Category Archives: Diet And Food

Bees and other pollinators are essential for our livelihoods. 90% of the globally produced food relies on bee-pollination. Without pollinators, our diet would be poor, based on rice, grain, maize, and only very few fruits and vegetables. However, for the past few decades, we have been witnessing a violent loss of wild pollinators and the honeybee colonies across the world.Slow Food has been among 100 European civil society organizations, advocating for political changes concerning European agriculture and its impact on biodiversity. With the European Citizens Initiative Save Bees and Farmers organizations aim to collect 1 million signatures to be able to call on the European Commission to introduce legal proposals to phase out synthetic pesticides, restore biodiversity and support farmers in the transition.Prof. Dave Goulson, University of Sussex pictureLast week, we asked our followers on social media to post questions that they had about bees and the importance to save them. Professor of biology Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex, who specializes in ecology and conversation conservation? of insectsshares his answers to several of your questions.

What is your favorite food? And would it be possible to produce this without bees?

I love so many foods, but the first one to come to mind was chocolate. Cacao does not need bees to set fruit, but it does need pollination by tiny flies.

Which are the species we are most reliant on for what concerns our food production?

The most important pollinators of crops include honeybees, wild bumblebees, and some of the more common solitary bees such as mason bees. But all pollinators have a role to play, including butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles and flies. Research has found that pollination of crops is more reliable if a diversity of different pollinating species is present, so we should look after all of them.

What kind of flowers can I plant at home to help bees? Would planting flowers in my balcony actually help?

My new book, and my Youtube channel, provide a lot of ideas. There are great plants suitable for pots on a balcony try marjoram, sage, chives and thyme, all useful for cooking too. If you have a garden, start with easy-to-grow plants such as catmint, lavender, borage, and Californian poppy. But there are many, many more!

What can we, as citizens, do to help bees to repopulate?

Grow bee-friendly flowers. Dont use pesticides. Put up a bee hotel. Mow your lawn infrequently. Buy local, organic, seasonal food.

Does eating honey from sustainable farms help? What kind of questions can we ask bee producers to find out if they are really sustainable? Increased price and stickers dont really cut it for me.

I love honey, and try to buy organic honey when I can find it. Unfortunately, keeping honey bees does have impacts on native pollinators, via competition for food and also by acting as a source of disease. You might ask them where they keep their bees; I do not think honey bees should be kept on nature reserves, which should be for wild bee species.

Which countries face the highest bee extinction rates? What about Europe?

We only have data for North America and Europe, where many wild bees are in decline and some have become extinct. Even in these continents, there are many species for which we have few data. It would be a good guess that bees in tropical forests have been hugely impacted by deforestation, but there is no monitoring of their numbers.

What are the biggest threats these species face?

Habitat loss, pesticides, foreign diseases spread with commercial bees, climate change; all are impacting.

What will happen if pollinators follow the current extinction rate in the next decades?

We are very likely to see crop yields falling, for insect pollinated crops, which include ~75% of all crop types. That will push up prices, and make it harder for poorer people to afford a healthy diet. There will also be impacts on wild plants, which of course also need pollination.

What would you recommend decision-makers do to counteract pollinators decline?

Move away from subsidizing and supporting industrial farming of commodity crops such as wheat and oilseed rape, toward a focus on small, sustainable farming systems aimed at producing healthy, seasonal food primarily for local markets. Systems such as permaculture, agroforestry and biodynamic farming appear able to combine biodiversity protectionand food production.

What is the difference between synthetic and natural pesticides?

Natural pesticides are extracted from nature, usually from plants. Very limited use is allowed in organic farming. Synthetic pesticides come from a chemical factory. Both natural and synthetic pesticides are harmful to insects.

What are neonicotinoids and why are they sometimes referred to as bee killers?

I could write a long essay on this! But, briefly, these insecticides are phenomenally toxic to bees. Five grams is enough to kill one and a quarter billion honeybees, and we apply hundreds of tons of them tolandscapes. They are systemic, permeating plants and getting into nectar and pollen. They are also persistent, lasting for years in soils and woody plants. However, we should not think that they are the only harmful pesticides! They are currently being replaced in Europe by new chemicals that seem similarly harmful. We need to learn a lesson, not just keep replacing one pesticide with another.

What is Integrated Pesticide Management (IPM) and how effective is it?

IPM is really a philosophy rather than a specific practice. It treats the pesticide as a last resort, using a range of other techniques to reduce the pest population; resistant crops, crop rotations, trap crops, encouraging natural enemies and so on. Different techniques work best in different crops. Only when all of these fails are the pesticide used. There is widespread agreement that every farmer should be using IPM, but sadly very few are.

Why do you think so many (European) farmers use synthetic pesticides, what are the ways in which farmers can reduce the risk posed by pesticides?

Farming has become very focused on maximizing yield, when in fact long-term sustainability and environmental health should come first. Pesticide companies encourage farmers to use more and more of their products, using marketing pressure, and by employing agronomists who often work on commission. In the UK, each field is treated with pesticides on average just over 17 times per year, nearly twice the number used in 1990. Pesticide companies are doing very well financially, but at the expense of human and environmental health

Should all synthetic pesticides be banned? Or will we always need some?

