Medical Research Shows How To Sleep Better

If you’re one of the millions of Brits across the UK who are struggling to combine a goods night sleep with the pressures of family and work commitment, the good news is that you’re not the only one and by making some simple easy adjustments to you lifestyle, will iron out 95% of problems that you’re having sleeping.

Research suggests they average person in the UK needs between eight and nine hours of sleep every night. Typically those who sleep less that this start to run into health problems to include the brain having the ability to tell when it is not functioning correctly to health and social problems in extreme cases where the person develops insomnia.

How Many Hours

Before you think about making adjustments to your sleeping habit, you need understand how much sleep your body actually needs each night function correctly. Next time you’re on holiday and have had the initial few days to get over the tiredness and start to relax, count the number of hours that your sleeping for.

Typically this will be between six and ten hours depending on the level of activity you have taken during the day and how old you are. Remember, the older you get, the less your body needs to sleep.

Monitor how many hours you’re sleeping each night and over a few nights, record this information. Personally, when i tried this, i slept for 7 hours almost religiously every night. Once you have this number, you can start to make a sleeping plan which will help you get a better nights sleep.

Bed Time

Once you have worked out how much sleep your body needs every night, the next step is make sure that you go to bed at the same time every night whilst allowing yourself enough time to get in my case a seven hour sleep.

It’s very important that you stick to going to bed at the same time every night as research has shown that by doing this, your body get used to the time it’s meant to fall asleep. Of course this is not possible every night, but you need to get into to the repetition of following the 80/20 rule whereby as long as you’re doing this for 80% of the time, the other 20% will not matter. One point, I would recommend that you stick to going to bed at the same time for at least two months before you start using the 80/20 rule. This way, you give your body a chance to get used to the timings that it needs to follow before you start mixing it up.

Alarm Clock

Whilst going to bed at the same time every night is very important. getting up at the same time everyday is very important as well. By getting up at the same time everyday, you’re getting your body into a rhythm of both how much it can sleep every night, when it will go to sleep and when it needs to wake up.

Research has shown that people who go to bed and get up at the same time each and every day have a better quality of sleep than those that don’t follow a sleeping plan.

Again, research shows that exceptions are okay, however if you want to have a lie-in, try to make it no more than one hour each day, as this will give your body the time to adjust.

How To How To Sleep Better

Once you have worked out how much sleep your body actually needs, set a time to go to bed and a time to wake up, the next step is actually getting to sleep once you’re in bed.

Over the years there has been a lot of research to help people get to sleep and especially stop those who are suffering from insomnia get to sleep naturally without taking prescription drugs.

Below are 10 medically research facts to help you sleep

Bed-Time Rules

Work and sleep should not take place in the same place. This means that you should not be reading emails, looking at social media or even watching TV. Your bed is for sleeping and therefore getting into a routine whereby you work in one room and sleep in another has been proven to help you fall asleep.

Mobile screens such as those found on smartphones and IPads emit a blue light that helps your brain to produce melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that that the brain produces effectively to stay awake and when by using your iPad in bed, you’re telling your brain to stay awake rather than go to sleep.

Don’t Eat Before Bedtime

The midnight feast where you have had an early dinner before 6pm because your trying to loose weight, however it’s almost bedtime and you’re starving.

It may be tempting to reach for the kitchen cupboards and make your self a sandwich or find something in the fridge, however eating before you go to bed is a sure way to end up with heartburn which can easily ruin a nights sleep.

The problem with eating before you go to bed is your metabloism tends to slow down whilst your sleeping. This means that the digestive process is also slower and there is more chance that acid build up in your stomach will start to cause problems.

Don’t Touch Alcohol Right Before Bed

If you drink enough alcohol to knock yourself out, you will go to sleep, but it will be a terrible sleep that probably will not do anything for your tiredness. Alcohol stops you getting a good nights sleep because……..

On the same note, don’t think that a quick nightcap will do you any good. Yes it might help you get to sleep, however as soon as the alcohol wears off, it will wake you back up again and getting back to sleep, once you have already slept for a few hours is very difficult.

Relaxation

Relaxation before bed is an important part of getting to sleep. It’s purely psychological, but sends a signal to your brain that you’re getting ready to go to sleep. What you do to relax really does not matter, however i have had patients that found a lot of success with meditation. If you think this could work for you, check out the UCLA Research Center as it has a selection of free downloadable meditations that have been designed to help you sleep.

The Snooze Button

We discussed the importance of waking up at the same time each day to get your body into the rhythm of when it’s meant to be asleep and when it’s meant to be awake. The snooze button on your alarm clock is the killer to this process and does not help you wake up at all. Research shows that hitting the snooze button, falling back to sleep only makes it harder and takes you longer to get your body up and running.

Exercise

Taking exercise each day is not only important for your health, but it also help you refresh the body. A morning workout is a fantastic way to kick start the body, increase your metabolic rate and clear the brain setting yourself up for a productive day.

Whilst working out in the afternoon or evening is fine, don’t leave it until late at night as those endorphin’s swirling around your brain will not help you get to sleep.

Stop Worry Because You Cannot Sleep

Research shows that people who worry about getting to sleep start to develop negative emotions to sleeping such as fear and anger. This will not help you get to sleep and will instead have the opposite effect – lead to insomnia.

When your worried that you cannot sleep, your body produces stress hormones that make it even harder to get to sleep.

If you’re already at this stage, try stimulus control therapy as it has been proved to help breaking those associations. Rather than associate sleep with fear, you now associated sleep with sleeping.

