Dear Friends,

Welcome to my March news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Groundbreaking medical development

Stimulating spinal cord helps paralysed people to walk again

Three people once paralysed by complete spinal-cord injuries can walk, swim, work the pedals of a bicycle and even paddle canoes, thanks to an implant that stimulates neurons in their spinal cords. In a paper published on 7 February in Nature Medicine1, neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and his colleagues describe the first implant specifically designed to control movement by mimicking the signals the lower body usually receives from the brain and upper spinal cord. How a revolutionary technique got people with spinal-cord injuries back on their feet. A completely severed spinal cord disrupts the electrical signals from the brain that tell parts of the body below the injury how to balance and move, resulting in paralysis that is usually irreversible.

Read the full Article by Nature here

Nutrition & Health

Thinking food: What’s ‘healthy’ and ‘sustainable’?

What constitutes a ‘healthy diet’ has been endlessly debated and the advice on eating changes almost year on year. With the dangerous rise in non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes) which has occurred over the last fifty or so years – significantly accelerating from the 1980s onwards with increasing industrialised food production – it has never been more important to think about what you eat.

Read the full Article by The Sustainable Food Trust here

Eating prunes may help protect against bone loss in older women

It’s already well known that prunes are good for your gut, but new Penn State research suggests they may be good for bone health, too.In a research review, the researchers found that prunes can help prevent or delay bone loss in postmenopausal women, possibly due to their ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to bone loss. “In postmenopausal women, lower levels of estrogen can trigger a rise of oxidative stress and inflammation, increasing the risk of weakening bones that may lead to fractures,” said Connie Rogers, associate professor of nutritional sciences and physiology. “Incorporating prunes into the diet may help protect bones by slowing or reversing this process.”

Read the full Article by Science Daily here

Mental Health

Can microdosing psychedelics boost mental health? Here’s what the evidence suggests

In recent years, psychedelic drugs have evolved from a taboo topic to one gaining acceptance in mainstream quarters of society. Psychedelics are even heading for general medical approval, having been designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A growing number are turning to microdosing, regularly ingesting five to 10 percent of the mind-bending amount in a quest to enhance well-being, improve work, or diminish depression and other psychological demons without triggering the drug’s full effects.

Click here to read the full Article by National Geographic

‘I forget everything’: the benefits of nature for mental health

Although you’ve likely had seaweed on your cucumber rolls or maybe in the form of a salad, the benefits of seaweed are immeasurable. The beloved marine plant sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, and it’s been deemed a superfood, providing numerous health benefits to those who eat it. That’s why a number of companies in California are currently dedicating time, space, energy, and money to growing it. “The growth of the seaweed aquaculture industry is good for the economy and good for the ocean,” reads an article from the Global Seafood Alliance. “The process of growing seaweed is environmentally-friendly.

Read the full Article by Green Matters here

COVID’s mental-health toll: how scientists are tracking a surge in depression

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year, new fast-spreading variants have caused a surge in infections in many countries, and renewed lockdowns. The devastation of the pandemic — millions of deaths, economic strife and unprecedented curbs on social interaction — has already had a marked effect on people’s mental health. Researchers worldwide are investigating the causes and impacts of this stress, and some fear that the deterioration in mental health could linger long after the pandemic has subsided. Ultimately, scientists hope that they can use the mountains of data being collected in studies about mental health to link the impact of particular control measures to changes in people’s well-being, and to inform the management of future pandemics.

Read the full Article by Nature

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my February news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Natural & Holistic Remedies

Cubans turn to natural remedies in midst of prescription drugs shortage

Cuba has a long folk history of using medicinal plants in both Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies and for the treatment of common ailments. Today, with many prescription drugs in short supply—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—plant-based medications and alternative treatments such as acupuncture, cupping, and therapeutic massages have become increasingly important. Cuba’s economy has been ailing for decades, exacerbated by mismanagement, longtime United States sanctions, the collapse of the Soviet Union—Cuba’s former benefactor—in 1991, and limited trade with friendly nations including Venezuela, which has endured an economic crisis of its own.

Read the full Article by National Geographic here

Holistic treatment: is laughter really the best medicine?

