Morning, as we move into winter I've found myself having more stews and casseroles for evening meals, loving the warm fuzzy feelings these winter comfort foods bring. It's also a good way at getting more fresh veg into the diet. Parsnips, carrots, leaks are just a few staples that I find myself retreating to as well cauliflower which when you read up on it is really healthy & beneficial too.
Cauliflower, which like broccoli is a member of the cruciferous family, contains an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals. It's a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium and manganese.
Cauliflower is also packed with natural antioxidants such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, cinnamic acid and others. Antioxidants are nature's way of providing your cells with adequate defence against attack by excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species. As long as you have these important micronutrients, your body will be better equipped to resist damage caused by everyday exposures to pollutants, chronic stress and more.
Without an adequate supply of antioxidants to help squelch excess free radicals you raise your risk of oxidative stress, which leads to accelerated tissue and organ damage. Adding to cauliflower's appeal is its versatility. You can eat it raw, add it to salads or use it in your cooking. Cauliflower can even be seasoned and mashed as an alternative to potatoes or made into rice.
Fighting cancer
Cauliflower contains the cancer-fighting compounds sulforaphane and isothiocyanates, the former of which has been shown to kill cancer stem cell responsible for metastasis or spread of cancer.
Boosting heart health
Sulforaphane in cauliflower also helps improve blood pressure and kidney function. Scientists believe sulforaphane's benefits are related to improved DNA methylation, which is crucial for normal cellular function and proper gene expression, especially in the easily damaged inner lining of the arteries (endothelium).
Lower inflammation
Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of most diseases. Cauliflower contains ingredients which eases inflammation at the cellular level.
Brain health booster
B vitamin Choline is known for aiding brain development, cognitive function, learning & memory.
Supports detoxification
Aids digestion
Cauliflower is a source of fibre as well as containing nutrients that protect the stomach lining by not allowing bad bacteria to cling to the stomach wall.
Til next week
MB
Professional male therapist offering therapeutic massage (relaxation/deeptissue), hopi candles, Indian Head + prenatal massage plus Fitness Pilates sessions(1-2-1 or small group classes). Male & female clients welcome. Appointments Tues-Sat at The Riverside Natural Health Centre, Trent Bridge, Nottingham Email; synergy_therapies@icloud.com for more info Tel;07794084666
Thursday 30 November 2017
Thursday 23 November 2017
Have you been phubbed?
Good morning all. I'm sure we've all experienced this, hell I've probably done it myself and that is ignored someone in favour of my iphone. Apparently this act has been christened Phubbing. Having not come across this term before, I did a bit of snooping around the internet, and this is what I found.
Phubbing is the practice of snubbing others in favour of our mobile phones. We’ve all been there, as either victim or perpetrator. We may no longer even notice when we’ve been phubbed (or are phubbing), it has become such a normal part of life. However, research studies are revealing the profound impact phubbing can have on our relationships and well-being.
There’s an irony in phubbing. When we’re staring at our phones, we’re often connecting with someone on social media or through texting. Sometimes, we’re flipping through our pictures the way we once turned the pages of photo albums, remembering moments with people we love. Unfortunately, however, this can severely disrupt our actual, present-moment, in-person relationships, which also tend to be our most important ones.
The research shows that phubbing isn’t harmless—but the studies to date also point the way to a healthier relationship with our phones and with each other.
Phubbing also shapes our casual friendships. Not surprisingly to anyone who has been phubbed, phone users are generally seen as less polite and attentive.(I unfriended someone I'd known for years because every time she came to visit, she ignored me and spent all the time talking or texting) Let’s not forget that we are extremely attuned to people. When someone’s eyes wander, we intuitively know what brain studies also show: The mind is wandering. We feel unheard, disrespected, disregarded.
A series of studies actually showed that just having a phone out and present during a conversation (say, on the table between you) interferes with your sense of connection to the other person, the feelings of closeness experienced, and the quality of the conversation. This phenomenon is especially the case during meaningful conversations—you lose the opportunity for true and authentic connection to another person, the core tenet of any friendship or relationship.