If You Cannot Sleep

If you really cannot sleep, don’t simply lie there worrying about how the next day will go and the problems that you’re going to face with lack of sleep. Try to get out of bed and do something relaxing such as reading a book. Don’t use you computer or watch TV as these will cause you brain to start producing melatonin which will wake you up even more.

Trying Staying Awake

Recent medical research on insomniacs suggest that those that actually tried to stay awake, had a better quality of sleep than those that tried to sleep. This is because those that tried to stay awake stopped worrying about not sleeping and relaxed their brain to doing nothing.

What’s The Best Mouthwash For Bad Breath? 

Combating Halitosis (Bad Breath) is not as simple as using a mouthwash each day. You need to focus on cleaning your teeth, your tongue and rising your mouth with a decent mouthwash to pro-long the effect in your mouth and not to simply cure it. We have discussed how to clean your teeth here, your tongue here but in this section we’re looking at the best mouthwashes to really clean your mouth. 

Rather than just pick a few companies websites, look at what they say it the best mouthwash and pick one, we’re going to do things slightly differently and start by looking at what ingredients you actually need to combat bad breath, and then which mouthwash is the best based on the ingredients they contain which have been medical proved to treat halitosis (Bad Breath).

What I would say, the best mouthwash for bad breath is typically not the one with the highest concentration of one specific compound, and not the most well known on the market, but the one that contains a combination on ingredients to combat bad breath from different angles.

What Are We Looking For In The Best Mouthwash

The best mouthwash does not need to be able to remove bacteria from the mouth as we have already done that through brushing teeth and scraping the tongue. What it needs to do is keep the bacteria from forming again.  

If you want to stop bad breath you need to focus reducing the concentration of bacteria in your mouth as it’s this bacteria that lives off your tongue creating volatile sulfur compounds as a by product which is where the smell comes from in bad breath.  You need to focus on mouthwash that contains the following:

Anti-bacterial Agents – It’s the anaerobic bacteria living on your tongue that creates the oder cause in bad breath. The best mouthwash will contain antibacterial agents such as antibacterials chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride and/or triclosan which have been designed to kill and stop the spread of bacteria living on your tongue.

VSC’s (volatile sulfur compounds) – are waste product from the bacteria that lives on your tongue. Mouthwash that contains Chlorine dioxide (sodium chlorite) and zinc compounds effectively stop any remaining bacteria on your tongue from Fermenting and producing the terrible smell of halitosis. 

What’s The Best Mouthwash?

Generally the best mouthwashes to stop halitosis are those that do not take a direct approach and focus on one specific area, but those that take the combination approach. This means that users need to select a mouthwash that contains both Antibacterial and VSC ingredients

How To Use Mouthwash?

Mouthwash needs to be used after you have rinsed your mouth, brushed your teeth, flossed and scraped your tongue as it’s difficult for a mouthwash to penetrate plaque that has built up around your teeth or bacteria on your ton.

If you have brushed your teeth flossed your gums and scraped your tongue and plaque and bacteria build up will be reduced and what ever remains will be exposed and therefore more vulnerable to mouthwash that and the chemicals within it.

It’s also a great idea to gargle making an “AAAHHH” sound as this will encourage the tongue to be extended outwards meaning the mouthwash can have great contact with the base of the tongue where the majority of bacteria forms.

Please note, all mouthwash should be spat out after use, however don’t worry about washing your mouth out.

Other Ways to reduce Halatosis

Besides using mouthwash, studies have shown that taking a combination approach to combating Halitosis has the most effect. This means focusing on using the following:

Toothpaste – with tricolsan or stannous fluoride to reduce bacteria growing in your mouth (Colgate Total)

Breath mints – that contain volatile sulfur compounds such as chlorine dioxide, sodium chlorite, and zinc. Breath mints and lozenges will also help to stimulate saliva which helps to neutralise the smelyy volatile soulful compounds that cause bad breath.

Gum – Very similar to the reason above. The action of chewing creates silva which will helps to wash away VSC, however make sure its a sugar-free chewing gum otherwise you may see a short-term benefit, but long term, the sugar within the gum just adds fuel to the bacteria growing in your mouth.

How to Clean Your Tongue Without Gagging

Bad breath has long been associated with dirty teeth and your tongue. Whilst cleaning your teeth is actually very easy, cleaning your tongue can be a frustrating experience especially if you have a strong gag reflex too anything going near the back of your throat.

Like everything in the human body, everybody is different. Some people have a minor gag reflex meaning they can poke around in their mouth without a problem, whilst for others, it can be a difficult experience.

What Causes You To Gag?

The pharyngeal reflex (Gag Reflex) has a very important role and effectively stop you choking when something hits the back of your throat. In the most extreme cases, this reflex quickly causes vomiting to help extract any foreign objects from within your throat.

Your pharyngeal reflex is important when your a baby as it stops foods and liquids from entering your windpipe when the muscles around this area have not developed fully enough to be able to control the separation between air to your lungs and food to your stomach. Quite why this reflex does not completely disappear with age is still a mystery, however the good news is that your gag reflex is not fixed and it’s still very possible to desensitize the back of your throat to ensure that you can effectively clean your tongue.

Why Do You Need To Clean Your Tongue?

Cleaning your tongue is a very important part of your daily hygiene and will help to keep your mouth fresh, stop any infections from forming or developing and can improve your sense of taste allowing you to enjoy food.

Halitosis (Bad Breath) is cause my two things, plague building up on your teeth, and residues building up on your tongue. In this section we’re focusing on the residues building up on your tongue, however if you want to know how to clean your teeth click here.

Studies have shown that patients that use a tongue scraper twice a day for three weeks, reduces the bacterial sulphur compounds by 75%. It’s these bacterial compounds found on the tongue that cause bad breath. In another more recent study, researchers found that after a month of cleaning your tongue twice a day using a tongue scraper, people found that their sense of taste increased as well.

