We all have our own “pet” – or favourite – subjects (!) and there aren’t any prizes for guessing one of ours. 

 

Water. As in, how much are you drinking each day – and, “no” tea and coffee don’t count! If we had a pound for every time someone said this to us, we’d be very rich indeed… 

 

Yes, we know, it can seem rather repetitive – not to mention boring (!) – at times, but there is method in our madness. 

 

While we don’t think of ourselves as living in water, in reality we do, with our bodies being made up of more than 75% water. Every one of the billions of cells found in our body is literally bathed in water. Our body’s main transport systems, the blood and lymph, are water based. The millions of chemical reactions occurring every second do so in water. And so the list goes on. 

Wheat has formed an essential part of the human diet for thousands of years. It’s something we all take for granted but how much do we really know about it? 

 

If you love bizarre facts – or pub quizzes (!) – this blog post is definitely for you! So here goes. 

 

The wheat we know today can be traced back to the interbreeding of three different grass species about 12,000 years ago. This so called “domestication of wheat” is said to mark a great step forward in our evolution. Allowing a move away from a nomadic lifestyle, where food was obtained by foraging and hunting; to a more settled one, with food produced by farming crops and herding animals. 

As humans we seem to want things to be simple, black and white. Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. Friend. Enemy. 

 

While these labels may be a useful way of quickly describing something, they also have at least one major flaw. Once a label is in place, rarely do we go back and reconsider whether it is a fair – and true – description of whatever it is. 

Sleep is one of those subjects people seem to get completely fixated by. It may be their bedtime routine. How much sleep they need.  

 

Why their friends / partner need more – or less – sleep than they do. What their day is going to be like if they don’t get enough sleep. And so the list goes on. 

 

From talking to many patients over the years, it’s clear there are lots of old wives tales – or myths – about sleep; but very little in the way of actual facts. 

 

So let’s try and shed some light on this most mysterious part of our lives. 

It’s amazing how many conversations have followed in the wake of our recent blog post about the modern day addiction to being “busy, busy, busy”. Hearing that people have actually read the post is great but, even better, it seems to have got you thinking too! 

 

Interestingly, many of these conversations have led on to a discussion about a related addiction; that of expecting a quick fix to everything that arises in our lives. Oh, and it must be easy, and cheap too. 

 

Whether it be food, communications, getting from A to B or health improvements; the expectation is the same. We want a QUICK FIX NOW!!! Just look at the adverts in a newspaper or on the television, and you’ll find this is the box they’re all trying to tick. 

Having posted two stories on our facebook page about Candida in the last few days, it seemed like the perfect topic for this week’s blog. 

 

Oh, and in case our choice of picture this week has completely confused you, our logic goes something like this. Here in the UK it’s now autumn; time of mushrooms, fungi and yeasts – which of course include Candida. Yes, we know it’s a bit of a tenuous link, but we loved the picture! Anyway, before we digress any further, back to Candia. 

This week we thought we’d have a change and bring some culture to our blog (!). So here goes… 

In the last few years cholesterol has been one of the media’s favourite subjects, with many column inches being devoted to it. The current focus is on statins – cholesterol lowering drugs – and proposals to automatically prescribe them to certain groups of patients on a “just in case” basis. 

 

Sadly the picture portrayed in the media that cholesterol is bad for you is only part of the story. While it is true that excess levels in the blood stream can lead to clogging of the arteries, cholesterol also plays a vital role in the overall functioning of the body. 

Last week’s post focussed on the physical side of stress. What happens to our bodies when we experience a stressful event – and how it’s changed little over the millennia. 

 

But have you ever stopped to wonder why we each have our own unique list of things that press our “stress buttons”? True, there are some things which we all tend to find stressful but, even then, you’ll still find those who are exceptions to the rule.  

 

So, if it isn’t the thing itself which is inherently stressful, what determines whether we find it stressful or not? 

Stress is the modern epidemic and scarcely a day goes by without it appearing in the papers or on the news. With it being such an ingrained part of our culture, it’s surprising that so many people struggle to explain exactly what it is. 

 

In part this is because there are so many possible causes but, more importantly, what is considered “stressful” varies from person to person. What is one person’s “enjoyable challenge” is another’s “last straw”.