The astronomical success of Bo Burnham’s 2021 comedy special Inside reveals a universal truth: comedy is inherently tied to all extremes of the human experience. Burnham himself recognises the complicated relationship between his comedy and mental health, having taken a four-year hiatus due to his panic attacks on stage. Conversely, Inside exists in a state of flux – the viewer is a voyeur watching the specific deterioration of one man’s mental health in isolation. And yet, they find catharsis in its commonality. Equal parts pervasive and perversive, it is irrefutable that Burnham’s special uniquely encapsulates the spirit of the times.

Read the full Article by Pallatinate here

Covid-19 Updates 

Will Omicron end the pandemic? Here’s what experts say

The variant’s rapid spread, different vaccine strategies and varying levels of immunity worldwide make the pandemic’s future difficult to model. On 11 January, just seven weeks after the Omicron variant was first reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a “tidal wave” of infection washing from west to east across the world. Fifty of the 53 countries in Europe and central Asia had reported cases of Omicron, said Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe. Countries would have to cope as best they could, he said, guided by their individual epidemiological situation, available resources, vaccination-uptake status and socio-economic context.

Click here to read the full Article by Nature

Environmental Updates

The Health and Environmental Benefits of Seaweed Are Beyond Impressive

Although you’ve likely had seaweed on your cucumber rolls or maybe in the form of a salad, the benefits of seaweed are immeasurable. The beloved marine plant sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, and it’s been deemed a superfood, providing numerous health benefits to those who eat it. That’s why a number of companies in California are currently dedicating time, space, energy, and money to growing it. “The growth of the seaweed aquaculture industry is good for the economy and good for the ocean,” reads an article from the Global Seafood Alliance. “The process of growing seaweed is environmentally-friendly.

Read the full Article by Green Matters here

How a lifetime of recording the world’s wild places is leaving a unique legacy of sound

The life’s work of British audio recordist Martyn Stewart captured tens of thousands of hours of pristine soundscapes brimming with life, some from sonic environments now lost. Now it’s being preserved to help the planet – and its people. The rush of seawater against a stone shore, the soft rustling of a tree canopy, the hiss of cicadas drifting on waves of heat-humid air. These are the sounds of nature long associated with mental wellbeing, a kind of auditory balm to sooth stressed minds. Switch your visual senses off and allow your imagination to linger on what you hear, and the suggestive experience of listening can transport you anywhere – as well as reveal the densities and intricacies of life present in any one landscape.

Read the full Article by National Geographic

Plastics in soil threaten food security, health, and environment: FAO

Plastic pollution has become pervasive in agricultural soils, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the UN agriculture agency, posing a threat to food security, people’s health, and the environment. While plastic refuse littering beaches and oceans draws high-profile attention, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability: a call for action suggests that the land we use to grow our food is contaminated with even larger quantities of plastic pollutants. “Soils are one of the main receptors of agricultural plastics and are known to contain larger quantities of microplastics than oceans”, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo said in the report’s foreword.

Read the full Article by United Nation here

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year and welcome to my January news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Recapping 2021

10 key global health moments from 2021

It has been a year of colossal efforts in global health. Countries battled COVID-19, which claimed more lives in 2021 than in 2020, while struggling to keep other health services running. Health and care workers have borne the lion’s share of these efforts but often received little recognition or reward. Life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments were rolled out, but overwhelmingly in the richest countries, leaving many populations unprotected, especially in lower-income countries.  Across other health areas, from diabetes to dementia, there have been both setbacks and hard-won successes.

Read the full Article by the WHO here

Green Living

Stop Ecocide International

‘Ecocide’ is a word to describe what is happening to our planet; the mass damage and destruction of the natural living world.  It literally means “killing one’s home”. And right now, in most of the world, no-one is held responsible. It’s time to change the rules.  It’s time to protect our home. We are working, together with a growing global network of lawyers, diplomats, and across all sectors of civil society, towards making ecocide an international crime.