Check out this review where we look at the Best Tongue Scrapers to use at home

Desensitization

Before we start looking at the process for cleaning your tongue, we need to think about desensitizing your mouth to stop the gag relax from making us vomit.

The process is very simply given that all we’re trying to do is get out tongue used object being close to and therefore reducing the gag effect.

The Process

  1. Take Your Toothbrush and run it under the tap for a couple of seconds
  2. Stick your tongue out as far as you can whilst pressing it down on top of your lower set of teeth
  3. Using the back side of your tooth brush, slowly start to rub your tongue in a left-to-right motion starting from the tip and heading into your mouth
  4. Once you feel that twinge where you gag reflex starts to kick into to action, focus on spending the first couple of session in that area. It important that you don’t try and push the limit initially, but get your tongue used to this foreign object being so close
  5. Slowly rub this area for 10 seconds and then stop. Try repeating this three times at least twice a day
  6. Over time you will notice that you will be able to move the brush further and further into your mouth as the your reflex starts to desensitize.

Use A Tongue Scraper

Using your toothbrush is a great way to desensitise your gag reflex, but i would highly recommend that you don’t use it to clean your tongue. Firstly, it really not a good idea to clean your tongue and then use the same tooth brush to clean your teeth. It’s not something that is scientifically proven, but I would worry that you’re simply transferring bacteria from your tongue, onto your teeth.

I better idea is to get yourself a tongue scraper that has been designed to effectively clean your tongue. We have discussed the best tongue scrapers on the market here, however the key benefit of a tongue scraper apart from the reason above is that they have a much lower profile and therefore tend to reduce the gagging reflex because their is more distance between the scraper and the roof of your mouth.

Research by Outhouse in 2008 showed that when compared with simply brushing your tongue, tongue scraper showed a significant benefit to simply brushing your tongue with your regular toothbrush.

How To Clean Your Tongue Without Gagging?

As i have mentioned before on this website, I am not a dental expert and therefore i have referred back to tried and tested methods from the dental professionals for this process. The preferred strategy for cleaning your tongue is a follows;

  1. Stick your tongue out as far as possible and press it down onto the top of your lower lip or teeth.
  2. Inspect your tongue and look for the areas of discoloration. A healthy tongue should be the same colour as your gums, a reddish pink colour meaning that any grey or white discoloration is the bacteria that you’re looking to remove.
  3. Take your tongue scraper and press it gently down on to your tongue. Pull the scraper towards you being careful that you don’t press to hard so that you risk damaging your tongue.
  4. Repeat this step 3-6 times until this area is clean. Be careful not to push the scraper too far into the back of your mouth otherwise you will find your gag reflex starts to kick in.
  5. Finish off by washing the scraper under the tap and washing your mouth with a decent anti-bacterial mouthwash to kill off any bacteria that remains and stop it coming back.

Follow Up

Cleaning you tongue is not a difficult or time consuming process and should take you no longer than a couple of minutes. If you repeat this process daily for a few weeks, you will see noticeable differences in the freshness of your mouth and breath. Bartold 2016

 

 

Yellow Teeth? What’s the Cause and How To Prevent It

Before we start, I am not a dentist and therefore I have not studied teeth, gums, and details surround your teeth. That all said, I went to medical school and have been practicing medicine for the last 25 years. Over this time you pick up a lot of knowledge surrounding the mouth and teeth. If you’re looking for the detail, this will not be the right place to look, but I can give you my advice on the causes of yellow teeth and more importantly what you can do to stop your teeth going yellow.

What Causes Teeth To Turn Yellow?

Yellow teeth is caused by either caused by stains on your teeth from what you eat and drink or by the health of your teeth deteriorating. Teeth are made of two materials, tooth enamel which is the hard white surface of your teeth and dentin which is the softer pale brown substance that makes up the inner part of the tooth.

Healthy Teeth

Healthy teeth have a solid enamel outer covering that blocks any dentin from showing through meaning that your teeth will naturally look white. If you’re diet consists of a high concentration of acidic foods such as sweets, sugar and sodas, the acid will slowly dissolve away the outer layer of enamel and the pale brown colour will show through causing the yellow colour.

Teeth Stains

Teeth stains are causes by three distinct categories, extrinsic stains, instrinsic stains and wide arrant of medical issues.

Extrinsic Stains – are stains on the surface of the teeth and come from what we eat and drink. Smoking, drinking coffee and drinking red wine are all great examples of dark-coloured foods and drinks that will extrinsically stain your teeth.

Intrinsic Stain – are stains that occur within the tooth with most common example being silver fillings that help to fill wholes in your teeth, but will also turn your teeth a darker colour.

Medical Issues – are stains that occur as a side effect from medications or your genetics. Some people are born with teeth that appear more yellow or white than others, however the medications that we take on a daily basis can also have an effect.

How To Prevent Yellow Teeth?

90% of preventing yellow teeth is to watch what you eat, with the remain 10% being left for keeping your teeth clean and that includes visiting your dentist at least once every six months.

Watching what you eat and drink does not mean that you have completely cut out those dark coloured foods and drinks, but what it does mean is that you need to keep those foods and drinks down to a minimum and focus on brushing your teeth once you have finished eating. If you want to really protect your teeth from coffee for examples, consider drinking coffee through a straw which minimises the time the fluids have contact with your teeth.  Keep you teeth clean stops plaque and tarter build up which appears yellow.

Oh yes and get out the obvious – No smoking.