In fact, many of the problems with mobile interaction relate to distraction from the physical presence of other people. According to these studies, conversations with no smartphones present are rated as being of a much higher quality than those with smartphones around, regardless of people’s age, ethnicity, gender, or mood. We feel more empathy when smartphones are put away.
This makes sense. When we are on our phones, we are not looking at other people and not reading their facial expressions (tears in their eyes, frowns, smiles). We don’t hear the nuances in their tone of voice (was it shaky with anxiety?), or notice their body posture (slumped and sad? or excited and enthusiastic?).
No wonder phubbing harms relationships.
According to a study published in March of this year, they themselves start to turn to social media. Presumably, they do so to seek inclusion. They may turn to their cell phone to distract themselves from the very painful feelings of being socially neglected. We know from brain imaging research that being excluded registers as actual physical pain in the brain. Phubbed people in turn become more likely to attach themselves to their phones in unhealthy ways, thereby increasing their own feelings of stress and depression.
A Facebook study shows that how we interact on Facebook affects whether it makes us feel good or bad. When we use social media just to passively view others’ posts, our happiness decreases. Another showed that social media actually makes us more lonely.
“It is ironic that cell phones, originally designed as a communication tool, may actually hinder rather than foster interpersonal connectedness,” write David and Roberts in their study “Phubbed & Alone” Their results suggest the creation of a vicious circle: A phubbed individual turns to social media and their compulsive behaviour presumably leads them to phub others—perpetuating and normalising the practice and problem of “phubbing.”
Nicholas Kardaras, former Stony Brook Medicine clinical professor and author of Glow Kids, goes so far as to liken screen time to digital cocaine. Consider this: The urge to check social media is stronger than the urge for sex, according to research by Chicago University’s Wilhelm Hoffman.
These findings come as no surprise—decades of research have shown that our greatest need after food and shelter is for positive social connections with other people. We are profoundly social people for whom connection and a sense of belonging are crucial for health and happiness. (In fact, lack thereof is worse for you than smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity.) So, we err sometimes. We look for connection on social media at the cost of face-to-face opportunities for true intimacy.
Research by Barbara Fredrickson, beautifully described in her book Love 2.0, suggests that intimacy happens in micro-moments: talking over breakfast, the exchange with the UPS guy, the smile of a child. The key is to be present and mindful. A revealing study showed that we are happiest when we are present, no matter what we are doing. Can we be present with the person in front of us right now, no matter who it is?
Studies by Paula Niedenthal reveal that the most essential and intimate form of connection is eye contact. Yet social media is primarily verbal. Research conducted by scientists like the GGSC’s Dacher Keltner and others have shown that posture and the most minute facial expressions (the tightening of our lips, the crow’s feet of smiling eyes, upturned eyebrows in sympathy or apology) communicate more than our words.
Most importantly, they are at the root of empathy—the ability to sense what another person is feeling—which is so critical to authentic human connection. Research shows that altruism and compassion also make us happier and healthier, and can even lengthen our lives. True connection thrives on presence, openness, observation, compassion, and, as Brené Brown has so beautifully shared in her TED talk and her bestselling book Daring Greatly, vulnerability. It takes courage to connect with another person authentically, yet it is also the key to fulfillment.
What’s more, age and gender play a role in people’s reactions to phubbing. According to studies, older participants and women advocate for more restricted phone use in most social situations. Men differ from women in that they viewed phone calls as more appropriate in virtually all environments including—and this is quite shocking—intimate settings. Similarly, in classrooms, male students find phubbing far less disturbing than their female counterparts.
Perhaps even worse than disconnecting from others, however, internet addiction & phubbing disconnect us from ourselves. Plunged into a virtual world, we hunch over a screen, strain our eyes unnecessarily, and tune out completely from our own needs—for sleep, exercise, even food. A disturbing study indicates that for every minute we spend online for leisure, we’re not just compromising our relationships, we are also losing precious self-care time (e.g., sleep, household activities) and productivity.
So, the next time you’re with another human and you feel tempted to pull out your phone—stop. Put it away. Look them in the eyes, and listen to what they have to say. Do it for them, do it for yourself, do it to make the world a better place.