Read the full Stop Ecocide article

Contact with nature in cities reduces loneliness, study shows

Loneliness is significant mental health concern and can raise risk of death by 45%, say scientists. Contact with nature in cities significantly reduces feelings of loneliness, according to a team of scientists. Loneliness is a major public health concern, their research shows, and can raise a person’s risk of death by 45% – more than air pollution, obesity or alcohol abuse. The study is the first to assess how the environment can affect loneliness. It used real-time data, collected via a smartphone app, rather than relying on people’s memory of how they were feeling. The research found that feelings of overcrowding increased loneliness by an average of 39%. But when people were able to see trees or the sky, or hear birds, feelings of loneliness fell by 28%. Feelings of social inclusion also cut loneliness by 21%, and when these feelings coincided with contact with nature the beneficial effect was boosted by a further 18%.

Read the full Guardian Article

Beyond Science and Religion

Harald Walach on the Conversations Beyond Science and Religion podcast

As the case against materialism builds, the credentials of the opponents to this pessimistic view of the world continue to increase.  This show’s guest, Dr. Harald Walach, holds a double Ph.D in Clinical Psychology, and History and Theory of Science.  He is currently a professor with Poznan Medical University in Poznan, Poland, and author of more than 170 peer reviewed papers, 14 books, and 100 book chapters. He is also the main author of a special report issued by the Galileo Commission, entitled, Beyond a Materialistic Worldview: Towards an Expanded Science.

Click here to read the full Scientific & Medical Article

Technology Downsides

Distraction disaster! Notifications are ruining our concentration – here’s how to escape them

Whether socialising with friends or completing a difficult task, a ping on your phone can destroy the moment. It is time to address the constant stream of interruptions. Joanie (not her real name), a clinical psychologist who lives in London, has three work laptops. This is not uncommon when you’re spread across different NHS services. Sometimes, she feels like the 1980s synth supremo Paul Hardcastle, who used to dart between keyboards when performing on Top of the Pops. Except that he wasn’t always rudely interrupted by random notifications. “When I log on to one laptop,” she says, “this automatic thing comes on called Netpresenter player. It’s a ticker tape, like one of those bus-stop ads that keeps moving.”

Read the full WHO Article

Nutritional News

The food group that promotes healthy bones in adults – and it’s not dairy

A new dietary study has found a non-dairy food to improve bone health. Eating vegetables doesn’t just provide short term health benefits, according to a new study. Eating an extra 270g per day of vegetables for eight weeks has been linked to improved bone health and lower biomarkers for poor bone health. The exact mechanism is not known although there are several possible reasons proposed by the researchers. The results of the 102-person study were published in the Journal of Nutrition. Blood biomarkers for healthy bones were improved in the vegetable eating group. The researchers identified an increase in bone resorption, the breakdown of bone tissue to release the stored calcium into the blood.

Read the full Express Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my December news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

A Tobacco-free Generation

New Zealand plans to outlaw tobacco sales to citizens born after 2008

New Zealand will become the first country in the world to implement a “tobacco-free generation” policy, its government has announced, by banning all sales of tobacco from next year to anyone born after 2008. The legislation is expected to pass next year, and when it does anyone not yet aged 14 will become ineligible for the rest of their lives to buy tobacco in New Zealand. “As they age, they and future generations will never be legally able to purchase tobacco,” announced associate minister of health Ayesha Verrall, who is a physician and tuberculosis expert. “Because the truth is, there is no safe age to start smoking.”

Read the full Article by the BMJ here

Mental Health & Human Resilience

The neurobiology of resilience – Professor David Peters

Neuroscience makes possible a new understanding of human nature. The practice of medicine is particularly stressful, and neuroscience helps explain why this is the case. When work is demanding and recovery poor, persistent stress begins to distort our view of ourselves, our patients, and our working world. Empathic doctors are safer, more effective and happier in their work, yet empathy fades as stress levels rise and this fuels the journey into ‘burnout’.

Read the full Scientific & Medical Network article

Mental Health at Christmas: Some Tips for Coping

Christmas can be an isolating time for everyone, and it’s okay to prioritize yourself in a time of giving. The Christmas and New Year might seriously affect mental health, the pressure and expectations can be grave, which is why coping strategies are as important as ever. Below, we have showcased our latest infographic offering, this time with a seasonal theme, i.e., that of Christmas. This infographic aims to visually present the scale of negative mental health issues faced by some people in the UK during this time of year, together with common reasons why people may be negatively impacted by Christmas. Lastly, the infographic offers some useful tips to help alleviate the situation.