Treatments

When it comes to treatments consult your dentist before you try any homemade or “bought off the internet” remedies. The results can be good, however the side effects can also be horrendous. For every patient that has had a successful process to a “bought off the internet” tooth whitening kit, there are hundred of people where the whole process has been a disaster and the side effects have been terrible.

Typically treatments come in two forms, mild bleaching i.e. Using a whitening toothpaste and major bleaching, i.e. Bleaching procedures such as Hydrogen Peroxide combined with Diode lasers.

20 Reason Why Celery Needs To Be Part Of Your Diet

Celery is grown in the ground across the world and quite frankly is one of the worst tasting vegetables, however its probably the best vegetable for its mineral and nutrient content. Personally i find celery boring and very dull, but i do understand and respect the health benefits of eating and drinking it on a daily basis.

Celery is part of the Umbelliferae family of plants and typically grows across the world to a height of around 40cm. The plant has two distinct areas, the greener region at the top of the plant which contains more chlorophyll and Vitamin A and the whiter region at the bottom of the plant which is grown shaded from sunlight but contains a high concentration of B-vitamins and minerals to include potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and essential amino acids.

Health Benefits

Celery contains a high concentration of sodium which is explains it salty taste, however even for those with a low salt thresh-hold, celery is an idea choice for a fruit juice at breakfast, however typically most people will mix celery with another fruit or vegetable to slightly sweeten the taste.

Typical Health Benefits Include:

Acidity – Celery contains a low pH scale when compared to other acidic fruits such as oranges which are very acidic and therefore does a great job of effectively balancing out the bodies acidic level.

Blood Pressure – celery does contain sodium which has been linked to high blood pressure, however it also contains Phtalides which are a mineral that acts as a muscle relaxant. By drinking or eating celery every day, phtalides will dilate the muscles around the arteries and allow the blood to flow smoothly.

Constipation – Celery is a natural laxative that will help to relieve constipation and counteract against (the opposite of laxative) in your diet to ensure that your bowel movements are smooth and consistent.

Electrolytes – Celery juice contains a rich supply of minerals and therefore is a fantastic natural way of replacing those lost electrolytes from a heavy sweating session in the gym.

Inflammation – Celery contains polyacetylene and luteolin which are a natural inflammation reduction agent and will help to fight against inflammations in the body such as arthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.

Kidney Stones – Celery provides the kidneys with minerals and nutrients that it need to function correctly. Whilst eliminating toxins from the blood, it also helps to prevent kidney stone from forming.

Reduce Stress – Celery contains coumarins which help to reduce the effect of stress hormones such as cortisol which have a tendency to constrict blood vessels and can lead to hypertension.

Fighting Cancer – Whilst not scientifically proved as yet, medical research is on-going with two substances apigenin and luteolin which both have been shown to help prevent the spread of cancer and are contained within celery.

Blood Detoxing – celery juice contains a high concentration of nutrients, alkalising and hydrating minerals and diuretic minerals which all help clean the blood, remove excess water from the body whilst at the same time flush out any unwanted toxins from the body.

Skin Benefits – Celery contains a wide range of vitamins to include Vitamin K to preserve skin firmness and Vitamin A/B for health skin tone.

Sleep – Celery is well know for its effect on reducing blood pressure, hypertension, stress hormones and increasing electrolytes in the body, but it also contain magnesium which is a calming mineral and can help you relax and in-turn get to sleep at night.

Lowers Cholesterol – Celery contains a chemical called 3-N-Butylphthalide that has been proved to have a positive effect on reducing the cholesterol in the bloodstream whilst increasing the secretion of bile which can also help to combat cholesterol.

Hair Care – As mentioned above, celery contain vitamin A that is needed for healthy hair.

Follow Up

Celery is a fantastic vegetable that you should be consuming in your diet given all the benefits that it contains. Look out for celery with darker leaves as these are likely to contain the most nutrients given they have had more exposure to the sunlight.

One point, celery is a succulent plant that produces it’s own pesticide to protect itself from fungi. Whilst this is not a problem in small quantities, it’s highly recommended that you stay away from consuming celery everyday and focus on consuming celery as part of a well balance diet.

How Do You Treat Dry Cracked Heels?

Cracked heels are a natural part of the human body and something we all have to deal with over our lifetime. In the past the medical profession associated cracked heals with being over weight, however whilst this is a cause its not the only cause. Dry air, improper foot care, your diet, and wearing the wrong type of shoes are all cause.

Generally cracked heels occur where the skin on the sole of the foot becomes dry and thick and will be accompanied by symptoms such as redness, itching and peeling skin. Conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, diabetes and thyroid disease may also contribute to this problem.

It’s important that you treat cracked heels to prevent those cracks getting deeper and causing bleeding and pain. If you suffer from cracked heels and are at the stage that you feel pain when walking, it’s important that you contact your doctor or the problem could become serious. If you still feel no pain when walking, it’s very easy to repair the damage and resolve the problem from the comfort of your own home.

In this section we’re going to be looking at how to remove the dead skin effectively and how to stop it coming back all from the comfort of your own home.

Removing Dead Skin

Before you start to treat your cracked heels, it’s important that try and remove as much of the dead, dry skin as possible. I would highly recommend that don’t use skin shavers or razors as these tend to cause you more problems. Cutting dead skin directly off your feet is a risky as your run the risk that you will cut too deep, draw blood and cause you more discomfort.

Dry Skin Removal

To remove dead skin, you need to focus on both dry methods and wet methods. Dry skin removal focuses on using a foot file to which you rub against the skin to remove excess skin, however I would recommend that you do this process over a few days as the skin has a tendency to get quickly irritated.

If you need help choosing a skin file, I would highly recommend that you looked at the best skin files on the market here.

