HEALTH HUB Latest Articles
The most amazing amino acid in the body!
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and over 60% of your muscle consists of glutamine. Strenuous exercise, viral and bacterial infections, stress and trauma in general, can cause glutamine depletion that starves the immune cells. Glutamine functions and health benefits Metabolism - glutamine is involved in more metabolic processes in the body than any other amino acid Detoxification - glutamine is a component of glutathione, which is a powerful intracellular antioxidant and hepatic detoxifier Energy - glutamine is converted into glucose when more glucose is required by the body as an energy source, and plays [...]
Sport is like a roller coaster
How is training going? Any little emotional and physical lows yet? Remember that sport is like life, it is a roller coaster and your strength of character as a person will be tested when things are not going well, not when everything is going smoothly...You will not always feel great, you won’t always be healthy but at the end of the day, the regularity and the attitude you have towards your training will make you who you are as an athlete! It is also about surrounding yourself with the right people, with the right attitude and a similar way of [...]
Alcohol and Nutrition
With the festive season upon us, there is no time like the present to remind you of the dangers of alcohol. Not wanting to be a kill joy - just a reminder to play safe, because our great Aussie past time of "getting on it" has astonishingly grave effects to not only your brain and reproductive function, but every cell within your body, inevitably leading to severe nutrient deficiencies. Meh, nutrient deficiencies you may say- well let me give you the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effects of nutrient deficiencies. Alcohol displaces foods- what does this [...]
Stress and Inflammation Kills
It doesn’t sound too nasty, so why does it kill us? What causes inflammation and how to reduce it Stress and Inflammation - as Time Magazine puts it - are the “Silent Killers” but do you really know just how true that statement is? If you live a life of simple dietary imbalance for long enough, then, by time you are in your 30’s you are on the road to diseases such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, clogged arteries, Chronic Fatigue, Cancer, Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and the hundreds of other diseases that make up the Auto Immune category. Auto immune [...]
Should you be eating dairy products?
If you’ve ever had a consultation with a naturopath, there’s a good chance you’ve been put on a dairy free diet. It’s pretty much expected after seeing a naturopath. Many people view dairy products as healthy foods that should be a regular part of the diet. After all, they are high in calcium and other minerals and a fair source of protein and fat. However, there are a lot of problems with dairy products too. They can have adverse effects on your immune system and digestive system, and the hormone residues in dairy products may raise your risk of suffering [...]
The Waist to Hip Ratio
By Elaine Davis - Weight Loss Detective Although a measurement of one’s BMI is an important determinant of weight and health status, there can be misleading results. If, for example, someone has a high muscle mass, they may appear to be ‘overweight’. Conversely, someone with a high percentage of body fat may appear to be in the ‘normal’ range. In recent years, another important measurement has been identified. In fact, this measurement is now recommended as standard by the British Diabetes Association. The measurement we are talking about is the Waist: Hip ratio. How to take your own waist hip [...]
What about cheese?
There aren’t a lot of good non-dairy substitutes for cheese and I find that many of my patients really struggle with staying away from cheese and yoghurt. There are some interesting recipes for non-dairy cheese and yoghurt on this website. Still craving cheese? This article may cure you. An article recently appeared in the British newspaper The Daily Mail, describing new varieties of cheese designed by scientists. The cheese was produced by bacteria obtained from human armpits, a foot, a bellybutton and tears. The cheese was not designed to be eaten; it was just an experiment. I doubt they’d [...]
Time to be called a real runner now!
How's the body coping? Time to be called a real runner now! No more walking from now on but make sure you start nice and easy. Nothing wrong with running at walking pace for the first 5min and then picking up the pace to a comfortable pace which should equal 60% of your max heart rate. Make sure you do not run too fast or you won’t be able to do the intensity properly as your body will be too tired, sore or rundown to get the quality in. When you go easy, go very easy and when you go [...]
Cholesterol and those other fats on your blood test!
Many people place a large focus on the importance of cholesterol levels, but what about the HDL's, LDL's and Triglycerides on your blood tests? Let's have a look at each of them a little closer and learn why they matter. Difference between triglycerides and cholesterol Triglycerides and cholesterol are both lipids (fats). They both circulate in the blood stream - ie, they are fats in your blood, carried through the blood vessels by carriers called lipoproteins. High levels of either can cause heart and circulatory problems. The difference between the two is in the structure- I won't pain you with [...]
Risk Factors For Gallbladder Disease
Risk factors for gallbladder disease Who is most likely to suffer with gallbladder disease? Women are far more likely to develop gallstones than men, and this is mostly because of the effect of female hormones. Medical students are taught to suspect gallstones if the patient is: Fat Fair Female Fertile (meaning before menopause) Forty, as this is the typical age when gallstones first present. Gallstones are more likely to occur in Western European, Hispanic and Native American people compared with Eastern European, Japanese and African American people. Being overweight increases the risk of getting gallstones by approximately 80 [...]