Read the full rehab4addiction Article 

Nutritional News

Good or bad? Top cardiologist gives verdict on chocolate, coffee and wine

Dark chocolate is a “joy” when it comes to keeping your heart healthy, coffee is likely protective, but wine is at best “neutral”, according to one of the world’s leading cardiologists. As editor of the European Heart Journal for more than a decade, Prof Thomas Lüscher led a team that sifted through 3,200 manuscripts from scientists and doctors every year. Only a fraction – those deemed “truly novel” and backed up with “solid data” – would be selected for publication. After stepping down from his role in charge of the world’s top cardiovascular medicine journal, Lüscher has given his verdict on one of the most frequently asked heart health research questions: are wine, chocolate and coffee good or bad for you?

Click here to read the full Guardian Article

WHO accelerates work on nutrition targets with new commitments

COVID-19 and climate change have exacerbated malnutrition in all its forms and threatened the sustainability and resilience of food systems around the world. At the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Tokyo on 7 – 8 December 2021, the World Health Organization has announced six new commitments to accelerate progress on the 2025 nutrition targets which have been pushed even further off course during the pandemic. Today, one third of all people around the world are affected by at least one form of malnutrition. Over 40% of all men and women (2.2 billion people) are now overweight or obese. While unhealthy diets are linked to at least 8 million deaths per year.

Read the full WHO Article

Chinese Medicine and Female Infertility – A Case Study

Chinese herbal medicine treatment on female infertility with high FSH

High FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) is one of many frustrating reasons which can lead to female infertility. Unfortunately what modern medicine can do is limited. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is used as a main treatment method. It helps to regulate menstruation and relieve some of the symptoms, however, this treatment does not necessarily improve poor ovarian reserves. The artificial oestrogen sends signals to the brain that it doesn’t need to stimulate the ovaries to produce oestrogen, which in turn causes a hormonal imbalance. Meanwhile, there are shortcomings of HRT, such as many side effectives, limited indications and many relative contraindications. The original problem is quick to recur after stopping the medicine, and there is a potential risk of cancer.

Read the full Herbal Reality Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my November news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Clean Environment and Wellbeing

It’s time to ‘green’ the people…Let’s get human health placed as high on the environmental agenda as the threat to the animals, plants and planet

Cancer Research UK say that our lifetime risk of cancer has now risen from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2! That means that half of us can now expect to get the diagnosis of this largely incurable illness along with the extremely expensive medical solutions of chemo- and radiotherapy, which are in themselves carcinogenic. What on earth have we done to our environment to create this level of cancer in human beings? For a healthy cell to become a cancer cell it must go through 6 levels of mutation. (For those with a genetic pre-disposition this can be just 2.

Read the full Article here

WHO, UN Partners Compile 500 Actions to Reduce Health and Environment Risks

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN partners have published a compendium of 500 actions to reduce death and diseases driven by environmental risk factors. The publication states that almost 25% of deaths worldwide could be prevented by fully implementing these actions. Along with the WHO, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) created the compendium, which the authors describe as the first resource of its kind, in bringing together expertise from across the UN system to address health and environment.

Read the full IISD article

Nutrition and Stress

A Probiotic/Prebiotic Combination Reduces Behavioral Symptoms Associated With Stress

A synbiotic (a probiotic plus a prebiotic) can reduce behavioral symptoms associated with stress by normalizing the populations of microorganisms in the gut and changing immune cell activity, according to a new study in animals from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York. The study was published in Frontiers in Immunology and supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements through the NIH Consortium for Advancing Research on Botanical and Other Natural Products (CARBON) Program.

Read the full NCCIH Article

Complementary Science

Know the Science of Complementary Health Approaches: What the Science Says

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s (NCCIH’s) “Know the Science” initiative is a resource to help consumers better understand complex scientific topics related to health research. It can help them be discerning about what they hear and read so they can make well-informed decisions, especially about complementary and integrative health, where many approaches are readily available in the marketplace and are often selected for self-care.