Wet Skin Removal

As the name suggests, wet skin removal involves soaking the feet in liquid to soften the skin which will make it easier to remove. You can simply heat a bucket full of water to a warm temperature or you can mix glycerin with lemon juice. Both are used by dermatologists before doing any skin treatment as it has the result of softening the skin and may make it easier to work with.

Leave your feet in the liquid for a good 20-30 minutes until the skin is soft and playable and then scrub your feel with a Pumice stone using a slow back-and-forth motion to remove the dead skin. Again I would highly recommend that you don’t try and remove all your dead skin in one sitting, but try to do this over a couple of weeks.

Treat Your Feet

Once you have removed the dead skin around your heels, you need to focus on keeping your heels in a good condition. Simple moisturizing scream will keep you’re feet in good condition as long as you use twice a day.

Homemade Remedies for Cracked Heels

If you’re the type of person that does not want to go out and buy mosturising cream, but instead want take a more natural focus on your feet there are a few options that will keep your heels in great condition.

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable Oil makes a fantastic homemade moisturising cream given that it’s a hydrogenated vegetable. The oils within vegetables will slowly soak into the skin allowing for noticeably softer heels. For best results you need to focus on hydrogenated vegetables such as Olive Oil, sesame oil or condo it oil as these vegetables have the best hydrogenated oil content and make sure that you cover your feet with a clean pair of socks overnight whilst you sleep. This way you allow the oil to soak into your feet overnight.

Margosa Leaves

Margosa leaves contain huge quantities of fungicidal properties which make them great for your feet especially if they have become itchy or infected. The fungicidal properties within the leaves will help to reduce inflammation and fight any infections, however it’s important that if you’re going to crush margosa leaves and put them on your feet, you leave the past for no more than one hour, before washing them off. For best results, it recommended that you use margosa leaves in connection with a natural moisturising cream such as vegetable oil to fight infections but also heel cracked skin.

Rosewater and Glycerin

Very similar to using Margosa leaves and Coconut Oil to smooth skin and reduce infections, you can also use rosewater and glycerin mixed together. The rosewater contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties which will all help to reduce infections from cracked heels whilst the Glycerin will help to soften the skin and prevent cracks on your heels from developing further.

Conclusion

In this section we have looked at cracked heels and how to treat them so that those cracks do not return and most importantly do not turn into cracked infected heels. Other that mositurising your heels and feet on a daily basis, I would highly recommend that you sleep in a pair of woolen socks over night as the wool will trap the body heat in the feet and prevent moisture loss which is the route cause of cracked skin.

 

White Vs. Brown Bread – Which is Better For You?

This question is the result of the internet and so called medical experts reading a small amount of medical research, thinking they know everything and writing about it. So what’s the answer – it depends what it’s made from.

Whether its white or brown bread is not really the question that is important. It’s very easy to taken a loaf of white bread, dye it and thus make it look like brown bread even though it does not have the nutrients that brown bread comes with.

What Should You Be Eating

When your choosing a loaf of bread, you need to focus on what the bread is actually made from and not the colour of the bread. The best type of bread contains the words “WholeGrain” Or “Whole Wheat” where the outer husk of the flower seed has no been removed. With this process, the bread will contain the highest concentration of finite, protein, vitamins, folic acid and biotin.

White Bread

The process of making white bread is very similar to brown bread with the key difference being that the wheat flour is dyed white using potassium bromate, benzoyl peroxide and often chlorine gasses. Whilst white bread often contains more calcium, the chemical used to dye the wheat flower from brown to white are very dangerous in large doses. Whilst bread makers do not use large quantities medical research does not show the side effects of eating white bread over time. There is still question mark over whether the build up of these toxins over would time has an effect on the body or whether the kidneys remove these toxins from the body.

The other key problem with eating white bread is that you’re eating refined carbohydrates. The body needs to produce insulin to absorb the sugars out of the blood stream which are in turn converted into glycogen and then triglycerides which are stored in your bodies fat cells and is the cause of weight gain.

Brown Bread

So what you’re trying to say is that white bread is very bad for you and therefore we should be eating brown bread? Well this is partly true, however just because your bread is brown does not means that it’s 100% made out of whole wheat bread. Research has shown that bread manufactures have simply altered the why they produce bread and rather bleach the cheaply made wheat flow to produce white bread, the process is exactly the same with the only difference being that they colour the bread with caramel to create the brown bread that you buy on the supermarket shelf.

The other process bread manufactures like use is the “Enriched” process where rather than making brown WholeMeal Bread from scratch, they simply add back into the mix a selection synthetically manufactured vitamins and nutrients that the body will struggle to absorb and digest.

Brown Vs. White Bead

It really does not matter what colour the bread is. What’s important is what is made from. Look at the ingredients on the back on the bread and make sure the first ingredient is either Whole Wheat or Whole Meal Flour.

To make whole wheat or whole meal flour bread, the wheat germ and the bran and grounded down together to make the wheat flower. This bread making process means that the nutrients and vitamins remain in the bread and the fibre content helps to slow down the digestion process which gives the blood a greater chance to take out the healthy nutrients that it needs.

Better Still Don’t Eat Wheat Bread

If you enjoy eating bread, but are worried about the side effects there are a few options that you can consider that are better for you than wheat bread.

Rye Bread – is less refined, contains a much high concentration of fibre and due to it being digested slower will satisfy your hunger and has a lower effect on your blood sugar level. Patients with diabetes often eat rye bread rather than wheat bread because its so much easier to digest and at the same time keep blood sugar levels in the optimum scale.

Spelt Bread – is very similar to wheat bread in terms of texture and taste, but also contains a better range of nutrients. Like rye bread above, spelt bread is high in fibre, but also high in a range of minerals from Manganese to phosphorus and vitamins such as thiamine and folate.