Michael B
Phubbing is the practice of snubbing others in favour of our mobile phones. We’ve all been there, as either victim or perpetrator. We may no longer even notice when we’ve been phubbed (or are phubbing), it has become such a normal part of life. However, research studies are revealing the profound impact phubbing can have on our relationships and well-being.
There’s an irony in phubbing. When we’re staring at our phones, we’re often connecting with someone on social media or through texting. Sometimes, we’re flipping through our pictures the way we once turned the pages of photo albums, remembering moments with people we love. Unfortunately, however, this can severely disrupt our actual, present-moment, in-person relationships, which also tend to be our most important ones.
The research shows that phubbing isn’t harmless—but the studies to date also point the way to a healthier relationship with our phones and with each other.
What phubbing does to us
According to their study of 145 adults, phubbing decreases marital satisfaction, in part because it leads to conflict over phone use. The scientists found that phubbing, by lowering marital satisfaction, affected a partner’s depression and satisfaction with life. A follow-up study by Chinese scientists assessed 243 married adults with similar results: Partner phubbing, because it was associated with lower marital satisfaction, contributed to greater feelings of depression. In a study poignantly titled, “My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone,” Meredith David and James Roberts suggest that phubbing can lead to a decline in one of the most important relationships we can have as an adult: the one with our life partner.Phubbing also shapes our casual friendships. Not surprisingly to anyone who has been phubbed, phone users are generally seen as less polite and attentive.(I unfriended someone I'd known for years because every time she came to visit, she ignored me and spent all the time talking or texting) Let’s not forget that we are extremely attuned to people. When someone’s eyes wander, we intuitively know what brain studies also show: The mind is wandering. We feel unheard, disrespected, disregarded.
A series of studies actually showed that just having a phone out and present during a conversation (say, on the table between you) interferes with your sense of connection to the other person, the feelings of closeness experienced, and the quality of the conversation. This phenomenon is especially the case during meaningful conversations—you lose the opportunity for true and authentic connection to another person, the core tenet of any friendship or relationship.
In fact, many of the problems with mobile interaction relate to distraction from the physical presence of other people. According to these studies, conversations with no smartphones present are rated as being of a much higher quality than those with smartphones around, regardless of people’s age, ethnicity, gender, or mood. We feel more empathy when smartphones are put away.
This makes sense. When we are on our phones, we are not looking at other people and not reading their facial expressions (tears in their eyes, frowns, smiles). We don’t hear the nuances in their tone of voice (was it shaky with anxiety?), or notice their body posture (slumped and sad? or excited and enthusiastic?).
No wonder phubbing harms relationships.
The way of the phubbed
What do “phubbed” people tend do?According to a study published in March of this year, they themselves start to turn to social media. Presumably, they do so to seek inclusion. They may turn to their cell phone to distract themselves from the very painful feelings of being socially neglected. We know from brain imaging research that being excluded registers as actual physical pain in the brain. Phubbed people in turn become more likely to attach themselves to their phones in unhealthy ways, thereby increasing their own feelings of stress and depression.
A Facebook study shows that how we interact on Facebook affects whether it makes us feel good or bad. When we use social media just to passively view others’ posts, our happiness decreases. Another showed that social media actually makes us more lonely.
“It is ironic that cell phones, originally designed as a communication tool, may actually hinder rather than foster interpersonal connectedness,” write David and Roberts in their study “Phubbed & Alone” Their results suggest the creation of a vicious circle: A phubbed individual turns to social media and their compulsive behaviour presumably leads them to phub others—perpetuating and normalising the practice and problem of “phubbing.”
“It is ironic that cell phones, originally designed as a communication tool, may actually hinder rather than foster interpersonal connectedness”Why do people get into the phubbing habit in the first place? Not surprisingly, fear of missing out and lack of self-control predict phubbing. However, the most important predictor is addiction—to social media, to the cell phone, and to the Internet. Internet addiction has similar brain correlates to physiological forms like addiction to heroine and other recreational drugs. The impact of this addiction is particularly worrisome for children whose brain and social skills are still under development.
