NEW DAWN HEALTH BLOG

Most people know if they need to lose weight. But if you want to know by how much, have a look at these health-focused measurement tools. Body Mass Index (BMI) If you want to know your BMI, here is a link to click on. It will take you to the National Institute of...

The simple answer is that it determines the quality of your long-term health. Inflammation is part of the body's defence mechanism. It is the way the immune system recognises and removes harmful substances or infections and begins the healing process. Inflammation can...

There are four areas of our lives that are fundamental to overall good health… Diet Exercise Sleep Handling stress So, I'm sure it's not a surprise to you that the food you eat every day, the exercise you take, the quality of your sleep and how well you handle your...

It’s thought that 1 in 5 older adults aged 50 and over in the UK are metabolically unhealthy. That means they have high blood sugars, too many unhealthy blood fats, high blood pressure and excess abdominal weight. Unless we regularly get them tested, most of us won’t...

Public Health England is recommending that we take Vitamin D supplements during the lockdown. Here is the link to the BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52371688 The National Institute of Health has written this full vitamin D factsheet:...

This super-easy meal is a must for anybody wanting good immune health. I will give you the recipe first and then the science bit afterwards. Firstly, I must give complete credit to Mr Michael Ash, who is one of our gurus in nutritional gut immune research. He’s one of...

You’ve no doubt heard the quotation from Hippocrates, “food is medicine”. Yes, food is medicine, but it’s also information. The concept of “food is information” comes from the famous professor of biochemistry, Dr Jeffrey Bland, who is considered by many to be the...

Over the last few posts, we have learned how genetic variations between us make us the individuals we are, both on the inside and on the outside. We know that food speaks to our genes and in turn, our genes can affect how our foods are processed. We understand that...

So how do we help our genes continue to work well as we age? How can we prevent DNA damage? Let's take a look at three diet and lifestyle factors you can optimise to support healthy genetic ageing - micronutrients, inflammation and stress. Micronutrients and DNA...

Genetic variations (SNPs) are one reason why we have different appetites; are satiated by different amounts of food and have different food preferences. Our genes also regulate how insulin works in our body; how many fat cells we make and how full they can get. Our...

Studying nutrigenomics, having my genes tested and having some blood tests done has given me two tangible benefits. Firstly, I make food and exercise choices based on my genetic predispositions and nutrient levels. And secondly, I relax about this being different to...

There’s a buzz-phrase used when learning about genes and nutrition, “Genes load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger”. What this means is that we may be predisposed to health challenges because of our gene variations (SNPs), but it’s what we do to ourselves that...

Introduction In this 6-part blog, I want to explore how food and genes interact together and how can we design a lifestyle strategy to help us become more resilient to the effects of ageing. Lifestyle instructs genes Up until recently, I thought that the genes I...

Dawn write a little section about this. Here are the 6 parts to understanding genes.   Part 1 - Introduction to genes Dawn write a little section about this. Read the detailed blog: Introduction to genes   Part 2 - Nutrients and genes Dawn write a little...

Today is my last post on the microbiome. Here are three recipes that I regularly make. Go on, give them a try! As your confidence grows, you can expand your repertoire using the many recipes and variations of these, online. A little a day, keeps trouble at bay!...

Caring for our microbiome is like tending to the soil in our vegetable garden. We need to weed it, seed it and feed it. We can weed-out, kill-off, or out-compete any unbeneficial species Then we can seed it with fermented foods and probiotics We need to make sure to...

Probiotics Probiotics are beneficial live microorganisms that we can eat to improve our health. As far as we know, they don’t necessarily take up residence in our gut but can give us benefits as they pass through. There are two ways to consume probiotics, either from...

The microbiome is like a barometer – it reflects if all will be calm or if a storm is brewing. Today's post looks at some of the tests and treatments currently available. The most common way to assess your microbiome is via a comprehensive digestive stool test. It can...

The differences between peoples’ microbiomes is one reason why we each have different susceptibility to different diseases. Microbial imbalances are thought to contribute to disease through the cross-talk between the microbes, the chemical waste products they produce...