How To Clean Your Kidney’s

Your kidneys are a vital part of your health and organ that you cannot do without. For the average body, we blessed to be born with two kidneys on the left and right side, below the lungs. In the same way that an air filter takes allergens from the air, the kidneys role is to clean the blood of any toxins.

The key difference between an air filter any our kidneys is that we cannot simple change our kidneys once they have become contaminated and thus it’s important that you keep your kidneys healthy at all times.

Why Clean Your Kidney’s? 

In this section we’re going to be looking at ways that you can clean your kidneys and remove any built up toxins. It’s important that you remember to maintain your health throughout a kidney cleanse and consult with your doctor to ensure your body is in a healthy condition to support this activity.

The kidneys have two key functions within the body.  Firstly their function is to balance out any excess minerals, hormones and water from the bloodstream. Secondly, the kidneys also produce hormones that stimulate red blood cells, help to regulate blood pressure and amongst others, promote vitamin D which helps to strengthen bones and boost your immunity.

If your kidneys are not able to function correctly, the excess minerals will build up and can cause significant problems.  In the UK, about 100,000 people each year are diagnosed with kidney disease in one form or another and with our modern chemical induced lifestyle, this number is on the increase.

Spotting kidney disease is very difficult without specialist medical advice. Kidney disease symtoms can include painful urine flow or abdominal pain, however there a lot of other illnesses that can cause pains such as these other that kidney disease.  Please don’t think that just because you have painful urine flows, you have kidney disease.

That all said, if you suffer from heart palpitations, high blood pressure, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, dark colored urine or abdominal pain, a kidney cleanse could really help you.

How To Start a Kidney Cleanse

Contradictory to many reports across the internet, you should not cut your food intake down completely and instead focus on a balanced diet, with lots of fluid. Remember, a detox program will cause the body to go into shock where you may experience symptoms similar to that of the flu.  This is totally normal and not something to worry about.

To really complete a kidney cleanse you need to plan for a seven day period where you’re going to reduce your food intake, and focus heavily on your fluid in-take to include water, vegetable and fruit juices and herbal teas.

What To Drink

The biggest problem with a kidney cleanse is that we need to get considerable quantities of fluid through the body without washing out our natural minerals and electrolytes. Drinking pure water is a big NO given that as little as 4-litres per day can do more harm than good. As a rule of thumb, you should be drinking no more than half a liter for every 20 KG’s of weight, however you will be drinking more than twice that if you plan to really clean out your kidney’s.

Homemade Vegetable Broth

A great way to drink fluid without washing the minerals and prevent electrolyte loss is to to drink homemade vegetable broth by taking a selection of chopped organic vegetables such as carrots, beets, onion and leafy greens, soak in water for a couple of hours and drink several times a day.

Homemade Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has been proven to help cleanse the body and break down calcium oxalate stone. For homemade lemon juice, you need to soak five half lemons in a litre of water over night. It’s okay to re-use the lemons however your should replace them every two days.

Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic

Drinking apple cider vinegar once a day will help to prevent oxidative stress on the kidneys and liver by increasing the body’s level of antioxidant nutrients. It will also help to balance the blood sugar level to with the acceptable range and help to reduce blood pressure for optimal kidney health.

 

Food

Contradictory to popular belief and many false reports across the internet, you should not cut your food intake down completely.  You do need to focus on foods that are free of toxins, sugars, sweetener, pesticides, hormones and any unnatural additives.

You also need to make sure that you’re foods are organic and totally free of manufactured proteins and hormones.  The National Kidney Foundation in the USA recommends that you limit the quantity of red meat and shellfish that you consume each week and focus a fruit and vegetable based diet.

Eat Watermelon

Watermelon is a fantastic food to eat and will help cleanse the kidneys. Watermelon is made up of 90% water containing many natural minerals that the body needs for natural health. The 10% is mainly made up of fiber which has been proven to help clean away chemicals and toxins in the intestines although it does contain a high percentage of potassium that will help to break down kidney stones and lower blood pressure.

Herbs

Herbs such as Hydrangea roots, gravel root and marshmallow root have been used to cleanse the kidneys over the years. You can find these in both supplement form and dried root that can be made into tea. All three herbs have been proven to encourage the break down of calcium based kidney stones and help the flow of urination thereby initiating the natural release of kidney stones.

On top of these three, I would highly recommend that you mix your diet with a selection of healing herbs such as parsley, ginger and turmeric as these will help to flush toxins front the kidneys. Parsley helps to flush toxins from the kidneys whilst bring a natural pain reliever for urinary tract infections. Ginger has been proven to help protect against kidney damage, whilst turmeric is a proven anti-inflammatory that will help to fight irritation and infection within the kidneys.

Leafy Greens

Despite the fact that leafy greens contain calcium and oxalates which are harmful to the kidneys and in extreme cases can lead to the build up of kidney stones, leafy greens are also nutritional power houses and contain many minerals and nutrients that are vital to the bodies health. It’s therefore highly recommend that you do not cut them completely out of your diet but focus on trying to combine magnesium rich foods such as leafy greens with calcium rich foods such as almond milk which will help to reduce body oxalate levels.

Berries

Berries are very rich in antioxidants which medical research has show help to prevent the formation of kidney stones and even slow the progression of kidney disease. Cranberries are generally considered the best berry source to prevent calcium build up in the kidneys and prevent urinary tract infections, however strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are also fantastic sources of antioxidants.

