What's that thing called again? I can't remember.

I was reading somewhere, probably on here, about something that forms in us and this thing never really disappears. It only shrinks but can later grow back. For instance, if someone gives up smoking, this thing shrinks but does not disappear (once formed, it can NEVER go away). Once the ex-smoker starts smoking again, this thing starts growing again. The same can be said for unhealthy eating.

What's the name of this thing (if anyone can actually understand what I mean)? I want to learn more about it.

Thank you.

Replies

  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    I think I've found it - Adipose
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Fat cells.

    They don't disappear but decrease in size.

    ETA: or like you said - adipose tissue ;)
  • amymina
    amymina Posts: 64 Member
    You are right! Adipose tissue (aka, fat cells) can shrink but never fully disappear once formed. I learned this a few years ago when going to nursing school. The only way to make them permanently go away is surgery:-)
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    Adipose= fat tissue.

    I did not know that smoking causes the body to form it, though.
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    Thank you everybody :smile:
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    The only way to make them permanently go away is surgery:-)

    Wow!! :noway:
  • IDCY843
    IDCY843 Posts: 78 Member
    I really do not think that smoking forms adipose tissue. Am I wrong in thinking this???
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    haha... GUM baby!
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    how does smoking form adipose tissue?? I've never heard this..
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    I really do not think that smoking forms adipose tissue. Am I wrong in thinking this???

    You're probably right. When we were sent on a Smoking Cessation training at work, the trainer mentioned something that forms in smokers which NEVER goes away even when they quit. She said one puff and that thing forms again. I can't remember what she said as I was bored stiff at the training as never ever smoked before lol
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    I was thinking cancer, myself!

    Caution: Thread hijack!

    While we are on the topic of what do you all that thing? I hear there is a German word for the little "gnome, etc." who takes that exact thing that you are looking for such as the typical "where are my car keys" scenario. This little guy hides your keys, sends you off to look in other places and meanwhile puts them back where you left them. This happens to me all of the time with lots of stuff. I know I put the keys in my purse. On first check they aren't where I usually put them in there. After I go and ransack the house and come back to my purse where they should have been in the first place THERE THEY ARE! What is the name of THAT little person that steals the stuff you are looking for only to send you on a wild goose chase and find them right where they were supposed to be in the first place!
  • When it comes to smoking (and other vices) it is your brain that changes and it can never be reverted even when you quit. Because drinking and smoking releases various kinds of chemicals into the body and hits the pleasure center of the brain, it changes the chemical composition of the brain and its functioning. That is why it is so hard to quit and then stay that way. The chemical/bodily addiction to nicotine actually lasts only a few days when you quit, but the mental aspect of addiction and withdrawal lasts much much longer. Because it has so changed the brain, you could refrain from smoking for years, pick up a cigarette and become a smoker again almost immediately. Smoking alters the brain permanenly, even if you never smoke again.

    I am unsure if this is what you were referring to, but this is just based on my basic understanding of addiction and the brain. There is certainly a lot of research out there on the topic and people with more knowledge of the subject than me.
  • HopefulLeigh
    HopefulLeigh Posts: 363 Member
    Adiposeinthesink.jpg
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    When it comes to smoking (and other vices) it is your brain that changes and it can never be reverted even when you quit. Because drinking and smoking releases various kinds of chemicals into the body and hits the pleasure center of the brain, it changes the chemical composition of the brain and its functioning. That is why it is so hard to quit and then stay that way. The chemical/bodily addiction to nicotine actually lasts only a few days when you quit, but the mental aspect of addiction and withdrawal lasts much much longer. Because it has so changed the brain, you could refrain from smoking for years, pick up a cigarette and become a smoker again almost immediately. Smoking alters the brain permanenly, even if you never smoke again.

    I am unsure if this is what you were referring to, but this is just based on my basic understanding of addiction and the brain. There is certainly a lot of research out there on the topic and people with more knowledge of the subject than me.

    thanks for the explanation!
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    I've asked my Smoking Cessation colleague and she said the word I was looking for in the smoking instance is: RECEPTORS!!

    Once the receptors form, they never go away so once an ex-smoker starts smoking again, the receptors come alive so a bit like the adipose isn't it?
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    When we were sent on a Smoking Cessation training at work, the trainer mentioned something that forms in smokers which NEVER goes away even when they quit. She said one puff and that thing forms again.

    It's called addiction!
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    When we were sent on a Smoking Cessation training at work, the trainer mentioned something that forms in smokers which NEVER goes away even when they quit. She said one puff and that thing forms again.

    It's called addiction!

    LOL. She said it's called RECEPTORS :smokin:
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    well you can't beat me 'cos I'm a smoker

    there is nothing else growing inside you except for this needy whiny little psycho thing telling you that you need another. trust me on this one.
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
    Dopamine receptors........... A smoker's brain will have up to thousands of extra receptors, and while they eventually go dormant, they never go away (hence why people feel so depressed when they first quite smoking... domaine in our bodies happy drug, and a smoker needs so much more of it to get that "happy" rush).

    Excessive carb/sugar binges will also flood our bodies with dopmaines, which will trigger the brain to create more receptors to process the extra hormones. Rinse, repeat, and a food addict is born.

    *just ask an ex-smoker*
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    "Excessive carb/sugar binges will also flood our bodies with dopmaines, which will trigger the brain to create more receptors to process the extra hormones. Rinse, repeat, and a food addict is born. "


    Well put!
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    Neural pathways, perhaps?

    They can be disrupted by a lack of oxygen to the brain, such as a stroke. Neural pathways can create uncontrollable reactions, such as in PTSD.

    But like a pathway through a field, neural pathways can be left to disuse, and made more difficult to access. But unlike paths through a field or forest, neural pathways never go away. Even if a person has a stroke, and the pathway is completely cut off, the brain can grow new neurons to access that area again.