―Meredith David and James Roberts
Nicholas Kardaras, former Stony Brook Medicine clinical professor and author of Glow Kids, goes so far as to liken screen time to digital cocaine. Consider this: The urge to check social media is stronger than the urge for sex, according to research by Chicago University’s Wilhelm Hoffman.
These findings come as no surprise—decades of research have shown that our greatest need after food and shelter is for positive social connections with other people. We are profoundly social people for whom connection and a sense of belonging are crucial for health and happiness. (In fact, lack thereof is worse for you than smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity.) So, we err sometimes. We look for connection on social media at the cost of face-to-face opportunities for true intimacy.
The urge to check social media might be stronger than the urge for sex.
How to stop phubbing people
To prevent phubbing, awareness is the only solution. Know that what drives you and others is to connect and to belong. While you may not be able to control the behavior of others, you yourself have opportunities to model something different.Research by Barbara Fredrickson, beautifully described in her book Love 2.0, suggests that intimacy happens in micro-moments: talking over breakfast, the exchange with the UPS guy, the smile of a child. The key is to be present and mindful. A revealing study showed that we are happiest when we are present, no matter what we are doing. Can we be present with the person in front of us right now, no matter who it is?
Studies by Paula Niedenthal reveal that the most essential and intimate form of connection is eye contact. Yet social media is primarily verbal. Research conducted by scientists like the GGSC’s Dacher Keltner and others have shown that posture and the most minute facial expressions (the tightening of our lips, the crow’s feet of smiling eyes, upturned eyebrows in sympathy or apology) communicate more than our words.
Most importantly, they are at the root of empathy—the ability to sense what another person is feeling—which is so critical to authentic human connection. Research shows that altruism and compassion also make us happier and healthier, and can even lengthen our lives. True connection thrives on presence, openness, observation, compassion, and, as Brené Brown has so beautifully shared in her TED talk and her bestselling book Daring Greatly, vulnerability. It takes courage to connect with another person authentically, yet it is also the key to fulfillment.
What to do if you are phubbed
What if you are phubbed? Patience and compassion are key here. Understand that the phubber is probably not doing it with malicious intent, but rather is following an impulse (sometimes irresistible) to connect. Just like you or I, their goal is not to exclude. To the contrary, they are looking for a feeling of inclusion. After all, a telling sociological study shows that loneliness is rising at an alarming rate in our society.What’s more, age and gender play a role in people’s reactions to phubbing. According to studies, older participants and women advocate for more restricted phone use in most social situations. Men differ from women in that they viewed phone calls as more appropriate in virtually all environments including—and this is quite shocking—intimate settings. Similarly, in classrooms, male students find phubbing far less disturbing than their female counterparts.
Perhaps even worse than disconnecting from others, however, internet addiction & phubbing disconnect us from ourselves. Plunged into a virtual world, we hunch over a screen, strain our eyes unnecessarily, and tune out completely from our own needs—for sleep, exercise, even food. A disturbing study indicates that for every minute we spend online for leisure, we’re not just compromising our relationships, we are also losing precious self-care time (e.g., sleep, household activities) and productivity.
So, the next time you’re with another human and you feel tempted to pull out your phone—stop. Put it away. Look them in the eyes, and listen to what they have to say. Do it for them, do it for yourself, do it to make the world a better place.
This article was adapted from Greater Good, the online magazine of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, one of Mindful’s partners.
Til next weekMichael B
Wednesday 15 November 2017
Can you stop panic attacks?
Good morning, many of you who know me well are aware that over the years I have suffered at some times more than others with panic/anxiety attacks, and also over the years the cause of these have varied too. It seems my body or psyche is not happy unless it has something to stress itself over. Over the years I have tried therapy, medication, they have worked for a time but reappeared somewhere further along the line. We all have something deep inside of us know of something that gives us joy and the confidence we once lacked. Mine turned out to be fitness.
Many years ago I could go into any night club in the country and be fine, but ask me to go into a fitness class,as much as I deeply wanted to, I would mentally go to pieces....but I persevered over the years to the point where this has totally reversed. Throw me into a gym situation now, no problem. Ask me to meet friends in a social setting in a club, you might as well ask me to strangle a kitten, it is that problematic and horrific for me now. We all change but the key for me now is to find balance between how I overcame what frightened me then to that which frightens me now. It is going to be interesting trying to figure it out.