I would ban them all. With a little imagination, we could comfortably feed the world without them; right now, we grow about 3 times as much food as we need to feed everybody, but 1/3 is wasted, and about 1/3 is fed to livestock. The third that remains is most used to produce highly processed foods that are bad for us. Our current food production system is broken, and our planet is paying a heavy price.

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Dave Goulson: Financially Vulnerable People Will not be Able to Afford Healthy Diets if the Pollinators Continue to Follow the Current Extinction Rate...

Fasting is one of the latest diet trends. In fact, it was one of the most googled diets in the United States last year.

But does it really work?

Low-carb, low-fat, high-fat, vegan, paleo, theres no shortage of diets out there. Now, intermittent fasting is an approach thats taking the medical world by storm.

Intermittent fasting involves alternating periods of calorie restriction and normal eating. A study found mice that ate a high-fat diet around the clock developed fatty livers and diabetes. But those who ate the exact number of calories during an eight-hour span were slimmer and healthier.

Anne Haney Cross is a professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Intermittent fasting reduces the inflammatory profile in the blood," she said.

Researchers believe it can help with weight loss and illnesses, such as arthritis, migraines, bowel diseases and high blood pressure. It might also lower the risk of heart disease, Parkinsons, Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis. But there are some downsides.

"It's hard, I've tried it myself, Cross said.

A year-long study found those who fasted had higher cholesterol levels than those who didnt. The bottom line? While the jury may still be out, intermittent fasting is a diet that just might stick around.

There are a few different ways you can try intermittent fasting.

With alternate day fasting, you fast every other day. The "five:two plan" involves eating normally for five days a week and limiting calories to 500 or less two days a week. And theres the time-restricted approach in which you go 12 to 16 hours restricting food.

Excerpt from:
Intermittent fasting: The pros and cons | Features - WFMZ Allentown

From Women's Health

My name is Samara McKellar (@samara.fit.wlj), and I am 21 years old. I live in Kansas City, Missouri, and I am in college working towards my degree in early childhood education. After having to go on blood sugar medication and struggling to find clothes I felt comfortable going out in, I realized my weight was holding me back. I decided to change my eating habits and lifestyle, and I've lost 125 pounds.

My weight issues have always been apparent in my life. When I was younger, I was slightly overweight, and it made me uncomfortable at times. When I was around 12 years old, I went to an endocrinologist for a check-up, since both of my parents are diabetic. They never officially diagnosed me as pre-diabetic, but my hemoglobin A1C levels (used to screen for diabetes) were high enough to put me on medication to try and lower them and keep me out of the diabetes range.

As I got older, I went from being overweight to medically obeseto then being identified by doctors as morbidly obese. I would try out unhealthy fad diets in high school that would only last a week at most, then I would overeat after giving up. I had many supportive friends and peers in high school, but there were definitely people who also made rude comments that made me feel less-than due to my weight and looks. I saw food as a comforting way to deal with my emotions.

I was 18 years old and 294 poundsand I was trying to find an outfit to wear to a get together with friends. I was getting so upset about how I looked in everything, and how I felt about myself. I couldnt confidently go out and wear the clothes that I found most girls my age wore. I decided in that moment that I had to stop feeling this way and living out that scenario.

On the first day of January 2018, I told myself that I would work on boosting my self-esteem and my health. I would really try to eat healthier, and just start with one habit at a time.

There are *so many* low-calorie foods that are still very dense. This helped me a lot in the beginning because it was hard for my body to adjust from over-eating a ton of food to eating a healthy amount for my weight. However, eating lots of foods like fruits, vegetables, and eggs helped me to feel full for longer, even though they were low calorie.

I chose an eating plan that recommended using a calorie calculator and determined how many calories I could have a day if I wanted to lose one to two pounds a week. I followed that range of calories and used apps like Carb Manager to help me track my foods. I liked the Carb Manager app because it easily displayed calories as well as macronutrients. I also followed a low-carb diet that allowed for about 50 net carbs a day.

I also cut out almost all beverages with added sugar. Before I started trying to change my habits, there were days Id have two sweet teas or lots of soda. Now, I stick to water, green tea, and Crystal Light beverages. I realized the empty calories in sugary drinks never actually filled me up.

I believe that weight loss is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. Going to the gym helped motivate me to keep my eating on track. I wanted to keep my word to myself to eat healthy and make sure all the hard work I put in at the gym wouldnt go to waste by cheating too much on my diet. The gym also helped lift my mood and put me in a positive mindset when thinking about my weight-loss journey.

Usually my workouts consist of walking one-and-a-half or two miles on the treadmill, then doing 5 to 10 minutes on the StairMaster. After that, I will do some arms, abs, or legs.

I knew nothing about fitness and health before I had decided to seriously change my habits, but I became informed and dedicated. I went from a size 22 to a size 8. I am also happy to say, I no longer need that diabetes A1C medication. My blood work has come back at normal levels since losing so much weight.