Read the full NCCIH Article

Female Health

World Menopause Day – food, mood & those menopause blues

Who would have ever thought the words ‘happy’ and ‘menopause’ could go together? What was once considered a taboo subject has now ‘happily’ become a mainstream discussion for women, men, and indeed employers, the world over. Celebrated author and Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Jackie Lynch, has an impressive list of female health and menopause credentials to her name with 3 leading titles: ‘The Right Bite’, ‘Va Va Voom – The 10 Day Energy Diet’ and her latest release ‘The Happy Menopause’, as well as her hugely popular podcast of the same name.

Read the full BANT Article

Herbal Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome

Gender discrimination in the Western Medical Model is a problem too often ignored. As Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, rightfully says “For generations, women have lived with a health and care system that is mostly designed by men, for men”. Exploring the condition of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) opens the door into the most critical problems women face in the medical model including normalization of symptoms and lack of treatment options. PMS is described as the onset of psychological and physiological symptoms up to 2 weeks before menses with relief seen after the onset of menstruation. 

Read the full Herbal Reality Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my October news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Clean Environment and Wellbeing

Environment and health

A clean environment is essential for human health and well-being. At the same time, the local environment can also be a source of stressors – for example air pollution, noise, hazardous chemicals – that negatively affect health. The health of the EU population is also adversely affected by climate change, through heatwaves, floods and changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases. At a broader level, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation can also impact on human well-being by threatening the delivery of ecosystem services, such as access to freshwater and food production.

Read an extract from this European Environment Agency Article

Trees and Offsetting your Carbon Footprint

In this Tree Triage guide, we’ll cover: What your carbon footprint is, How trees can reduce your carbon footprint, How to measure your carbon footpring And much more! So, if you want to understand more about how your carbon footprint is impacting the planet and how trees can lower it, keep reading! The fact that fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide cause climate change is now well accepted. Every human being consumes products and services that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Our contribution to the aggregate greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is known as our carbon footprint.

Read the full Tree Triage article

Technology and Mental Health

How Email Can Negatively Impact Your Mental Health (and What To Do About It)

Email is stressful. That could be a baffling statement to some, but millions of people experience the scourge of email first-hand. This article will teach you everything you need to know about email and mental health. The needy client that demands round-the-clock attention. The boss who’s still organizing reports at 11 pm. The “one-up” company culture that expects employees to “go the extra mile” when out of the office. People are more connected than ever before. When these situations inevitably spill over into your email inbox, they begin to affect your everyday life. Bad emailing habits are not just “inconvenient,” they can be fundamentally damaging for staff members’ mental health and productivity. This guide will show you how email can negatively affect mental health, along with steps employees and managers can take to reduce email-related stress.

Click here to read the full Website Planet Article

Homeopathic Medicine

An Analysis of Four Government-Funded Reviews of Research on Homeopathic Medicine

Homeopathic medicine has been a controversial system of medicine for over 200 years. Today, homeopathy is a part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as well as a component of the emerging field of nanopharmacology. Around 100 million Europeans are estimated to use homeopathic medicine. In 1998, homeopathy was the most frequently used CAM therapy in five out of fourteen surveyed countries in Europe and was among the three most frequently used CAM therapies in six of the remaining nine surveyed countries. 

Read the full Cureus Article

Optimizing the Immune System

How To Optimize Your Immune System & Fight Viruses with Dr Roger Seheult

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s recent podcast episode is all about the immune system and his guest is Dr Roger Seheult. He is a California based medical doctor, who practises as a critical care doctor also specialising in pulmonology and sleep. Although you might expect an intensive care doctor to be concerned only with emergency medicine and quick fixes, Dr Seheult is really passionate about prevention. And when it comes to understanding inflammation and immunity, I can’t think of a better person to explain the science. Whether you’re worried about coronavirus, you want to avoid other winter bugs, or your goal is fending off chronic disease, I think you will find this conversation really useful.

Read the full Dr. Rangan Chatterjee Article

Nutritional Therapy and COVID-19

Nutritional Therapy Strategies for Long-COVID 

With the so-called curse of “Long-COVID” estimated to affect a third of people post-infection, the legacy of this virus is set to disrupt populations for years to come. It is still unclear as to why some people experience the virus more, or less, severely, and why prolonged symptoms linger in some but not in others. Inevitably there are still more questions than answers as the studies play catch-up with the reality of people living their lives blighted by persistent symptoms. Dubbed as ‘long-haulers’ these people are now seeking therapeutic strategies to alleviate and support long-COVID symptoms in a bid to get back to full health as quickly as possible.

