat illnesses:

Pacemakers help restore normal heart rhythms and contractions to weakened heart muscles. Pacemakers run on special batteries and can be reprogrammed using computers.

X-rays are used to test lungs for disease, check bones for breaks and to help spot tumors or growths.

An electroencephalography test allows doctors to monitor brain activity. This is especially useful in diagnosing disorders such as epilepsy or in monitoring sleep disorders.

Lasers

Eye doctors use helium ion beams to treat eye cancers. Surgeons treat brain lesions and reconnect detached retinas using precise laser technology.

Hearing Aids

Dry cell batteries are used to power hearing aids. These batteries are similar to those used in watches or electronic equipment.

Polygraph

Electricity can help determine “the truth” in some situations. Specialists use a polygraph machine (often called a “lie detector”) to record changes in blood pressure and heart rate to help determine if a respondent is telling the truth.