Below is an article I found on 3 ways to stop or alleviate stress & anxiety, thanks to twitter/Ryan Light.
Below is an article I found on 3 ways to stop or alleviate stress & anxiety, thanks to twitter/Ryan Light.
There are millions of people in this world who suffer from anxiety attacks, and if you happen to be one of those people, then you understand how devastating these attacks can be. Some people feel as if they are having a heart attack or as if they can not breathe when these attacks happen. Panic and anxiety disorders actually occur more frequently then a lot of people realise, and they can be very terrifying for the victim. There is a bright side to all of this because you can find out how to cure anxiety attacks naturally without having to resort to prescription medications.
If you want to cure your panic attacks, then you have to start by understanding your fears. You’ll need to find out what is triggering your fears to accomplish this. The most commonly reported triggers are stress and traumatic life experiences. If you want to eliminate your panic and anxiety attacks then you will need to identify your fears. After you have identified your fear you will be able to focus on your problem. It is also a good idea to keep your anger under control because the root of a panic attack comes from its psychological nature. By maintaining proper self control, as well as calm thinking, you can learn how to reduce your chances of having a panic attack.
To stop anxiety attacks requires real hard work on the part of the person suffering from it. It may be helped by a variety of techniques and methods such as medications and the like but the real struggle comes from controlling the negative beliefs and thoughts that cause symptoms to occur. Needless to say, you have plenty of options when it comes to treating panic attacks. You may receive prescription medications that are designed to eliminate the symptoms you are experiencing. Or you may have the option of choosing between several different alternative solutions which come with fewer side effects.
Breathing techniques
Many breathing methods and techniques have been proposed to help bring a stop on anxiety attacks. Physicians and patients believe that proper breathing is instrumental in overcoming the symptoms and in keeping the symptoms at tolerable intensities. During a state of calm, a person’s breathing is deep, slow and comes from the lower part of the lungs. During tense situations such as episodes of panic attack, breathing becomes fast and shallow, leading to a host of symptoms familiar to sufferers of anxiety attacks. These are dizziness, confusion and nausea. By practising the proper way of breathing, you will be able to ease the tension in your muscles, lower your heart rate, improve your blood’s circulation, and restore the sense of peace and relaxation in your body and mind.
There are many options of techniques that could help with the symptoms of anxiety attacks. One is abdominal breathing or deep breathing. In this technique, proper amount of oxygen circulates in your body thanks to your lower lungs which have more room for air than the upper lungs. You can tell whether you are breathing using this method when your abdomen looks bigger when you breathe in and smaller when you breathe out. Once you have mastered this method, you can move on to other breathing techniques that are designed exactly for restoring calm to your body.
Lifestyle changes
Anxiety attacks aren’t always rooted on negative thoughts; they could also be caused by poor habits, demanding schedule, prolonged exposure to stressful tasks, lack of sufficient sleep or exercise, and sometimes even from too much caffeine. The bottom line is, lifestyle is critical to the occurrence of anxiety attacks. If you worry excessively, a self-inventory may be called for. You may also restore balance into your life by finding someone you can talk your problems with, by reducing the amount of stress at work or at home, and by organizing your life so it becomes more enjoyable.
Prescription medications
The most common medications prescribed to patients of anxiety attacks are benzodiazepines, antidepressants, beta-blockers, mild tranquilizers, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and anticonvulsants. For a comprehensive information regarding prescription medications for anxiety attacks, contact your doctor.
Whichever option you choose to stop anxiety attacks, remember that no amount of medication, lifestyle modification or relaxation technique can heal you overnight. Work is needed so you can fight of the triggers and the sensations that these created. Real cure comes from adopting healthier habits and ways of thinking to eliminate thoughts and habits that have caused the symptoms to appear in the first place.