I feel like a truly happy person on the inside, and so much healthier and free. I still enjoy my treats and my cheat meals in moderation, but I have found a new passion in my life. This journey made me realize how important self-love is regardless of size or weight. My weight and health were holding me back, and getting healthy was the best decision Ive ever made.

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'I Lost 125 Lbs. With This Low-Carb Diet And Finally Got Off Diabetes Medication I Was On Since My Teens' - Yahoo Lifestyle

In the quest for a weight loss magic bullet, some Americans have turned their attention to probiotics. Some believe that probiotic supplements which support the friendly bacteria that naturally live in the gut can help them shed extra pounds.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy

Are probiotics the weight loss tool weve been waiting for? Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, a researcher and expert on the gut microbiome, explains.

Years ago, scientists discovered that the makeup of friendlygut bacteria (known as the gut microbiota) was different in people who haveobesity than in people with an average weight.

To learn more, researchers implanted friendly gut bacteria from the different types of people into special mice without gut bacteria and found:

Given these findings, it seemed possible that gut bacteriaplay a role in regulating weight.

In humans, the only comparison researchers have to the mice study is with gut microbiota transplants (known as fecal transplants), Dr. Cresci says. Doctors perform fecal transplants for people who have an overgrowth of bad pathogenic gut bacteria called Clostridioides difficile. They place stool from a healthy person into the colon of the person with C. diff.

Researchers are finding that many naturally thin patients who receive a fecal transplant become overweight over time, Dr. Cresci says. Since 40% of Americans have obesity, its likely that 40% of the gut microbiota transplants came from a person with obesity, possibly causing this unexpected weight gain.

These findings created hope and hype that simply popping apill with the right gut microbiota could be the key to weight loss.

The problem with this logic is that fecal transfers includetrillions of diverse microbes that include bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts,Dr. Cresci says. With a probiotic, its likely a person could only receive afraction of that, with one to just a few beneficial microbes so theres noguarantee it will affect weight loss.

And even newer research looking at synbiotics (the combination of a probiotic and prebiotic) found they didnt affect weight loss or body composition. It wasnt a total buzzkill, though: Synbiotics did positively impact the composition of friendly gut bacteria.

I think its safe to say that the available probiotics probablywont help people lose much, if any, weight, says Dr. Cresci. But researcherscontinue to explore the link between weight and gut bacteria theres stillpotential.

Probiotics main claim to fame is enhancing your goodbacteria and keeping you in tip-top health. Even if a supplement wont causethe weight to fall off, should you take one anyway for your gut health?

What researchers do know is this: Healthy diet first,supplement second. A balance of healthy sources of proteins, fats andcarbohydrates is the most important factor in maintaining good gut bacteria. Thefriendly bacteria survive and thrive when fed high-fiber foods.

A low-fiber diet (low-carb and high-protein and/or high-fat),though, reduces the number of good bacteria.

Since a low-carb diet doesnt offer enough nutrition for the good bacteria, the gut microbiota blend shifts, and the beneficial ones get depleted. The bad bacteria then begin to take over, says Dr. Cresci.

In one study, researchers found that the bad bacteria consumed the protein and produced byproducts linked to higher rates of colon cancer.

So while the jury is still out on whether probiotics canlead to weight loss, its clear, once again, that a healthy diet is key. Ahigh-fiber diet can help you maintain gut and overall health. For somepeople, a probiotic could work alongside a nutritious diet to shore up guthealth. Talk to your doctor to see if its right for you.

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Could Probiotics Help With Weight Loss? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Jackson, TN, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- America is going week three of its unprecedented lockdown due to COVID-19 fears. Both local and national governments as well as federal agencies have pretty much ordered the shutdowns of all non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of the virus. While were keeping ourselves isolated due to social distancing and stay at home orders to stay healthy, Diet Doc wants to remind consumers how important it is to take all aspects of your health into account during these uncertain times. Itll be important to maintain your health since your health status has a direct effect on your immunity, as well as your mental well-being. Other than using vitamin c, zinc and other herbal supplements, Diet Doc suggests that now may be a great time to invest in a total weight management program with guidance from specialized doctors and coaches who can conveniently help you by phone or computer, keeping your safety in mind. This type of program can:

Let us help you easily manage your weight without ever having to leave home. Diet Doc patients can call or easily and effortlessly visit https: https://www.dietdoc.comto complete an initial comprehensive, yet simple, health questionnaire and schedule an immediate personal, no-cost consultation. DietDocs physicians all received specialized training in nutritional science and fast weight loss. DietDoc reviews each patients health history to create a personalized diet plan geared for fast weight loss, or that addresses life-long issues causing weight loss to slow down or stop. Nutritionists work personally with each patient and use their own algorithm to craft meal and snack plans that are compatible with each patients age, gender, activity level, food preferences, nutritional needs and medical conditions. They combine these state-of-the-art diet plans with pure, prescription diet products that enable their patients to resist the temptation to reach for sugary snacks, eliminate fatigue and curb the appetite. Over 97% of DietDoc patients report incredible weight loss results with the majority losing between 10-15 lbs. or more pounds per month.