Read the full BANT Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my September news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Further Reaches of Consciousness

Beyond The Brain 2021 – Further Reaches of Consciousness Research

Beyond the Brain is the world’s premier conference series exploring new research on whether and how consciousness and mind extend beyond the physical brain and body. This year’s event covers the limitations of scientific materialism, parapsychological research, implications of NDEs, savant syndrome, indigenous gateways to the soul and the nature of universal love. There will also be an experiential session on each day.

Read an extract from this Scientific and Medical Article

Nutrition

Why Migraine Sufferers May Want to Eat More Fish

For most of her life, Tanya Kamka suffered migraine headaches on a weekly basis. The headaches would usually come on gradually and then build, causing excruciating pain and pressure behind her left eye that would culminate in her vomiting or visiting the emergency room. The ordeal would often leave her feeling weak and exhausted for days afterward. “Anytime I had a migraine I’d be wiped out for three or four days,” said Ms. Kamka, 58, a post office clerk who lives near Fort Bragg, N.C. “I missed a lot of work because of migraines.”

Read the full NY Times article

Flavonoid-rich food could improve your gut microbiome and lower your blood pressure

A diet rich in flavonoid compounds is linked to lower blood pressure, a study has found, and the association is partly explained by an improved gut microbiome. Flavonoids are compounds found in plants. Foods rich in flavonoids include vegetables, fruits such as apples, pears and berries, and chocolate, tea and wine. In the body, they act as antioxidants, and provide protection from ultraviolet rays. They are broken down by the gut microbiome. “Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects, and this study provides evidence to suggest these blood pressure-lowering effects are achievable with simple changes to the daily diet,” said Prof Aedín Cassidy at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, lead investigator of the study.

Click here to read the full Science Focus Article

Pain Management

NIH-funded study suggests a single skills-based session on pain management packs a punch

A single two-hour session of a pain management skills class could offer as much benefit as eight sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients experiencing chronic low-back pain (CLBP), suggests a study published in JAMA Network Open. Supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, both part of the National Institutes of Health, the study explored whether a compressed intervention could lead to the same benefits as a longer-course of CBT.

Read the full NCCIH Article

Cancer Stories 

Wind Catching Systems designs giant floating wind farm with 117 turbines

Norwegian company Wind Catching Systems is developing a floating offshore wind power generator that could produce renewable energy for 80,000 homes at prices comparable to traditional fossil fuels. Named the Windcatcher, the structure would contain more than a hundred rotors stacked vertically within a 300-metre-high framework. According to the company, one Windcatcher could produce as much energy as five of the strongest floating turbines in existence while halving the price of the energy generated in the process. Wind Catching Systems aims to deploy the first structure within the next three years. “Our goal is to enable offshore wind operators and developers to produce electricity at a cost that competes with other energy sources, without subsidies,” Wind Catching Systems CEO Ole Heggheim told Dezeen.

Read the full Dezeen Article 

‘It’s a miracle crop’: the pioneers pushing the powers of seaweed

In his new venture, Barrett has been mindful of the Indigenous uses of seaweed as a fertilizer, and devised a kelp-based soil amendment that home gardeners and golf courses can use on their plants rather than chemical-laden fertilizers. Describing kelp as the “ocean’s first regenerative crop”, Barrett believes that by localizing seaweed production in New York he can revive the stymied maritime industry. “Seafood import rates in the US are around 90%. Seaweed is more than 94%. We try to bring it all back to being more local,” said Barrett. He adds that most seafood and seaweed products go through upwards of 15 purveyors, and that he is trying “to get that chain of custody down to three hands: a farmer, the company and a consumer”.

Read the full Guardian Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my August news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Women’s Empowerment and Health

WHO pledges extensive commitments towards women’s empowerment and health

The World Health Organization announced multiple commitments to drive change for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity at the Generation Equality Forum, held last week in Paris. The WHO commitments focused on ending gender-based violence; advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights; and supporting health workers as well as feminist movements and leadership.

