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'In this section of the Unwind website you will find an integrative approach to health where to restore your body to balance we're looking at natural input instead of using medication and surgery.
This includes how you eat, move, think, sleep & breathe plus what it means to 'up-regulate' your genes that code for health. The aim of all this is to make a difference to your health-span - the length of time a you are healthy, both physically and mentally. Most of us will agree that our ideal future will have a short disease-span (the time at the end of life characterised by frailty and disease) and a long and happy health span. It doesn't matter where you are starting from today, all you have to do is start making changes to the areas of your life you know can be improved upon. I invite you to digest the following, see what makes sense to you, apply it and reap the benefits. |
I invite you to digest the following, see what makes sense to you, apply it and reap the benefits. |
'Life extension should no longer be the primary goal of medicine when applied to people over 65 years of age. The principle outcome and most important metric of success would be extension of health-span.S. Jay Olshansky - University of Illinois at Chicago Epidemiologist.
A Healthy Life Expectancy (Health Span).
If you got to choose how the rest of your life (which includes your health and disease spans) plays out what would you wish for?
In 2003 my 83 year old Granny Joan died suddenly. A slim, fit woman, still gardening and dog walking, about to go out to dinner with friends, she collapsed with a dissecting aortic aneurysm and died within 48 hours. Fortunately we had time to speak on the phone and say 'See you soon'. Unlike our current national average of living the last 20% of life in the 'red zone' of sickness, pain and disability she got to live a full, healthy life with minimal time suffering.
20% of life potentially means 16.2 years for a male and 19.2 years for females in the UK*.
In 2003 my 83 year old Granny Joan died suddenly. A slim, fit woman, still gardening and dog walking, about to go out to dinner with friends, she collapsed with a dissecting aortic aneurysm and died within 48 hours. Fortunately we had time to speak on the phone and say 'See you soon'. Unlike our current national average of living the last 20% of life in the 'red zone' of sickness, pain and disability she got to live a full, healthy life with minimal time suffering.
20% of life potentially means 16.2 years for a male and 19.2 years for females in the UK*.
Olshansky refers to diseases and conditions in the 'red zone' which typically bring to mind our grandparents who's conditions have deteriorated to the point where they have no other choice than to move into a care home or such like. There are a growing number of healthcare practitioners, including myself, who are also talking about the ever expanding number of people in what I'll call the 'amber zone' - that transitional number of years spent with ongoing health issues which gradually encroach on normal, desirable daily life.
Whilst this is a rather depressing note to begin on, it is important to gain insight into the way your odds are stacked.
I am also here to tell you the good news...
Whilst this is a rather depressing note to begin on, it is important to gain insight into the way your odds are stacked.
I am also here to tell you the good news...
The Good News...!
Your genes are programmed for health. We get sick because our bodies have to adapt to the unhealthy stresses we expose them to. As soon as you start stacking up healthy choices on a daily basis these positive environmental signals soon start to show up as better health.
What we're aiming for is the root cause of the faulty environment your body had to adapt to in order to survive.
What we're aiming for is the root cause of the faulty environment your body had to adapt to in order to survive.
'Everything in Moderation'
It is worth bearing in mind that in all areas you are likely to find conflicting advice among respected experts and research evidence. I do like the concept of 'everything in moderation', and I am also acutely aware that everyone's interpretation of what 'moderation' means varies massively. This boils down to your own personal beliefs and values regarding what's healthy, what's not and what you believe to be true about yourself. Knowledge is power as they say and this is very true about making informed decisions about your strategy for having a fully functioning body and mind.
Most importantly, know exactly what you want for you.
Most importantly, know exactly what you want for you.
6 Foundations of Health
Click on each section to read more...
Healthy food choices & the increased risk of dementia by eating a high carb, low fat diet.
The subject of nutrition and the microbiome (the vast array of gut bacteria that outnumber your human cells by 10 to 1*) is a passion of mine. I love reading and listening to podcasts on the latest research and discoveries on longevity, epigenetics and human performance. To whet your appetite (pun intended) I have gathered several fantastic resources that I trust you will find intriguing and beneficial.
My hope is that you will be inspired find out more, apply this knowledge to your daily lives and run with it...literally!
*Allana Collen 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness.
My hope is that you will be inspired find out more, apply this knowledge to your daily lives and run with it...literally!
*Allana Collen 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness.
Without further a-do, I shall hand you over to the experts...
Food Choices & Dementia and Alzheimer's.This interview with Neurologist Dr David Perlmutter, M.D is a good place to gain an understanding of how our food choices affect our brain, body and mental health.
Dr Perlmutter has written several books which I highly recommend if you're keen to know more about how you can protect yourself against the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. |
The truth about cholesterol and fats. |
The Autoimmune Protocol.
The Autoimmune Wellness Website full of information and most importantly, the key steps to coach you through starting to make changes to your health through the Autoimmune Protocol.
The Nourish Balance Thrive Podcast.
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Move
Think
Sleep & The Effects of sleep DEPRIVATION.
Would you say you get enough sleep each night?
Do you wake in the morning feeling refreshed or do you need caffeine to get you going? Sadly, you're not alone if you're only getting less than 7 hours sleep a night. The World Health Organisation (WHO) have declared sleep loss an epidemic throughout industrialised nations.
Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor negatively affecting the immune system, increasing your risk of many chronic diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease and contributes to all major psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety and suicidality.