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Diet Doc is the nation's leader in medical, weight loss offering a full line of prescription medication, doctor, nurse and nutritional coaching support. For over a decade, Diet Doc has produced a sophisticated, doctor designed weight loss program that addresses each individual specific health need to promote fast, safe and long-term weight loss.

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Disclaimer: The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from healthcare practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.

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Diet Doc Stresses to Consumers the Importance of Keeping Weight Gain to a Minimum Amid COVID-19 - Yahoo Finance

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This is the fourth in a series of six articles about Earth Day Networks five campaigns for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

On the first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to protest environmental degradation, launching the modern environmental movement.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of many 50th anniversary events, and others have moved into the digital sphere. But one campaign Foodprints for the Future is all about changes you make at home.

Most people are familiar with the concept of an ecological footprint ones impact on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

So many people are talking about mitigating the climate crisis and all these things that we can try to do. But food is never at the forefront of it. You cant talk about ways to mitigate the climate crisis if you dont talk about our agricultural system and animal agriculture in particular, said Jillian Semaan, director of food and environment at Earth Day Network.

Food has a tremendous environmental impact. The impact of growing, producing, transporting, and storing food is called a foodprint. Our World in Data reports that food production accounts for 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, 70 percent of global freshwater use, and 78 percent of global water pollution.

Many factors, such as access, affordability, health, and culture, influence our food choices. No single prescribed diet can work for everyone, so Earth Day Network launched Foodprints for the Future last year to highlight the different ways individuals and institutions can make an impact on their foodprints.

With Foodprints for the Future, we really want to be able to allow folks to connect their food choices to climate change, how what we are consuming really does affect the planet, said Semaan.

The two biggest steps people can take to reduce their foodprint are to eliminate animal products from their diet and reduce food waste. In 2018, the journal Science published the most comprehensive study to date of agricultures environmental impacts. They concluded that meat and dairy only provide one-fifth of the worlds calories and a bit more than a third of the protein. Yet they use 83 percent of farmland and produce 60 percent of agricultures greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one-third of the worlds annual food production goes uneaten every year. That wasted food accounts for 8 percent of human global greenhouse gas emissions. Some of that loss happens along the supply chain, but the USDA estimates Americans waste $218 billion dollars worth of food every year about 400 pounds per person, approximately $660 each.

Most Americans are surprised to learn that a vegetarian diet will save them money. Image: Jennifer Schmidt, Unsplash

Earth Day Network partnered with Yale Program on Climate Change Communication to survey Americans about their understanding of foods relationship to the environment. Their February 2020 report found that fewer than 5 percent of Americans have committed to a vegetarian or vegan diet. However, more than half of Americans are willing to cut down on red meat and eat more plant-based food. Yet, most of them rarely or never hear about the topic in the media or talk about it with friends or family. Nearly two-thirds reported having never been asked to eat more plant-based foods.

Some of the results surprised the researchers.

Most Americans think that a meat-based meal is less expensive than a plant-based meal, said Semaan. That was intriguing to me personally. After I was astounded by it, I took a step back and could see that. Yes, in some places, asparagus is $4.99 for a bunch.

For people who are not familiar with vegetarian meal planning, the relatively low prices of vegetarian staples like beans and tofu may not be obvious. As a result, most Americans are surprised to learn that a vegetarian diet can save about $750 in grocery costs per year.

Earth Day Network is working on creating webinars and tutorials to replace in-person events. But in the meantime, you can explore their existing foodprint resources. Start by calculating the impact of your own diet and reading about how food production impacts climate change. Then try to incorporate their suggested hacks for moving toward a plant-based diet.

Semaan suggests that incremental change is best for creating new habits that last. For most people, trying to make a major lifestyle change all at once results in giving up.

I would recommend going plant-based once a week. We have a pledge on our website to do just that, said Semaan. I wouldnt recommend to just give everything up at once, because for the average person thats not realistic.

Feature image courtesy of Photo byGunel Najafzade on Unsplash

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Foodprints for the Future Earth Day 2020 - Earth911.com

Dr. Anusha Vadlamudi with Allergy Partners of Coastal Carolina shares some information about this vital part of the body and how it works

Essential for survival, the immune system defends the body against germs and works to prevent or limit infection and illness. The body depends on the immune system to be able to fight harmful substances that come into the body from the outside and harmful changes that occur inside the body.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, the immune system can distinguish between normal, healthy cells and unhealthy cells by recognizing a variety of danger cues. After sensing foreign substances such as a toxin, bacteria, or virus, the immune system reacts to deal with the problem.

Dr. Anusha Vadlamudi, MD, board certified in allergy/immunology and pediatrics, is a provider at Allergy Partners of Coastal Carolina. She shared some information about this vital part of the body and how it works.

1. The immune system includes various parts of the body including skin, bone marrow, and the bloodstream.

The immune system is our defense system made up of a network of special organs, cells, and chemicals that interact and work together to fight infections, said Vadlamudi.