Read an extract from this WHO Article

Sound Therapy

Sound research – Scientific innovations harness noise and acoustics for healing

From the original stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, to the fleeting chirp of gravitational waves, sound has reverberated throughout the history of technological and scientific advances. Today, the role of sound in science extends beyond the range of audible frequencies: Ultrasonic and other silent acoustic waves have made their way into researchers’ repertoire, helping them push the boundaries of conventional medicine and research.

Read the full Stanford article

Music and Health: Relating Target Engagement to Clinical Benefit—Biomarkers for Brain Disorders of Aging

This is the last of three meetings that are part of Phase I of a National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) project to develop evidence-based music therapies for brain disorders of aging.This meeting will gather input from participants in the music therapy/music medicine, neuroscience, behavioral intervention development, clinical trial methodology, and patient advocacy/art organization communities.

Click here to read the full NCCIH Article

Carnegie UK – Collective Wellbeing

Gross Domestic Wellbeing: loosening GDP’s hold

GDP – Gross Domestic Product – appeared for a long time to have a stranglehold over debates on economic progress and society’s welfare. It’s been the single number that people most often turn to and quote at each other; it’s used to claim political success or berate political failure; and it’s used as the basis of comparisons between countries. Over the last decade or so, there has been a concerted attempt to break this stranglehold. I won’t go into all the reports that have been the waymarkers on this debate. If you’re interested, I suggest starting by Googling “Stigliz/Sen/Fitoussi”.

Read the full Carnegie Trust Article

Cancer Stories 

Mindfulness for Cancer course by Penny Brohn UK and NCIM Healthcare

Penny Brohn UK partnered with NCIM Healthcare to deliver mindfulness courses for cancer patients & supporters with funding from Macmillan. The eight-week mindfulness course is specially adapted for people experiencing stress, anxiety or low mood following a cancer diagnosis. The courses have made a real difference to people’s wellbeing and how they cope in everyday life.

Further details about the course

Reimagining survival – Better cancer diagnostics and treatments are in the works

Cancer is a disease of the ages. For 4,000 years, humans have noted its destructive effects. Hippocrates dubbed the enemy Karkinos, for crab, because cancerous tumors are often firmly embedded in normal tissue, surrounded by “legs” of snaking blood vessels that deliver nutrients and oxygen. Pervasive, invasive and deadly, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. We have only recently found the means to fight back. Chemotherapy and radiation first arrived in the mid-1900s; President Richard Nixon declared a war on cancer in 1971, establishing the National Cancer Institute and increasing research funding. We’ve seen a slow march forward with small but meaningful victories since.

Read the full Stanford Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my July news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Environmental Updates  

Dartington Trust: Educating a new generation of agroecological farmers

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation advocates a widespread transition to agroecological farming in order to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development goals. But we can only achieve this if we change the way we educate the next generation of farmers and producers, writes  Regenerative Food and Farming lead, Caroline Aitken.

Read an extract from this Sustainable Food Trust Article

WHO joins the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration on World Environment Day

On the occasion of World Environment Day 2021, WHO has joined the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a partnership aimed at preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of our ecosystems and the diversity of life they sustain. WHO has joined the partnership as a collaborating agency, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and a large number of partners. Ecosystem restoration can significantly contribute to supporting health and well-being by helping to regulate infectious diseases, supporting food and nutrition security, and contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation.

Read the full WHO article

Let’s make Britain energy independent

Moving to 100% green energy is essential if we’re going to beat the climate crisis. But it also has other benefits, helping countries across the world be self-reliant when it comes to the energy they need. Our founder, Dale Vince, outlined his vision for energy independence in the Daily Express newspaper as part of their Green Britain campaign. “Fighting the climate crisis is usually presented from a perspective of morality: our obligation to look after the planet, to think of future generations – or even polar bears.

Click here to read the full Ecotricity Article

Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine 

Being vegetarian makes you less likely to develop cancer and heart disease, major study finds

Being a vegetarian makes you less likely to develop cancer and heart disease, a major new study has found. Scientists at the University of Glasgow analysed more than 177,000 adults in the UK to find out whether their dietary choice affected the level of disease markers in their bodies. They looked at 19 health indicators, known as biomarkers, in their blood and urine related to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and kidney function, as well as liver, bone and joint health.

