About a month ago a worrying study was published by researchers working on the EPIC-Oxford Study. They looked into the differences in fracture risk between meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans. It was done by following a group of around 55,000 men and women for an average of 17 years. It should be said that most…
This post is inspired by “Following Your Nose: Nasal Function and Energy” by Rudolph Ballentine (in Science of Breath, 1992). The nose is the most restricted part of the respiratory tract and creates 150% more work than mouth breathing. So why should we breathe through our noses? Because the nose fulfils several crucial respiratory functions…
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Rumi
Our immune system protects us from pathogens like viruses, bacteria, cancerous cells, etc. and it can be separated into 2 distinct branches: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. Our innate immune system uses cells such as macrophages, neutrophils and mast cells to mount a fast, generic response to pathogens. Inflammation is the…
About a year ago Sutton et al. published a study that showed that intermittent fasting has benefits that are independent of food intake and weight loss. Their trial tested the effects of 5 weeks of “early time-restricted feeding” (eTRF) on 8 men with pre-diabetes. The subjects were asked to start breakfast between 6:30-8:30 and to…
Several years ago I wrote a few articles showing that exercise, yoga and other strategies were helpful at regulating high blood pressure (BP). Even small reductions in blood pressure can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. The risks associated with hypertension are continuous – this means that with each 2mm…
“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you… …let it catch up.” Hafez (modified by Joseph Goldstein)
A few months ago Lopez-Minguez et al. reviewed studies looking at the effect of meal times on obesity and metabolic risk. Their findings are summed up in the following points: skipping breakfast is linked to obesity eating a large breakfast (within 2hrs of waking) decreases the probability of being obese by 50% a late lunch…
Nayak et al. have recently published the findings of their fascinating research into the effects of light on fat metabolism in mice. Animals have adapted to use light in various ways. The most obvious is our sense of sight – it creates images in the brain through the detection of photons by light sensitive proteins…
“Keep your eye fixed on the way to the top, but don’t forget to look right in front of you. The last step depends on the first. Don’t think you’re there just because you see the summit. Watch your footing, be sure of the next step, but don’t let that distract you from the highest…