Bone marrow and thymus are primary organs where immune cells are generated and trained, said Vadlamudi. Lymphatic system, which includes lymph nodes and spleen, monitors the blood and detects and responds to pathogens and malignant cells.

The immune system also includes the skin and lymphatic tissue in the mucous membranes, which can be found in the respiratory tract, such as the tonsils and adenoids, reproductive tract, small intestine, and urinary tract. In fact, immune cells such as white blood cells, their products, such as antibodies, and chemicals such as chemokines, enzymes, etc. are present throughout the body in most organ systems, Vadlamudi said.

2. Two main ways onesimmunesystem defends the body is through innate and adaptive immunity. Innate Immunity, present at birth, and adaptive immunity (sometimes called acquired immunity) are two main parts of the immune system and work together to form an immune response through which the body recognizes and defends itself against bacteria, viruses and other substances it perceives to be foreign and harmful.

When the body detects foreign substances, also called antigens, the immune system begins working to recognize the antigens and get rid of them. An antigen is any substance that triggers ones immune system to make antibodies against it to try to fight it off. Innateimmunityis something already present in the body and is triggered by the chemical/structural properties of the foreign substance, Vadlamudi said.

According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, innate immunity, the first part to respond to an invader, involves barriers that prevent harmful materials from entering ones body and includes the cough reflex, skin, stomach acid, enzymes in tears and skin oils, etc.

Adaptiveimmunityis more complex, Vadlamudi said. Theimmunesystemkeeps a record of every microbe it has ever defeated, in types of white blood cells (B and T lymphocytes) called memory cells.

This memory makes future responses against a specific antigen more efficient. Viral infections like the flu and the common cold have to be fought many times because so many strains of the same type of virus can cause these illnesses. Therefore, getting a cold from one virus does not give youimmunityagainst the others.

3. Defects of the immune system can make someone vulnerable to infection, allergies, autoimmune diseases and even cancer.

According to the NIAID, when the immune system cannot activate an immune response when necessary problems such as infection occur. Problems such as allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases occur if an immune response is activated without a real threat or isnt turned off even after danger is gone. For example, if ones immune system reacts defensively after encountering usually harmless thingssuch as eggs or peanuts, theres probably an allergy.

Several factors can prevent an immune system from functioning properly. For example, primary immune deficiency diseases impair the immune system. These rare disorders are caused by genetic mutations affecting various parts of theimmunesystem.

PIDs are outnumbered by acquiredimmunedeficiencies, caused by factors such as chronic viral infections (such as HIV or hepatitis C), malnutrition, malignancy, diseases like cystic fibrosis, protein loss from gastrointestinal problems or kidney problems, bone marrow disease, medications such as immunosuppression or radiation, and life events such as trauma, surgery, aging etc., said Vadlamudi.

4. A healthy diet, stress management and sufficient sleep are beneficial to theimmunesystem.

Other than our genetics, ourimmunesystemis impacted by our diet, lifestyle and our environment, Vadlamudi. There are numerous nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are required to support the normal functioning of our immune system. Supplements are not necessary if you eat a well-balanced,healthy diet. Ensuring your diet has adequate Vitamin D, Zinc, Vitamins (B12, B6, B9 aka folic acid), Vitamin C, and Omega 3 fatty acids is important. There is evidence that a healthy gut microbiome may keep yourimmunesystemfunctioning optimally; so, you may consider keeping these gut bacteria healthy with prebiotics and probiotics. Chronic stress can suppressimmunity; stress management as well as getting enough sleep and exercise are all very important. Please keep in mind that hand washing, social distancing and self-isolation if symptomatic remain the most efficient ways to actively prevent infections.

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4 things to know about the immune system - Burlington Times News

Until recently, being catapulted into a health crisis was typically a solitary affair. Even if you had the privilege ofgreatsupport and help, you still got sick on your own. You searched for a treatment plan on your own. You kept all the other plates in your life spinning on your own. Now, of course, we're all a facingcatastrophicillness together, learning what it feels like when the ground gives way under our feet. Which is why we can learn a few things from those who've been there.

"The prologue is typical of women like me," author and musician Sarah Ramey writes in her new memoir. "A simple and innocuous medical event often with a gyro or gastro tilt that should have resolved simply, but didn't." Foryearsafter a seemingly minor infection and procedure for it,Ramey was living inside the identity of a chronically ill woman one for whom doctors had no answers, except that perhaps her symptoms were psychological in their roots.

"The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness"is Ramey's account of her quest for answers in a healthcare system that is often antagonistic to patients, especially female ones. She chronicles the wearying toll of pain andthe frustration of trying to get a test deemed "an indulgence."And she also explores the meteoric rise in "unnamed" conditions that affect millions of women searching for causes and possible solutions. Salon spoke to Ramey recently about her decade-long odyssey, and her hopes for the post-pandemic healthcare landscape.

Tell me about how you became a full-time patient.

