Microbiome | Health Insight

home
about
- What Is Unique About Health Insight
- Background – Prof Nola Dippenaar
services
Blogs
Subscribe
contact

Select Page

GUT FLORA AND OBESITY

Sugar and refined carbohydrates feed the bacteria in your mouth that are responsible for tooth decay. So too fast foods and processed foods cause an imbalance in your gut between the healthy, beneficial bacteria and the unwanted, pathological microbes. This...

GUT FLORA AND YOUR BRAIN

The human digestive or gastro-intestinal tract is such a vital organ in our bodies and we often fail to fully grasp the enormity of the role it plays. Our gut is often referred to as our petrol tank, but it is so much more than just a food processing plant. The...

MICROBIOME – SOCIAL NETWORK OF THE HUMAN BODY

Research over the last decade and more has shown that the human body is not nearly as self-sufficient as we always thought – instead it is a complex ecosystem, containing trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit our skin, genital areas, mouth...

Page 3 of 3<1 23

Search for:

Read more about these topics:

Age
Alcohol
Brain
General Health
Genes
Laughter
Me Time
Microbiome
Nutrition
Physical Activity
Salt Intake
Sleep
Smoking
Stress
Supplements
Touch, Love And Caring
Vitamin D
Waist Size
Water

Facebook
X
RSS

error: Content is protected !!

General Health

We only fully realize the true value of any special person or a priceless possession when we no longer have it! Our precious health is no different. While growing up, most of us enjoy vibrant health and largely assume (and hope) that this idyllic state will continue…

Age

There is actually a lot of truth in the saying “you are as old as you feel.” Studies have shown if you feel younger than your actual age, chances are good that you will live longer. It gets worse if you feel older than your actual age – you may well die earlier.

Alcohol

Alcohol is classified together with general anesthetics, as a central nervous system depressant. In fact it is the rising acetaldehyde blood levels, formed in the liver when alcohol is metabolized, that greatly contribute to all the profound side-effects of alcohol intake.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Do you see yourself as fat and fit and fine? It may be preferable to than fat and unfit, but definitely not fine if you want to live long.

A higher than normal body mass index (BMI) has irrefutably been linked to premature death, in a large international study that conducted 239 prospective studies amongst more than 10 million people in 32 countries.

Laughter

There are lots of truth in the saying “laughter is the best medicine”. Various chemical reactions take place in the body when you are having a good laugh, and the scientific study of the psychological, physiological and neurological effects of laughter even has a name attached to it – gelotology!

Me Time

Part of living a healthy and happy life is to make time to simply do something that you enjoy on your own, without feeling guilty about spending time with yourself and not with others. “Me” time does not refer to being alone, but to quality time, doing what you love!

Nutrition

Maize products in Mexico are much healthier than local products and the secret has been known for centuries in the Americas. Since ancient time Aztec, Mayan and Mexican civilizations have developed a process of cooking maize that effectively softens the maize and improves the taste, and which unintentionally also ensured that more nutrients remained in the food.

Physical Activity

Fitness and weight control are well-known major benefits of a rigorous exercise routine, but regular physical activity can also assist in reducing the risk of several diseases and health conditions. Keep in mind that exercise is but one of several good lifestyle habits for better health.

Salt Intake

The amount of salt in one’s diet is known to directly affect blood pressure in a linear fashion, indicating a link between high salt intake and high blood pressure.

Sleep

Healthy sleeping habits and a good night’s sleep (at least seven hours) allow the body time to do important physiological maintenance. During the initial phase of light sleep, the vast amount of information received that day is erased, and only the memories of importance are kept.

Smoking

Let’s face it, people smoke because they enjoy it. When you inhale nicotine, it immediately rushes to the brain, resulting in feelings of pleasure and reduced stress and anxiety. The pleasurable sensations result from nicotine stimulating the release of the chemicals dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain. How can something that feels so good, be bad for you?

Stress

Instead of succumbing to anxiety in a stressful situation, by using the right techniques you can actually “trick” your brain’s response to pressure to change from feeling “anxious” to rather feel “excited”, and to view the situation from being a “threat” to being a “challenge”.

Touch Love and Caring

“Candy is dandy, but sex don’t rot your teeth!”

It would be such a bonus when something that feels so good, is really good for you. Apart from the “feel good” and other emotional benefits, are there are any other benefits for the chemistry in your body?

Supplements

Before deciding on taking any supplements, a word of caution – too much of certain vitamins are as harmful as a deficiency. And a word of advice – before taking any supplements, it is best to have the proper blood- and other tests done to determine what, if any, your body really requires.

Vitamin D

Tiny amounts of vitamin D are found in food such as egg yolks and oily fish, but not in sufficient quantities for the body’s needs.

Waist Size

Within our bodies lurks a silent, active and extremely dangerous assassin called Inner fat. It goes under a number of aliases – Abdominal fat, or Active fat, or Visceral fat, as it is known in medical circles. Visceral fat is quite bulky and hides out of reach, deep inside the abdominal cavity, where it occupies the spaces between the abdominal organs, and from where it launches a quiet onslaught on our bodies. Visceral fat is assisted by a partner in crime, Subcutaneous fat.

Water

When you consider that about 60% of your body weight is made up of water, it stands to reason that our bodies need regular replenishment of fluids to keep every system – all the biochemical processes – in the body functioning properly.