Til next week
Michael B
Michael B
Wednesday 8 November 2017
Let's not get snotty
Good morning,
How are we today? Good? I hoe you're not suffering with a cold like so many are at the moment. If so, today's blog is a must read for anyone contemplating booking a treatment whilst being unwell. Every year I strongly urge clients to rebook for when they are better rather than coming in and spreading their germs to me as if and when I catch anything, it means I can't work which equates to zero pennies in the bank. So please take a few moments to read this informative post I found online. Thanks, and enjoy your week.
You've got a cold, haven't you? If you don't, the person next to you does.
Doctors have recognised that an outbreak of the common cold has been sweeping across the UK. And it's not just because the temperature has dropped.
Every year, the typical adult will likely get two to five infections; children may well have six to ten. Symptoms vary depending on the time of year, but rest assured there'll be sneezing.
Still, despite commonality, it's good to be prepared, and colds are always different. We can always learn new ways to deal with them.
What's more, this year's seems harder to shake. It's like a 'super cold'. All manner of hot drinks and balms fail to tackle the ailment.
"I’ve had it for three weeks, and I don’t seem to be able to shift it," said one Cambridge office worker. "It doesn’t seem to matter whether I have an early night or not."
While a winter cold is usually borne from the robust rhinovirus, the summer cold is often caused by the somewhat more delicate, but more vicious enterovirus, according to Dr Jen Tan. And it's the latter that is carrying on, apparently.
Dr Tan told the Cambridge News that while the winter cold might be short and violent, the summer one, which we're supposedly seeing the tail end of now, refuses to let go.
Robin Polding, 22, who's studying for a master’s degree at Cambridge University’s Clare College in the History and Philosophy of Science, and whose dissertation is on the history of the common cold, explains why there is still no cure and how treatments used 400 years ago hold good today.
"The reason there’s still no cure for the common cold is because it’s not one single disease, but a number of closely-related viruses," he said.
"Whenever you catch a specific cold virus, your body fights it off and you don’t catch the same cold again, but other colds can still be caught.
"For the same reason, any vaccine or drug that worked against a single virus might not work against any others - and cold viruses are constantly mutating and evolving too."
So what can we do?
- avoid sitting in air conditioned environments for too long, such as offices and airplanes
- disinfect everything, from your mobile phone to your work surfaces at home
- exercise, but avoid anything too rigorous that might harm your immune system
- if you can, avoid too much public transport
- try not to become reliant on medicine, or your body will build up an intolerance
- appropriate clothing
Cure?
the best way to fight colds remains rest, plenty of nutritious food and fluids
- over-the-counter medication is also the best way to go, be it pills, drinks, or powders – whatever works best for you
- unless you're seriously unwell, avoiding the doctor is best, as doctors are already stretched
It’s also important to remember that most coughs and colds, sinusitis, and sore throats get better without antibiotics.
(taken from The Mirror online)
Til next week
Michael B
How are we today? Good? I hoe you're not suffering with a cold like so many are at the moment. If so, today's blog is a must read for anyone contemplating booking a treatment whilst being unwell. Every year I strongly urge clients to rebook for when they are better rather than coming in and spreading their germs to me as if and when I catch anything, it means I can't work which equates to zero pennies in the bank. So please take a few moments to read this informative post I found online. Thanks, and enjoy your week.
You've got a cold, haven't you? If you don't, the person next to you does.
Doctors have recognised that an outbreak of the common cold has been sweeping across the UK. And it's not just because the temperature has dropped.
Every year, the typical adult will likely get two to five infections; children may well have six to ten. Symptoms vary depending on the time of year, but rest assured there'll be sneezing.
Still, despite commonality, it's good to be prepared, and colds are always different. We can always learn new ways to deal with them.
What's more, this year's seems harder to shake. It's like a 'super cold'. All manner of hot drinks and balms fail to tackle the ailment.
"I’ve had it for three weeks, and I don’t seem to be able to shift it," said one Cambridge office worker. "It doesn’t seem to matter whether I have an early night or not."
While a winter cold is usually borne from the robust rhinovirus, the summer cold is often caused by the somewhat more delicate, but more vicious enterovirus, according to Dr Jen Tan. And it's the latter that is carrying on, apparently.