The way it began with me was with a botched surgery that set off two major problems. One was a mechanical problem from the botching of the surgery. The other was the true mystery part of it: being extremely tired, muscles aching all the time, digestive system shutting down. I had been completely healthy and really active prior to this,and then all of a sudden just extremely sick for no clear reason.

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My parents are both physicians, so for the firstyear I was ferried around to the best possible minds to evaluate what was going on. "Why is she in so much pain? Why is she sick all the time?" In the beginning, everybody took it quite seriously. A lot of them knew me. They knew that I wasa normal, active young lady, and all of a sudden I was very sick. Of course, something had to be very wrong.

But as they ran all the tests and looked foreverything any smart physician could think of and everything came back negative, a new diagnosis started to emerge. One urologist who had just performed this really horrible procedure took me into his office with my parents. Instead of talking to me, he looks at my parents and says, "You know, this test was negative. What I really think is going on here, like so many other young women her age, is this problem is psychological."

That was the first time that that happened. Then that would happen hundreds of times after that. In the absence of being able to understand what was going on, it became everyone's easiest way to think about it it must be some sort of psychosomatic issue. This is extremely common; I would say default.It's not that women come in and arealways dismissed out of hand. It's that when the tests come back negative, then the default in my experience and the hundreds of women that I've interviewed is, "If we can't figure it out with the tests that we have available, then it must be psychological."

This started for me in 2003. I was completely unaware thatwas a phenomenon. I really trusted medicine. I really felt very safe in the medical world. But then about two years into it I metsomebody like me.I callpeople like us WOMIs "a woman with a mysterious illness."

She was telling me the story of her experience in the medical world, and it was a carbon copy of mine. I felt like, this is a miracle.After that, I started to meet so many women. Thesymptoms are not always the same. But the story is exactly the same. Once they're not able to figure it out and usually it's in the same family of neuroendocrine immune problems then the assumption is that it's psychosomatic.

There's a phrase you use "the marginalization of mystery illness." It becomes, "We can't figure it out, so you're wrong. The disappointment is not on us, it's on you."

Yes. And this is such a strange moment to be talking aboutanything wrong with medicine or with doctors, because right now doctors are doing the thing that we all love and revere and respect about doctors. I really appreciate everything that doctors do. But there are some real problems in the system that I do think have to do with the unconscious biases a lot of physicians have towards,probably any marginalized person, but definitely women. I think both men and women, male and female physicians,learn that women are these nervous Nellies. It's important to understand that's a problem in the psyche of the physician; it's not a problem in the psyche of the patient. The power dynamic is so unbalanced. That's a really difficult position to be in, because you don't have the ability to make them not think that and make them treat you appropriately and make them fund the study of your disease.

The inherent patriarchal nature of medicine is certainly not new. Our American healthcare system was designed to treat male patients. The male body is the default. Yetnow there is this explosion of women reporting similarsymptoms. It isverymuch a younger female issue. What do you think isat the root of that?

The first thingis that nobody can say because so little research has been put into studying those problems. They don't get studied as physiologic, biomedical problems. There's no data. That's why they're mysterious. It's not because they are impossible to understand; it's because they haven't been studied almost at all.

I do think of the people that have been looking at this and have been taking this seriously for a long time, there are two camps that have a lot of overlap. Personally, I think the best theory is that we've made a lot of changes to our everyday lives. We have really changed our diets. We take so many antibiotics and then eat a diet that inherently imbalances our microbiome. We know that has real neuro inflammatory effects. It can inflame what's called the microglia, which is part of the central nervous system. They think that is part of what is driving some of these neuro and endocrine problems in people like me. But it's complicated.

It's sort of the opposite of a virus that comes in out of nowhere. It's instead what happens when you really disrupt the foundations of everyday, likewhen you disrupt the diet and how much you move around and how much social connection you have and how much you sleep. All things that we think of as soft and unimportant or whatever,actually really do have cumulative effects.

I talk about something called functional medicine. Functional medicine really talks about how we've changed our diet, the amount that we move around, our social connection, these things that really have an impact. Also the amount of chemicals that we use in an everyday way, and in an acute way.

Over the course of time, it does appear these things that we've changed measurably, radically in the last 60, 70 yearsare having an effect on our health. We can see it clearly with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, the metabolic diseases. That's much more visible. But over on what I would call the neuroendocrine immune branch of the chronic illness tree that we're growing autoimmunity, all these gut problems, irritable bowel, endocrine problems, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and all of the neuro inflammatory problems like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgiathose I think are also growing out into the same underlying problem of disrupting the microbiome, of changing the diet, etc.

These neuroendocrine immune problems, one theory is that it has so much to do with how all these things are stressing the body. And one major difference between the male body and the female body is the stress response. It's different. The female stress response is more sensitive to some of these more subtle changes in the environment, probably having to do with, if you're the body that has to carry new life into the world, you need to be sensitive to the environment around you. That's one theory about this, and you can't brush it all off because it's going toaffect this super fragile, new life in your body. The theory is that the female is sort of the canary in the coal mine here that's responding to all of these changes that we've made.

