If you like to discuss Trivia with your friends, here's one fact to bring up.  Researchers estimate that approximately 100 TRILLION bacteria live in the human gut, making up between 250-500 different species of bacteria.  As a matter of fact, according to a Science Daily article, we possess more bacterial cells than human cells.  But, the difference is that the human cells are much larger, approximately 10,000 times larger.  As a result, although in greater number, these bacterial cells only translate to about 3% of our body mass. Although the bacteria only make up 3% of our body mass, they are powerful enough to cause imbalances in the gut microbiome, thereby contributing to many health conditions. Specifically, many conditions and diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, and obesity, directly correlate to these imbalances.   Continue reading

When someone is dealing with a disease, we often hear them discuss it in terms of  "War Metaphors," such as killing the enemy and winning the fight against the disease. Some people believe that the battling words give them the energy and mind-power they need in order to stay positive.  It psychologically helps them to build the resilience needed to work through the various treatments for defeating their particular diseases.     But, many scholars and a few medical researchers argue that using these metaphors can be damaging to the patients, particularly when dealing with diseases that may not be entirely curable at this time, such as the Alzheimer's disease.  "If applied in a careless manner, war metaphors can delude our sense of what's possible therapeutically, and give false hope to people and caregivers who are suffering," says, Daniel R. George, assistant professor of medical humanities, Penn State College of Medicine.  Continue reading

The concept of Living Medicine relates to ALL aspects of our lives: our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual parts of our lives.  This also includes our own financial wellness.  According to Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Arizona, Deborah Bateman, "Financial UN-WELLNESS will lead to health problems." Think about it, if you are continually concerned about being financially stable, this can lead to un-health and un-wellness through worry, stress, and the inability to care for your mental, emotional, and physical needs, thus eventually resulting in health problems.  Therefore, in a fascinating teleconference call discussion between Dr. Gladys, Foundation Membership Director Pat Burns, and National Bank of Arizona Vice Chairman, Deborah Bateman, Ms. Bateman suggests that we look at our own financial wellness from a holistic view by taking self-responsibility and working on our financial survival plans early. What does this mean?  Ms. Bateman recommends that we focus on the following FOUR KEY AREAS in order to build our Financial Well-being: Continue reading

Do you remember taking all of those all-nighters in college and cramming for tests?  Living off of No-doz and staying up all night, we thought we were helping our memories.  Maybe, for the short-term tests the next day, it helped us some of the time.  But the truth is that sleep is really KEY for helping us to retain memory.  It is crucial for learning and forming long-term memories. Continue reading

If you've EVER had a kidney stone problem, you will be thrilled to learn the latest news!  Something as simple as a moderately-intense roller coaster ride could help your body pass small kidney stones.   Continue reading

Spiritually, we have always believed that there is a mind-body (and spirit) connection...and now, neuroscience is finally catching up.  Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh, led by lead author Richard P. Dum, Ph.D., have identified the neural network that connects the cerebral cortex with the adrenal medulla, which is the area that is triggered in times of 'flight vs. fright' stressful situations. Continue reading

For years, we have heard and read of the Power of Positive Thinking, and in the initial step of BELIEF that forms that foundation step in the art of positive thinking.  It is the driver that brings together our actions to make things happen. Continue reading

  Do you suffer from digestion problems? Do you have any issues, such as gas and bloating, constipation, loose stools, or food sensitivities? Food transit time, or the amount of time it takes for food to move from ingestion through elimination, plays a role in how healthy your system may be. Specifically, slower transit times (digestive time) allow more time for toxins and harmful degradation particles to negatively affect your health. Continue reading

It's From Your GUT, Not Your Head! Have you ever been so completely exhausted that it almost hurts and sleep could not even help you?  If you feel that way often, you may have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome... and you have probably been dismissed by your medical practitioner as only needing more rest.  But, aha!  Finally, there's an answer. Until very recently, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has always been believed to be a symptom of extreme exhaustion, or even, from some psychological issue.  But finally, not only has it been recently classified as a real disease, but scientists are finding markers in the gut microbiome  and blood that can diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS).  Continue reading

As we have discussed in many blog articles, our bodies are made up of more bacteria than actual cells, and these many trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms make up our microbiota, which is also known by many as microbiome. Everyone has their own ‘microbial community’ within them, and the makeup and balances within these communities vary for everyone.  Over recent years, microbiome research has become a hot topic. It has also been determined that not only do the microbiome help with digestion, but they also affect our autoimmune and gastrointestinal systems and many brain disorders. A healthy gut is key to our overall health. Continue reading