Read the full MSN Article

BANT welcomes the BJGP article on the ‘lifestyle medicine movement’ and opens the door to further discussions

BANT welcomes the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) May 4th article on lifestyle medicine (1) and is encouraged by the acknowledgement of well-informed drivers validating this movement. “There are numerous drivers for lifestyle medicine. Our analysis does not aim to argue against the importance of these drivers as many of them are well informed”. Since its foundation in 1997, BANT, as a professional association, has been at the forefront of nutritional therapy (NT) and personalised nutrition in support of its nearly 3,500 members.

Read the full BANT Article

Gut to brain: Nerve cells detect what we eat

Nerve cells of the vagus nerve fulfill opposing tasks. The gut and the brain communicate with each other in order to adapt satiety and blood sugar levels during food consumption. The vagus nerve is an important communicator between these two organs. Researchers now took a closer look at the functions of the different nerve cells in the control center of the vagus nerve, and discovered something very surprising: although the nerve cells are located in the same control center, they innervate different regions of the gut and also differentially control satiety and blood sugar levels.

Read the full Science Daily Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my June news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.

With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel

Nutrition Against Disease

These Foods Have Natural Chemopreventive Properties

The greatest ally against chronic disease may be found in your everyday diet, from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables to popular beverages such as coffee and green tea. Food is life and this couldn’t be truer elsewhere than in disease prevention. An estimated 42% of all cancers, for one, may be prevented by diet and lifestyle alone. The numbers are likely to be even higher for some types of cancer. There’s increasing awareness of the power of food and herbs in preventing and helping to heal cancer.

Read the full Green Med Info Article

Meditative Practice and Cognitive Function

Meditative practice and spiritual wellbeing may preserve cognitive function in ageing

It is projected that up to 152 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by 2050. To date there are no drugs that have a substantial positive impact on either the prevention or reversal of cognitive decline. A growing body of evidence finds that targeting lifestyle and vascular risk factors have a beneficial effect on overall cognitive performance. A new review in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, published by IOS Press, examines research that finds spiritual fitness, a new concept in medicine that centers on psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and Kirtan Kriya, a simple 12-minute meditative practice, may reduce multiple risk factors for AD.

Read the full Science Daily Article

Environment

Seaspiracy: Is the fishing industry killing our oceans?

Is it possible to eat seafood sustainably? This is the question at the heart of Seaspiracy, the new Netflix documentary about commercial fishing that has dominated headlines, sparked debate and stirred up controversy. Directed by newcomer Ali Tabrizi and produced by Kip Anderson, the well-known environmental filmmaker behind Cowspiracy (2014), Seaspiracy reaches the dramatic conclusion that no, it is not possible to eat seafood sustainably. Instead, Seaspiracy asks that we give up fish altogether to save our oceans. But is it as simple as that?

Read the full Sustainable Food Trust Article

Mental Health

WHO and UNICEF launch new tools for the promotion of adolescent mental health

The Helping Adolescents Thrive Toolkit, launched today, provides programmatic guidance for people working in the health, social services, education and justice sectors on how to implement strategies for adolescent mental health promotion and protection. The Toolkit covers the legal foundations required for such programmes to succeed, the features of environments that are conducive to the well-being of adolescents, what support should be provided to parents and other caregivers, and psychosocial interventions that work.

Read the full WHO Article

Why Nature is the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 Complementary Health Approaches

During long months of the pandemic, millions of us turned to nature. Our research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic showed going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us reported being in green spaces had been vital for our mental health. Websites which showed footage from webcams of wildlife saw hits increase by over 2000%. Wider studies also found that during lockdowns, people not only spent more time in nature but were noticing it more.

Read the full Mental Health Foundation article

Mental health may play big role in recovery after a heart attack 

Young and middle-aged adults who reported severe psychological distress – such as depression or anxiety – after suffering a heart attack were more than twice as likely to suffer a second cardiac event within five years compared with those experiencing only mild distress, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session. The study is the first to comprehensively assess how mental health influences the outlook for younger heart attack survivors, according to the researchers.

Click here to read the full Science Daily Article

To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.

 Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust 

Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com