Watch Out For Your Salt and Sugar Content

Salt or Sodium is an essential dietary requirement, however across the UK we both cooking with salt and reaching across the take for the salt shaker meaning that we’re more that doubling the recommend daily allowance for salt that our bodies actually need. This has a negative impact on the kidney’s health by increasing the calcium build up and increasing the chance of painful kidney stones.

Sugar also has a detrimental impact on the kidneys as it limits the absorption of both calcium and magnesium within the kidneys and can lead to the build up of kidney stones. Sugar also leads to weight gain and the magnitude of different health problems that are associated with being over weight.

If you’re looking for a salt replacement then look no further than members of the allium family such as onions and garlic as they are rich in antioxidant which will help reduce mineral buildups whilst supporting a health heart and lower blood pressure.

 

Regular Exercise

Medical research has shown that cardiovascular exercise in the form of running, circuit training and swimming has an increased effect on overall health, particularly with regards to your heart. A health heart means good blood flow to vital organs of which the kidneys is one.

Caffeine

Medical research has shown that drinking coffee in the morning has a number of health benefits, however it’s also proven that caffeine leads to dehydration. Dietitians recommend that for each cup of coffee that you drink, you should be drinking a litre of water to combat the dehydration effects which can can lead to kidney stones forming.

Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water – Which is Better For You?

What’s the best selling soft drink in the UK today? You guess it, bottled water and in 2017 we drank more than three billion litres of it during the course of the year even though it cost more than one-thousand times the price of the exact same liquid that comes out of the tap at home.

Two questions arise, why do we drink so much bottled water? And secondly is bottled water any better for you that tap water? This may come to a shock to you but in 97% of locations across the UK, there is no evidence to suggest that bottle water is any better for you than tap water and therefore the

What’s the difference between Bottled and Tap Water?

In 80% of cases, both Tap and Bottled water comes from exactly the same place with the key difference being how it’s treated. Yes there are examples where bottled water comes from springs and other pristine sources, but for the majority of water on the market, the sources are the same. Two thirds of water in the UK comes from surface storage such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs with the rest from ground water that store rainwater.

Bottled Water

Once the water has been extracted from a river for example, its treated and purified before be bottled and sold to us. In the UK, bottling companies are not required by law to reveal the process or the source of their water meaning that you cannot be sure where you’re bottled water came from and what’s actually been done to it.

There are examples across the internet where spring water that has been labelled as pure spring water actually came from a public water source in Alaska.

Tap Water

Tap water typically comes from the same place that bottled water comes from with the only difference being that tap water does contain a small amount of chlorine which you usually cannot taste, but does make it more resistant to bacteria growth.

Myths About Tap Water

Tap Water Contains Oestrogen that has been passed through the kidneys of other drinker before you. This is a great example of total rubbish. Firstly water has to be treated before it’s released back into natural water systems and by the time the entire water cycle has been completed, any toxins that these treatments have missed will be taken out of the water.

Is Bottled Water Actually Safe?

Of course it is, it’s been treated, cleaned and purified to make sure to perfect for consumption – is the line that always seems to crop up when this subject comes up in conversation.

My usual response is to ask the drinker if they know this for sure since bottlers do not have to by law put their ingredients on the bottle or release the process to make their bottled water, how can you be so sure? There is also a problem with testing given that it’s not controlled by a centralise board in the UK, but by minor testing agents and I am concerned at what level they can actually test bottled water for.

Recent studies have shown that some brands of bottled water does contained both bacterial and chemical contaminants to include carcinogens and phthalates, and whilst the bottles themselves are made from polyethylene terephthalate which are generally safe, scientists have warned against storing plastic bottle in temperatures above 20 degrees as the plastic may leach chemicals in the water.

In small doses all of these chemical are not harmful to the body, but will start to build up over the years if you only drink bottled water. Exposure to high levels of phthalates for example have been linked to low sperm counts whilst carcinogens are endocrine distrupters which means they block hormones in the body.

Should You Change To Tap Water?

Whether you should change your drinking habits and only drink tap water is not for me to decide. I can only present the facts, it’s your choice to make however here are a few things that I would recommend you do.

If you’re in the habit of buying bottled water, try to carry in around in a stainless steel container. This way if you do leave it in your car for extended periods on time, it does not matter. We specifically like the stainless steel versions from Klean Kanteen and New Wave Enviro.

What Vitamins Should I Take Everyday?

I am a firm believer that unless your doctor has prescribed you with specific vitamin due to a deficiency in your body, 95% of vitamins that we take on a daily basis are a complete waste of money.

Remember, the Vitamin industry across the UK is a 200 Billion Pound Industry where millions of people each day take a selection of vitamins that are not helping them in any way.

Vitamin companies across the UK continually advertise the benefits of taking vitamins to supplement your diet, however medical research over the last 20 years a not found any evidence that taking a broad range of vitamins and food supplements does any significant good to your health.

Medical Research

In a research note by the Annals of Internal Medicine focused on testing the effects of Multi-Vitamins on over 400,000 people in 27 separate trials, the results show that people who took multi-vitamins on a daily basis did not live longer, have fewer cases of cancer or heart disease or have a noticeably better quality of life than those who did not take vitamins.

More recently, a research note published in the Journal of American Medical Research discussed recent research on 6,000 men that were either given a placebo or a special supplement touted for its brain protecting abilities. The research found that the difference between the groups who took a placebo and those that took one of four different types of brain supporting vitamins was zero and therefore was no deceased rate of brain disease by those that took the supplements, from those that took the placebo.

Why Does Taking Vitamin Supplements Not Work?

This needs more research, however the general feeling stems from the fact that specific vitamins in a concentrated form which the body does not have the ability to absorb.