The problem is because the female is responding first and we don't study or particularly care about the female response, that it's just being ignored. It's allowing this huge problem to balloon. It's going completely unstudied and and dismissed, even though there are so many people that are suffering and dealing with all of these problems.

It's very clear that just in the past couple of years a community has arisen over these symptoms. Yet there is a lot of false information out there, a lot of misinformation,a lot of snake oil. There is hope for the medical community, but in the meantime, what would you say to women who are experiencing these mysterious illnesses?

This is a very imperfect suggestion, but there is almost no help for people like this in conventional medicine.You will just be treated really poorly if you try to go from doctor to doctor to doctor waiting for someone to take you seriously and help you. I wish it wasn't true, but thatreally is true. So what happens is you have to defect outside of conventional medicine into quote, "alternative medicine," which is just a jungle. [There are] so many differentmodalities, and everyone telling you that they can cure you and help you and heal you. So what I always recommend to people is at least starting with and reading aboutfunctional medicine.

The reason is that I think functional medicine is the group of practitioners in alternative medicine who have shifted through all the bulls**t, and have left the most evidence based and the most clinically evidentthings that peopleare seeing are working for the largest number of people. It's like a filter for all of the nonsense. It's not a perfect filter, but it's one filter. Functional medicine practitioners, I think, are offering currently some of the best therapies. Just asa baseline, they are going to look at what's going on in your gut, which I personally think is very important. They are going to help use what's available to modulate the gut microbiome, which is a diet and sometimes herbs and things like that.

It may be in a couple of years that conventional medicine is just going to give you a fecal transplant and that's it. But right now we don't have that. So you have some of these more quote "alternative" ways of manipulating the gut microbe, That's why I would start with functional medicine. If you have really severe chronic fatigue syndrome or really severe mystery illness or really severe Lyme, there are some centers like the Center for Complex Diseases, the Bateman Horne Center. Stanford has a myalgic encephalomyelitis, which is the other name for chronic fatigue syndrome, [initiative]. Those are also worth looking at.

It's just thatthere are millions of us. That's why I don't usually recommend like specific centers. Functional medicine is more widely available.The problem is you can't guarantee the quality of a functional medicine doctor. You don't know if they're going to be a Yahoo or not. I do think that this is like the best of a really imperfect, cobbled together system that is doing its best to try to help people like us. But it's better than being told that you're crazy and it's better than saying, "Oh you're severely ill. Let me just put some crystals on your forehead and I'll give you some lavender oil." That just drives me crazy, when somebody is really sick and somebody that's gone to a training over the weekend is advertising that they can help you. The reason I suggest functional medicine is, I think out of all of it, it's doing the best to sift through the wheat from the chaff.

What is it like for someone like you right now living through this pandemic? There isan increasingly large population of people who are going to get this virus. We certainly see here in New York city that thepeople who are becoming infected and becoming very sick are young. Surprisingly young. I am curious what it feels like to you and to the people that you've been talking to, watching this, and what you're doing to cope.

I am going to give you an honest answer here, which is that I think everybody in this community and people like me feels very similarly to everybody else. This isa catastrophe of unimaginable proportions in every direction. And it's just horrifying. A lot of people in the chronic illness community are doing wonderful things tohelp other people cope with being homebound suddenly and learning to live the way that we've done for a long time.I really admire that. But I feel that it is very difficult.

When I was homebound or bedridden for long periods of time, there were a lot of people in my life who said me, "You are so lucky. I wish I could work from home. It's just so hard being out in the world and being so busy all of the time. Lucky you." Or when I when I wasn't able to work, people would just say, "Oh, you'll find something. It's fine. Just look on the bright side. Everything will be fine."

To watch so many people struggling with being homebound, watching their job go up in smoke, suddenly feelingon the the brink of economic ruin and watching the government not doing enough, not having enough tests, having no tests, all of these things are the things that people in my community have been suffering with for decades, and being told that we're making it up, that it's just a hallucination. It's wild to watch suddenly everyone having almost a carbon copy experience of how horrifying it is. It's just what everybody is describing, as a tsunami that'sgenuinely threatening to sweep your whole life away, and how horrifying that is.

I hope this shared experience of how bad that actually iscan open up, after all of this is done, a better conversation about the lives of people in my community that have been dealing with a lot of these same components for a really long time. And maybe allow people to be a little bit more empathetic and helpful as we move forward.

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Mystery illnesses are on the rise with women, whom doctors are dismissing as "nervous Nellies" - Salon

Brij Bhushan Goel is an insurance advisor who lives in Shalimargh Bagh, Delhi, in a family of seven. While his day job sees him advising people over the phone on insurance products, his passion is to talk about naturopathy. Having got a diploma in naturopathy and yoga from the International Foundation of Health and Yoga, Delhi, in 1988, he has practised the oldest form of healing for 34 years. Through this time he has been on a raw diet.

What made you begin eating raw foods?

