3 posts tagged “health”
We like to think of ourselves as 100% human, but it just isn't true! Non-human cells outnumber human cells 10 to 1 in a normal, healthy adult. Each of us is actually its own ecosystem. This idea is changing the way some biologists think. The collection of non-human cells and organisms is called the microbiome. Bacteria, fungi, and parasites are all in the mix and they live both inside and out.
Many of these "foreigners" are agents for good; we exist in a happy symbiosis. Some are actually needed just to keep us healthy. In fact, according to Esquire, the high incidence of certain diseases of the developed world such as asthma, allergies, and cancer may be due to the fact that we don't have these microbial friends.
Recent research has found correlations between such unlikely pairs as:
Many of these "foreigners" are agents for good; we exist in a happy symbiosis. Some are actually needed just to keep us healthy. In fact, according to Esquire, the high incidence of certain diseases of the developed world such as asthma, allergies, and cancer may be due to the fact that we don't have these microbial friends.
Recent research has found correlations between such unlikely pairs as:
- Helicobacter pylori, which can cause stomach ulcers, may decrease the likelihood of developing asthma as well as developing esophageal cancer
- Helminths, a kind of worm that has been with humans since the Stone Age, may boost the immune system
- A variant of bird flu can cause a kind obesity in both poultry and humans that strangely includes a low cholesterol score
- A particular strain of Escherichia coli isolated in 1917 prevents colitis. Other strains of E. coli wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal system as food poisoning victims can attest
- Certain kinds of bacteria that produce lactic acid (think yogurt) can bind and neutralize the toxins found in charred meat (large amounts of these toxins are linked to stomach cancers)
- Toxoplasma gondii reproduces in cats - but for humans who live in close contact can be infected, causing neurological and behavioral changes - i.e. crazy cat lady syndrome
If you needed "a cure for the living dead" or required "perpetual sunshine" between 1918-1928, you could take Radithor. It was a patent medicine whose active ingredient was radium isotopes. One man took so much his jaw had to be surgically removed.
Marie Curie's discovery of radioactive elements caught the nation's imagination. Radioactivity was viewed as a new kind of energy and was assumed to have healing powers.
Products that touted radioactivity as a special ingredient included radium toothpaste that was meant to whiten your teeth; a radioactive box that supposedly measured your feet for perfectly fitting shoes; bath salts; luminous watch dials and other glowing instruments for airplanes, etc.; a food additive and preservative; dishes; radioactive water; condoms and other sex-related items intended to boost performance.
Radium products were sold as treatments for rheumatism and arthritis.
Today, radiation therapy is currently limited to cancer treatment, although you can still find radium springs around the world that tout the low levels of radiation as a health benefit.
Marie Curie's discovery of radioactive elements caught the nation's imagination. Radioactivity was viewed as a new kind of energy and was assumed to have healing powers.
Products that touted radioactivity as a special ingredient included radium toothpaste that was meant to whiten your teeth; a radioactive box that supposedly measured your feet for perfectly fitting shoes; bath salts; luminous watch dials and other glowing instruments for airplanes, etc.; a food additive and preservative; dishes; radioactive water; condoms and other sex-related items intended to boost performance.
Radium products were sold as treatments for rheumatism and arthritis.
Today, radiation therapy is currently limited to cancer treatment, although you can still find radium springs around the world that tout the low levels of radiation as a health benefit.
Breaking: Donuts are 9% healthy!
According to the city of New York, trans fat-a-licious donuts are a hazard akin to automatic weapons, indoor smoking, and common sense - all of which are banned in city limits.
According to the city of New York, trans fat-a-licious donuts are a hazard akin to automatic weapons, indoor smoking, and common sense - all of which are banned in city limits.