Dr Tan told the Cambridge News that while the winter cold might be short and violent, the summer one, which we're supposedly seeing the tail end of now, refuses to let go.
Robin Polding, 22, who's studying for a master’s degree at Cambridge University’s Clare College in the History and Philosophy of Science, and whose dissertation is on the history of the common cold, explains why there is still no cure and how treatments used 400 years ago hold good today.
"The reason there’s still no cure for the common cold is because it’s not one single disease, but a number of closely-related viruses," he said.
"Whenever you catch a specific cold virus, your body fights it off and you don’t catch the same cold again, but other colds can still be caught.
"For the same reason, any vaccine or drug that worked against a single virus might not work against any others - and cold viruses are constantly mutating and evolving too."
So what can we do?
- avoid sitting in air conditioned environments for too long, such as offices and airplanes
- disinfect everything, from your mobile phone to your work surfaces at home
- exercise, but avoid anything too rigorous that might harm your immune system
- if you can, avoid too much public transport
- try not to become reliant on medicine, or your body will build up an intolerance
- appropriate clothing
Cure?
the best way to fight colds remains rest, plenty of nutritious food and fluids
- over-the-counter medication is also the best way to go, be it pills, drinks, or powders – whatever works best for you
- unless you're seriously unwell, avoiding the doctor is best, as doctors are already stretched
It’s also important to remember that most coughs and colds, sinusitis, and sore throats get better without antibiotics.
(taken from The Mirror online)
Til next week
Michael B
Saturday 4 November 2017
Don't mess with your body clock
Good morning one and all, while a stiff shoulder and painful right knee has hampered my painting of the landing, I'm pleased to say some progress has been made at home with the remainder of the stair carpet finally being removed. The whole house echos like crazy but is at last a bare shell ready to have everything done to it before the carpets arrive on the 13th. At last more progress.
Did you remember to turn your clocks back on Saturday night? If you haven't then you might find yourself keeping some crazy time now the working week is here again. As if by magic, I also found this interesting article about listening to our own body clocks whilst going through twitter so I shall leave it here fort you to take a peak at.
"With exquisite precision, our inner clock adapts our physiology to the dramatically different phases of the day," the Nobel Prize committee wrote of the work of Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young. "The clock regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature and metabolism."
We humans are time-keeping machines. And it seems we need regular sleeping and eating schedules to keep all of our clocks in sync.
Studies show that if we mess with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle — say, by working an overnight shift, taking a trans-Atlantic flight or staying up all night with a new baby or puppy — we pay the price.
Our blood pressure goes up, hunger hormones get thrown off and blood sugar control goes south.
We can all recover from an occasional all-nighter, an episode of jet lag or short-term disruptions.
But over time, if living against the clock becomes a way of life, this may set the stage for weight gain and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
"What happens is that you get a total de-synchronisation of the clocks within us," explains Fred Turek,, a circadian scientist at Northwestern University. "Which may be underlying the chronic diseases we face in our society today."
So consider what happens, for instance, if we eat late or in the middle of the night. The master clock — which is set by the light-dark cycle — is cuing all other clocks in the body that it's night. Time to rest.
"The clock in the brain is sending signals saying: Do not eat, do not eat!" says Turek.
"The pancreas is listening to signals related to food intake. But that's out of sync with what the brain is telling it to do," says Turek. "So if we're sending signals to those organs at the wrong time of day — such as eating at the wrong time of day — [we're] upsetting the balance."
And there's accumulating evidence that we may be more sensitive to these timing cues than scientists ever imagined.
Researchers found that the timing of meals can influence how much weight people lose.
"The finding that we had was that people who ate their main meal earlier in the day were much more successful at losing weight," says study author frank Scheer, a Harvard neuroscientist.
In fact, early eaters lost 25 percent more weight than later eaters — "a surprisingly large difference," Scheer says. Another study found that eating a big breakfast was more conducive to weight loss, compared with a big dinner — adding to the evidence that the timing of meals is important.
Beyond weight management, there's evidence that the clocks in our bodies — and the timing of our sleeping, eating and activities — play multiple roles in helping us maintain good health. And different systems in the body are programmed to do different tasks at different times.