It was while formally studying naturopathy in 1986 that I first came across the concept of raw food. As an experiment, I stayed on raw foods for 10 days. I felt very good and that made me research further. Through my research, I discovered that raw foods can give one a balanced diet with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fibres, vitamin and minerals. I also realised that raw foods have a lot of variety: fruits, seeds, dry fruits and also cover all tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Within 10 days I was able to see changes in my body.

What kind of changes did you notice?

Well, it wasnt like I was sick or had a particular disease, but I used to get tired after a days work. Within 10 days of switching to raw food, I saw my stamina and energy increase. I felt much lighter and less lethargic.

Wasnt it difficult initially?

Not really. I never forced myself. If I had a great urge to eat cooked food or a strong craving, I indulged in it. But I felt I was doing an experiment on myself, so I closely watched how my body felt after I ate cooked food. I could see the difference and within two to three months my cravings went away. I started discussing what I was learning in my naturopathy course with my wife. She too tried it. There has been no looking back since.

What about the rest of the household?

Initially the rest of the family members ate mostly cooked food. But slowly they moved to a 50-50 diet. Everyone eats at least one plate of fruits, one of salad, and drinks one glass of vegetable juice daily.

Daily meals

How do you manage in social situations at a wedding or when youre invited to dinner, for instance?

Initially when I went to peoples houses, I would tell them I only eat raw foods. Relatives would often get hassled trying to find something to feed me and also feel bad if they couldnt. So I stared saying I am on a complete fast. That solved a lot of problems. My wife and I always try and eat before going for larger functions. Sometimes these functions have fruits laid out, but at times we dont find anything to eat. Over time I have seen people change. The same people who use to insist that I eat something cooked earlier, now serve fruits along with other items whenever there is a gathering in their homes.

What about the excessive pesticide use that we are witnessing today?

Pesticides are chemicals that will remain the same whether you cook or dont cook. The main thing is to wash and clean everything thoroughly. We wipe everything with a dry cloth after washing. Take the example of grapes: DDT is sprayed on them. That is why you will see white spots emerge on washed grapes. We just wipe the grapes with a clean cloth.

Are there any principles you follow?

I soak everything that is hard or very dry before eating -- not roast or heat, but soak. This includes dried fruits, nuts and seeds. To draw the benefit out of food, it must get properly digested. Hard or dry things, if not soaked adequately can cause more harm than good. I dont drink milk or tea of any kind. If I ever feel the need, I drink coconut water or honey and lemon water. I dont add salt to anything; most vegetables have their own salt. I only eat condiments that I can eat raw, like ginger, mint, coriander, and turmeric. While all grains can be sprouted, not all get soft enough to eat raw. Its difficult with beans like rajma, but sprouted wheat is soft. I eat that as well as raw sweet corn.

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We may be currently stuck at home due to the 21-day lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic but it is very important to have a fitness regime in place.

According to various researches, being sedentary not only has a detrimental effect on physical health, but also affects mental health. Working out regularly and being physically active can help lower stress and blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, and prevent the onset of diabetes.

Our immune system works effectively when it flushes out bacteria from our lungs and airways, increases white blood cell counts, and raises our body temperature.

Many of us might also be feeling bogged and getting depressed during the lockdown. Being active helps in lowering the stress hormones like cortisol and helps in releasing the feel-good hormone, endorphin.

Shaun T, an American fitness trainer, motivator, and television personality led on with some motivation for the week for people who have been self-isolating themselves.

While we are at home and we try to learn one skill or the other, cooking has emerged as one of the top favourites among the lot.

A healthy diet can help in reducing the chances of cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, obesity, as well as depression and anxiety.

As long as we keep the processed foods that are high in sugar at arms length and follow a diet that comprises complex carbohydrates that are found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, we will be on the road to good health.

Yogurt can also help in keeping our gut healthy.

Maintaining a proper sleep cycle should be a top priority during this period. A good night of sleep will help our bodies repair its cells, clear toxins, consolidate our memories, and process information.

Sleep deprivation can have major health impacts such as negatively affecting our psychological health and emotional intelligence. For most people, six to nine hours of sleep per night is enough.

During the lockdown, remember to maintain a proper sleep pattern and wake up at a proper time. This will help in maintaining a normal routine throughout the day. Further, limiting the electronic screen time before going to sleep can also help.

While working out in the open is not an option now, there are a lot of home workouts that can keep our physical and mental health in optimum condition,

Taking a dig on the word quarantine, Cricketer Hardik Pandya motivated his fans to not just sit around, but also workout.

You can also walk up and down the staircase in your home or building (if you have one), jog in one place, do jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups at home. You can also take out your skipping rope and start skipping in an open area in your home.

Though we cannot meet our friends and family freely now social media has helped us stay connected with each other.

We can still keep in touch with our friends and families over voice calls, video calls, messengers, and social media platforms.

Now more than ever, staying connected with our loved ones is as important as following a healthy diet, sleeping well, and engaging in physical exercise.

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? And how are you dealing with it? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus Disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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Stay safe, stay fit: Here are 4 ways to stay healthy during the coronavirus lockdown on World Health Day - YourStory