Urinary tract infections are quite-common in women, though they can affect men too. Normally, the cause of these infections appears to be organisms (such as E. coli) making their way up the urethra (the pipe taking urine from the bladder to the outside) into the bladder where they can ‘set up camp’ on the bladder […]
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Podcast – 15th April 2011
A round-up of all this week’s blog posts (including exercise and the brain, iodine deficiency and thyroid function and the hazards of modern medicine, as well as an answer to a listener’s question regarding how to treat iron deficiency in pregnancy.
Why a diagnosis of celiac disease can be a blessing in disguise
Celiac disease is a condition that is characterised by intolerance to the protein gluten found in grains such as wheat, oats, rye and barley. Sensitivity to gluten can cause ‘flattening’ of the finger-like projections in the bowel, which essentially reduce its surface area. The dramatically reduced surface area caused by the condition tends to cause […]
Individuals with ‘normal’ thyroid function may still have symptoms of low thyroid function
The thyroid gland is the ‘master regulator’ of the body’s metabolism. Should its function falter (hypothyroidism) it can give rise to a wide range of symptoms including dry skin, dry hair, fatigue, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, cold extremities and low mood or depression. Standard blood tests for thyroid function include thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) […]
Long-term behavioural problems in adolescents linked with low stress hormone levels. Why?
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, and are the chief glands in the body responsible for the body’s response to stress. In short, when our brain senses stress it signals the adrenal glands to produce hormones such as adrenaline (ephinephrine) and cortisol. These hormones allow the body to respond to stress. Once […]
New study shows that it’s possible to react to gluten but not have coeliac disease
I was talking with a lady on Monday who told me that she had a ‘gluten intolerance’. Many doctors would assume this meant that the women had coeliac disease (a sensitivity to gluten in foodstuffs like wheat, rye and barley that causes bowel changes, bowel and abdominal symptoms, and may lead to malnourishment if left […]
Is ‘moderate drinking’ really good for the heart?
It’s a widely recognised idea in nutrition that moderate drinking is ‘healthy’. This advice is based on evidence which links moderate drinking with improved health outcomes (notably a reduced risk of death from heart disease) compared to not drinking at all. However, I remember more than 10 years ago sitting in a presentation given by […]
Walking linked with improved brain function later in life
While, in my experience, many individuals believe they have quite a degree of control over their physical function as they age, I’m not sure the same can be said for our general attitude to the functioning of the brain. My sense is most individuals believe that how well they maintain their mental faculties as they […]
Evidence suggests vitamin D has direct effect on risk of a wide ranges of diseases
Higher vitamin D levels and/or increased exposure to sunlight has been associated with a reduced risk of a wide variety of conditions including cardiovascular disease, auto-immune disease (disease where the immune system reacts against the body’s own tissues such as in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes) and several forms of cancer. However, […]
Low-GI/GL diets may help reduce risk of disease and death by quelling inflammation
Carbohydrates that tend to be disruptive for levels of sugar in the bloodstream (high glycaemic index carbs) can provoke disease-causing changes in the physiology and biochemistry in the body, including enhance inflammation (see here for more about this). The pro-inflammatory effect of high-GI carbs has important implications, because inflammation turns out to be a key […]
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