For instance, doctors have long known that the time of day you take a drug can influence its potency. "If you take a drug at one time of day, it might be much more toxic than another time of day," Turek says. Part of this effect could be that the liver is better at detoxifying at certain times of day.
Turek says his hope is that, down the road, circadian science will be integrated into the practice of medicine.
"We'd like to be in a position where we'd be able to monitor hundreds of different rhythms in your body and see if they're out of sync — and then try to normalize them," Turek says.
Whether — or how quickly — this may happen is hard to say. But what's clear is that the study of the biology of time is exploding.
"What we're doing now in medicine is what Einstein did for physics," says Turek. "He brought time to physics. We're bringing time to biology."
The irony, of course, is that this insight comes at a time when the demands of our 24/7 society mean more and more of us are overriding our internal clocks.
Til next week
MB
Did you remember to turn your clocks back on Saturday night? If you haven't then you might find yourself keeping some crazy time now the working week is here again. As if by magic, I also found this interesting article about listening to our own body clocks whilst going through twitter so I shall leave it here fort you to take a peak at.
How Messing With Our Body Clocks Can Raise Alarms With Health
Research that helped discover the clocks running in every cell in our bodies earned three scientists a Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday."With exquisite precision, our inner clock adapts our physiology to the dramatically different phases of the day," the Nobel Prize committee wrote of the work of Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young. "The clock regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature and metabolism."
We humans are time-keeping machines. And it seems we need regular sleeping and eating schedules to keep all of our clocks in sync.
Studies show that if we mess with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle — say, by working an overnight shift, taking a trans-Atlantic flight or staying up all night with a new baby or puppy — we pay the price.
Our blood pressure goes up, hunger hormones get thrown off and blood sugar control goes south.
We can all recover from an occasional all-nighter, an episode of jet lag or short-term disruptions.
But over time, if living against the clock becomes a way of life, this may set the stage for weight gain and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
"What happens is that you get a total de-synchronisation of the clocks within us," explains Fred Turek,, a circadian scientist at Northwestern University. "Which may be underlying the chronic diseases we face in our society today."
So consider what happens, for instance, if we eat late or in the middle of the night. The master clock — which is set by the light-dark cycle — is cuing all other clocks in the body that it's night. Time to rest.
"The clock in the brain is sending signals saying: Do not eat, do not eat!" says Turek.
"The pancreas is listening to signals related to food intake. But that's out of sync with what the brain is telling it to do," says Turek. "So if we're sending signals to those organs at the wrong time of day — such as eating at the wrong time of day — [we're] upsetting the balance."
And there's accumulating evidence that we may be more sensitive to these timing cues than scientists ever imagined.
Researchers found that the timing of meals can influence how much weight people lose.
"The finding that we had was that people who ate their main meal earlier in the day were much more successful at losing weight," says study author frank Scheer, a Harvard neuroscientist.
In fact, early eaters lost 25 percent more weight than later eaters — "a surprisingly large difference," Scheer says. Another study found that eating a big breakfast was more conducive to weight loss, compared with a big dinner — adding to the evidence that the timing of meals is important.
Beyond weight management, there's evidence that the clocks in our bodies — and the timing of our sleeping, eating and activities — play multiple roles in helping us maintain good health. And different systems in the body are programmed to do different tasks at different times.
For instance, doctors have long known that the time of day you take a drug can influence its potency. "If you take a drug at one time of day, it might be much more toxic than another time of day," Turek says. Part of this effect could be that the liver is better at detoxifying at certain times of day.
Turek says his hope is that, down the road, circadian science will be integrated into the practice of medicine.
"We'd like to be in a position where we'd be able to monitor hundreds of different rhythms in your body and see if they're out of sync — and then try to normalize them," Turek says.
Whether — or how quickly — this may happen is hard to say. But what's clear is that the study of the biology of time is exploding.
"What we're doing now in medicine is what Einstein did for physics," says Turek. "He brought time to physics. We're bringing time to biology."
The irony, of course, is that this insight comes at a time when the demands of our 24/7 society mean more and more of us are overriding our internal clocks.
Til next week
MB
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