Human health related articles covering topics such as diet, exercise, and stress and how various factors affect our overall health, fitness and energy.
How does immunity work? There has been a lot of info in the media about immunity to covid, do we have long-lasting immunity if we are infected? The short answer is yes and this is why. Our immune system has multiple ways it fights off pathogens like viruses. We have 2 major categories of immune cells …
This video describes how blood sugar is regulated by the 2 main pancreas hormones, insulin and glucagon, as well as what happens when regulation goes wrong. Time Stamps The Pancreas – endocrine cells 0:04 Insulin and Glucagon 1:08 How different nutrients impact blood sugar 1:41 Negative feedback regulation 4:21 How insulin decreases blood sugar 6:38 …
This video describes the function of the adrenal gland hormones and the stress response, including epinephrine, aldosterone, cortisol, and DHEA. Time Stamps Adrenal Cortex and Medulla 0:10 Regions of the adrenal cortex 2:20 Aldosterone and blood pressure 4:11 DHEA 6:23 Cortisol 7:43 Cushing’s disease and symptoms of excess cortisol 13:25 Addison’s disease and low cortisol …
Inflammation is the underlying cause of all the chronic conditions we have today and that includes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, MS, Crohn’s, and celiac, neurological issues like Alzheimer’s, dementia, mood disorders, and anxiety. Inflammation is also the cause of the aches and pains associated with getting older, slow recovery of muscles …
The lining of our small intestine is where we absorb the nutrients we have digested. It is very important to have a healthy intestinal barrier so that only fully digested nutrients enter our bloodstream. If undigested large molecules leave the intestine and get into the interstitial space and bloodstream then an inflammatory response is triggered. …
How can you tell if your small intestine is healthy or damaged? Read More »
Bodyweight exercises are often underestimated as a valuable way to workout but they are very effective for building strength, cardiovascular fitness, balance, coordination, and flexibility. You can do a few bodyweight exercises every day in a very short period of time and gain all the same health benefits as going to a gym! Make it …
Alcohol sale’s have spiked during this Covid crisis. The increased consumption may be due to boredom while being stuck at home, a way to reduce stress and anxiety, or a false belief that it will help prevent infection. Link to chart below is here. There are some myths going around about alcohol consumption and the …
Sleep is essential for life. I think the most important factors for a healthy body are eating (healthy whole food), sleeping and exercise. Poor sleep quality and duration are associated with decreased immune function, increased stress hormones (that suppress the immune system), mood disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. In a normal night, we …
Curcumin is the active chemical in the spice turmeric. It has long been known that curcumin has many beneficial effects on inflammatory conditions, cancer, and infections. A 2019 article in Frontiers in Microbiology further investigated the antibacterial and antiviral actions of curcumin and found that it was very effective against several viruses including influenza, hepatitis …
All viruses need to bind to a receptor on our cell surface in order to enter and replicate. Here is an example of an influenza virus entering a cell. Every virus has a specific receptor it binds to in order to enter and infect a cell. What type of receptor does COVID use? COVID-19 infects …
ACE inhibitors and Ibuprofen – Any link to COVID severity? Read More »
As COVID-19 makes its way through the population it is important to consider how we can help our immune system cope with viral infections. In my previous article I described how our immune system generally deals with viral infections. In this article, I will discuss the specific role of vitamin D in viral infections. Vitamin …
Vitamin D reduces the severity of respiratory viral infections Read More »
Organisms and pathogens have been evolving together since the beginning of life on earth. Humans have always been exposed to infectious organisms and sometimes they kill us and sometimes we adapt and fight them off. What determines what pathogens kill us, why are some easier to fight off than others? Topics covered: How viruses infect …
Viral infections and how our immune system deals with it Read More »