Imagine a web of communication (some of it wireless) between all our cells. Microbes are the key link in this communication. A significant proportion of the calories we eat don’t get absorbed into the bloodstream for use by our bodies. Instead, the food is eaten by...

Antibiotics originated as one life form producing something against another life form. For example, penicillin is a substance produced by fungi which stops the growth of bacteria. Modern antibiotics are synthetically made and have been in widespread use to fight...

About 70% of our immune cells are housed in the lining of our gastrointestinal system, or gut. Our gut is the biggest immune organ of the body. Likewise, it’s also where the majority of our microorganisms reside. This is not a coincidence. It makes complete sense. The...

Our microbes: Help us digest our food. Protect our gut lining cells from pathogens and toxins. Help teach and mature our immune system to function properly. Make B vitamins, Vitamin K and amino acids (proteins). Break down, by fermentation, non-digestible dietary...

The microbiome is a community of microbes living in, and on, your body. Microbes are bacteria, fungi, yeasts and parasites. They are found in every part of your body, particularly your gut, but also your eyes, skin, sinuses, mucus membranes such as your mouth, lungs...

Introduction For many months now, I’ve been researching and listening to lectures about the human microbiome. My short, easy to digest (ha, ha, pun intended!) blog series is about how our gut microorganisms significantly influence all aspects of our health (and...

You probably know that we are born with 23,000 of our own genes, but by adulthood we will have acquired an additional 3.3 million bacterial genes. So that means, bacterial genes out-number human genes, by over 100:1! I was originally taught that our genes control...

You may have read in the papers today that gene testing is set to revolutionise cancer care. It is hoped that cancer patients are offered DNA tests to provide information that can guide highly personalised treatment, in terms of which drugs to use and how to...

National Arthritis Week - 12-19 Oct 2016 In support of helping those with arthritis, I offer this brief review of natural alternatives to painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS).  It might surprise you to know that in 2015, the prestigious British...

I’m sure you have all heard the expression, “we are what we eat”, well that’s only partly true because actually, “we are what we absorb”. Only when our digestive system is working properly by breaking down the food we eat into basic molecules of amino acids, fatty...

After a long summer and subsequent return to some serious studying, I have squeezed in a quick post...as it was so near to my heart, if you excuse the pun! This post is a little more serious than my last and I urge you to find 30 minutes to watch the video. It came to...

Have you ever considered how long we all spend "grooming" our hair, shaving our faces or bodies, washing & showering, applying creams, make-up & hair products? How long? Half an hour both morning and night, may be more? How much time do we spend buying clothes...

This is such a simple exercise, we can even ask our children to do it, to help them focus on whatever they want. There's nothing as true as the saying "you get what you focus on". An Alternate Model of Goal

I  subscribe to this group of health experts. This is a particularly practical article which is relevant to all of us and our children. I hope you learn something useful from it. The link below is to the article on their web site. You can join here if you want to....

I don't think I need to say much here! Suffice to say, let's all stop and have a think. When, in our busy day, can we take a moment to stop and put our health first. Would it be learning to eat slowly and thankfully, promoting good hormone release as we eat. Would it...

Here are 7 more green juice recipes you can try. They are from a great American group of health experts called "Food Matters". Enjoy!!!!!! Here's a link to their website: www.foodmatters.tv 1. Perfect Green Juice - Serves 1 1-2 celery stems 1/2 cucumber 1 large kale...

“What is that green drink”, my patients ask me with a look of horror and disbelief, half concealed by polite respect, all over their faces. “Good question, everybody always asks" I reply, smiling. So here’s the answer to all those good folks who have asked me that...

  Today, most patients who are treated by a physical therapist, by that I mean an osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor, need to realise that these manual therapies are using a variety of manual techniques to address the person's whole body function, not...

There are obvious qualities that we would expect from all health professionals. For example, trustworthy, approachable, have a good reputation, safe, competent and good at what they do. Treatment should be patient-orientated and evidence-based. My suggestion is to...