Sunday, January 28, 2024

The sun boosts your immune system

Sensible sun exposure has many health benefits. Many are the result of vitamin D production, which occurs when your skin is exposed to UV light, but many others are unrelated to vitamin D

Research shows both blue light and UVA light boosts the activity of T lymphocytes. As little as five to 10 minutes of sun exposure was needed to boost immune cell activity 


The healthiest blue light is from the sun, as it is balanced by near-infrared radiation, which activates cytochrome C oxidase in your mitochondria and helps optimize ATP production


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Saturday, January 27, 2024

Surprising salt facts !

Eating lots of salt will not make you thirsty or cause greater urine output. A study involving Russian cosmonauts reveal eating more salt actually lowered their thirst yet increased hunger

As your salt intake increases, your glucocorticoid hormone level rises, causing greater water availability (hence lower thirst) and increased fat and muscle breakdown — an energy-intensive process resulting in increased hunger


A high-salt diet will not increase your risk of heart disease. Having the correct potassium to sodium balance influences your risk for high blood pressure and heart disease to a far greater extent than high sodium alone


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Protect your brain with oral care

The delicate balance of bacteria in your mouth is as important to your health as your gut microbiome

Periodontal disease is initiated by an increase in Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacteria that also impairs your innate immune response and increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, autoimmune conditions and mental health disorders

When bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease enter into your circulatory system, your liver releases C-reactive proteins, which have inflammatory effects. Inflammation, in turn, is known to be a disease-causing force leading to most chronic illness


P. gingivalis has been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and may be a causative contributor to the condition. Failing to brush twice a day has been shown to increase the risk of dementia by as much as 65%, compared to brushing three times a day

A recent study involving 40,175 middle-aged adults with no history of stroke or dementia found that people with poor oral health had higher levels of neuroimaging markers associated with white brain matter injury. Because these markers precede and are established risk factors of stroke and dementia, the results suggest that oral health is a promising target for very early interventions focused on improving brain health

 

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Friday, January 26, 2024

Avoiding Urinary Tract Infections

About 80% to 90% of the time, UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria introduced to your urinary tract

UTI-causing E. coli may be introduced to your body from the food you eat, namely chicken, as well as pork and beef

One study suggested E. coli from food may cause 640,000 UTIs in the U.S. each year, and numbers may be higher in areas near concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) 


If not effectively treated, UTIs can progress to kidney infections and sepsis; deaths from UTIs increased by 2.4-fold from 1990 to 2019

Methylene blue is a highly effective agent against UTIs, as it kills virtually any pathogen in your bladder without disrupting the microbiome the way antibiotics do
 

Tips to avoid & cure UTIs

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Ineffective, but antidepressants use still growing

Between 1999 and 2014, use of antidepressants in the U.S. rose by 65%. As of 2014, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 11 men over the age of 12 reported taking antidepressant medication

One-quarter of those who had taken an antidepressant in the past month reported being on them for 10 years or more 


In Scotland, antidepressant use among children under the age of 12 quadrupled between 2009 and 2016; use among children under 18 doubled in the same time frame

In 2023, 21 million adults reported having had at least one major depressive episode
 

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Did Pfizer lie about the effectiveness of Covid jabs?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Pfizer, alleging the Big Pharma giant lied about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer “broadcast to the world” that its COVID-19 shot was 95% effective, leading Americans to believe that this was the panacea to end the pandemic, prompting them to receive the experimental product

Pfizer’s representation of its shot being 95% effective was deceptive, the suit claims, because Pfizer used relative risk reduction, which “unduly influences” consumer choice


Pfizer also engaged in a “deception campaign” surrounding its shot’s duration of protection and ability to stop transmission and protect against variants

As it became increasingly clear that Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot wasn’t living up to the hype, Pfizer engaged in a campaign to silence any critics by using censorship and intimidation against those telling the truth


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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Plastic in food

A Consumer Reports investigation into plasticizers, which are chemicals widely used to make plastic flexible, found the compounds in 84 out of 85 food and beverages tested

Bisphenol A (BPA) was found in 79% of the samples, which included fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, seafood, baby food and more; phthalates were detected in every food tested except one

The product with the most phthalates was Annie’s Organic Cheesy Ravioli, with 53,579 nanograms per serving; Del Monte sliced peaches and Chicken of the Sea pink salmon had the next highest levels 


Phthalates enter food via multiple avenues, including agriculture, pasteurization, packaging and from plastic tubing, conveyor belts and vinyl gloves

Plasticizer chemicals may contribute to multiple health problems, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, birth defects, premature birth, neurodevelopmental disorders and infertility


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