Too little sleep increases the concentration of a hormone that makes you feel hungry and so explains why people will have a tendency to eat more when sleep deprived, sending you reaching for the caffeine and sugary pick-me-ups.
Do you wake in the morning feeling refreshed or do you need caffeine to get you going? Sadly, you're not alone if you're only getting less than 7 hours sleep a night. The World Health Organisation (WHO) have declared sleep loss an epidemic throughout industrialised nations.
Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor negatively affecting the immune system, increasing your risk of many chronic diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease and contributes to all major psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety and suicidality.
Too little sleep increases the concentration of a hormone that makes you feel hungry and so explains why people will have a tendency to eat more when sleep deprived, sending you reaching for the caffeine and sugary pick-me-ups.
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If you would like to find out more about how sleep deprivation affects our health and wellbeing watch this short TED presentation by Matthew Walker, Sleep Scientist and Author of 'Why We Sleep'. If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend you do.
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- All major organs of the body and processes in the brain are optimally enhanced by sleep (and detrimentally impaired if we don't get enough). Sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorise and make logical decisions and choices.
- Sleep fine-tunes the balance of insulin and blood sugar levels, helps regulate appetite and the microbiome.
- Just one night of bad sleep is enough to cause physical and mental impairments that outweigh those caused by an equivalent lack of food or exercise can. This tells you just how important a good, solid 7-8 hours of sleep is for us.
Breathe
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To make the physiological changes in your body for health, research is pointing towards the importance of breathing correctly. Yes, I am actually going to teach you how to breathe. Here are some facts to ponder over...
How you breathe as a child determines how your face and teeth look as an adult.
Humans (and animals) are designed specifically to nose breathe. Nasal breathing and consequently the position of the tongue in the roof of the mouth assists craniofacial development as we grow. The pressure of the tongue determines the width of the face, brings the jaw into the optimum forwards position in the face, allowing room for the sinuses and airways.
Nasal breathing as opposed to mouth breathing releases Nitric Oxide from the paranasal sinuses which is necessary for dilating blood vessels and increasing the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the blood, essential for the release of oxygen in the tissues of the body.
Mouth breathing does not effectively release NO and instead activates our stress, anxiety states which lead to further fatigue and stress hormones.
Nasal breathing activates the part of the nervous system that supports rest, recovery and digestion rather than our stress-states responsible for survival; freeze, flight or fight.
The habit of mouth breathing, even without obstruction of the nasal cavities, alters the balance of the facial muscles and causes facial skeletal changes. It decreases O2 absorption leading to a downward spiral effect on sleep, stamina and energy levels.
Approximately 50% of children mouth breathe.
You have a 40% chance of developing ADHD, ADD if you habitually mouth breathe.
43% of men aged 50-70 have a sleep disorder and are at risk of sleep apnoea.
Overcrowding of the teeth is an airway problem.
Faulty breathing patterns can be addressed and this is the key.
How you breathe as a child determines how your face and teeth look as an adult.
Humans (and animals) are designed specifically to nose breathe. Nasal breathing and consequently the position of the tongue in the roof of the mouth assists craniofacial development as we grow. The pressure of the tongue determines the width of the face, brings the jaw into the optimum forwards position in the face, allowing room for the sinuses and airways.
Nasal breathing as opposed to mouth breathing releases Nitric Oxide from the paranasal sinuses which is necessary for dilating blood vessels and increasing the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the blood, essential for the release of oxygen in the tissues of the body.
Mouth breathing does not effectively release NO and instead activates our stress, anxiety states which lead to further fatigue and stress hormones.
Nasal breathing activates the part of the nervous system that supports rest, recovery and digestion rather than our stress-states responsible for survival; freeze, flight or fight.
The habit of mouth breathing, even without obstruction of the nasal cavities, alters the balance of the facial muscles and causes facial skeletal changes. It decreases O2 absorption leading to a downward spiral effect on sleep, stamina and energy levels.
Approximately 50% of children mouth breathe.
You have a 40% chance of developing ADHD, ADD if you habitually mouth breathe.
43% of men aged 50-70 have a sleep disorder and are at risk of sleep apnoea.
Overcrowding of the teeth is an airway problem.
Faulty breathing patterns can be addressed and this is the key.
Many healthcare professionals are unaware of the negative effects of MBS and that MBS leads to changes in tongue and head position. With MBS, the location of tongue is down and backwards instead of up and forward in the palate. The tongue position influences the pala- tal development, which if not properly positioned, can result in a deep vaulted hard palate and a deviated septum contributing to MBS, instead of a domed formation and properly formed septum. The tongue resting in the lower jaw can cause a forward head position. Every inch of forward head posture increases the weight of the head on the spine by approximately 10 pounds [5] creating an adverse load on the cervical joints, induced by poor spinal, cervical, and scapular postures. Additionally, the forward head position may strain the deep postural-stabilizing muscles of the spine, reducing the performance of their functional postural-supporting role [6].
Biohacks
The World Health Organisation have developed indicators to estimate the population's healthy life expectancy.
Below are two tables showing Survey Statistics for the UK in 2014-16 which give you an idea of where we are at.
Below are two tables showing Survey Statistics for the UK in 2014-16 which give you an idea of where we are at.
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Healthy life expectancy, life expectancy and the proportion of life spent healthy at birth, by sex in the UK, 2009 to 2011 and 2014 to 2016.
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Health state life expectancy at birth and at age 65 for males across constituent countries in the UK, 2014 to 2016.
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