When you take a tablet, your taking a concentrated pill of vitamins that in theory should be absorbed directly in to the blood stream. In reality, this is not the case, the body simply does not know what to do with these excess vitamins and simply passes then outwards.

When you eat a vegetable such as Broccoli, your not only getting vitamins that the body needs, but you’re also getting minerals such as phytochemicals which the body needs to power itself. Given it’s not a direct concentrated source of vitamins, the body had a chance to absorb the goodness into the blood streams and thus you can feel the effect over the long term.

What Vitamins Should I Take

That all said, there are a few vitamins that are hard to get from your food and therefore you should think about taking supplements in addition to a balance diet. In this section we’re looking at vitamins – those you should be taking and those you can leave on the shelf.

Multi-Vitamins – Skip Them

For decades so called medical nutritionists have spoken out about the benefits of taking Multi-Vitamins on a daily basis to balance out any mineral deficiencies from your diet. The honest truth is that you’re doing more harm than good and simply a by eating a balance diet, exercising and sleeping properly, you will get all the minerals that these multi-vitamin packs give you.

Vitamin D – Take It Especially in the Winter in The UK

This is one vitamin that i would be taking especially living in the UK. Vitamin D keeps our bones strong by allowing our body to absorb calcium. Sunlight also helps our body produce vitamin D, however the problem with living in the UK especially in the winter, we don’t have any sunlight. Recent medical research in the UK has shown that those who take Vitamin D on a daily basis lived longer than those who did not.

Antioxidants: Skip them

Antioxidants can help cleanse the kidneys and prevent the formation of kidney stones, but that does not meant that you should be taking antioxidant supplements on daily basis. Medical research has shown that excess antioxidants in the body has been linked cancer and whilst i would recommend that you eat berries as part of your diet, supplements are not needed.

Vitamin C: Skip it

For years a common myth surrounding colds and flu’s is that it’s caused due to the body having a low Vitamin C concentration, however recent studies have shown that Vitamin C does nothing to prevent flu’s or colds and can actually cause you more harm that good. Excess Vitamin C in the body has also been linked to kidney stones forming which are hard and very painful to remove. If you’re worried about Vitamin C deficiency, its much better to drink fresh orange juice or eat strawberries as these are packed with nutrients including Vitamin C.

Vitamin B3: Skip it

Another supplement myth that for years as been promoted as a cure to everything from heart disease to brain cancer, however recent studies have shown that patients who suffer from heart disease show no reduction in heart attacks whether they take vitamin B supplements or not. Whilst not proven to date, medical research also shows that there is a link between Vitamin B supplements and patients that develop infections and internal bleeding. It’s much better to eat salmon or tuna on a regular basis as part of a well balanced diet.

Probiotics: Skip them

Probiotics are those expensive yogurt drinks that you see advertised on the television that aim to put healthy bacteria back into the body and support the billions of bacteria living in your gut. The only problem is that there is no medical research to show that they have any effect on the gut and more likely it’s another big business market that has been dreamed up by a few very clever marketing specialists.

Some patients i have met in the passed swear by them and maybe there will be some medical research done in the future that will support this, however until this happens, stay away from the one pound pots of yogurt and simple buy natural organic yogurt that will do exactly the same job.

Homeopathic Remedies: Skip It

Very similar to Probiotics above, their is no medical research to show that Homeopathic remedies add any value to the body and it’s likely they are just another money-spinning marketing supplement. If medical research proves they add any value to the body in the future, then we can look again, but today you’re wasting your money.

Zinc: Take it

Medical research has shown that zinc has the ability to interfere with the bugs that cause a common cold (Rhinoviruses) and can actually shorten the time the body takes to get over a cold. In a 2011 study of people who had just started feeling the effects of a cold, people that took zinc supplements got over the cold quicker and with less severity of symptoms than those that did not.

Vitamin E: Skip it

I would skip antioxidants altogether as i have mentioned above and given Vitamin E is part of this group of nutrients I would skip it to. Vitamin E is found in all dark-green leafy foods such as spinach and whilst it does have some ability to protect again cancer, medical research has shown that excess vitamin E increases the risk of prostate cancer in men and overall death in women who have high levels of vitamin E in their bodies.

Folic Acid – Take It If Your Pregnant

Folic acid is totally useless for men, however the National Institutes of Health recommends that women who are trying to get pregnant or who are already pregnant should be taking 350 Micrograms daily as part of their balance diet. The research shows that folic acid helps the body to make new cells which will be in great demand with pregnant women. Not only will it help the fetus grow, but also help reduce birth defects such as brain growth or spinal cord problems.

Protein Powder – Skip it

For the average person it will have no effect on muscle gain whether you drink protein powder or not. For the average person trying to get fit in the gym, a well balance diet with plenty of meat, bean nuts and fish will give the body all the protein that it needs to build muscle. Yes if you’re a professional body builder, then you will need to take additional protein supplements to support your muscles, however protein drinks will cause………..problems for the average person.

Creatine – Skip it

Very similar to protein power above, if you’re a professional athlete then taking creatine is probably worth it, however medical research to date has only proved that taking creatine supplements has a small effect on short-intensity workouts and no effect on other types of workout such as endurance or longer workouts.

Weight-loss pills – Skip It

Weigh loss pills sound like the dream ticket and will allow you to sit on the sofa and burn fat, however there is no medical research to support this. Weight loss pills typically contain caffeine and other metabolism increasing drugs which in principle help to speed up the bodies metabolism and burn fat, however the side effects are unknown and there are no long term studies to show that caffeine helps with sustain weight loss. You would do not much better to go for a 30 minute walk three times a week than take weight loss pills despite the fantastic marketing efforts.

Green Tea Extract – Try it If You Want

Green team contains a chemical compound called epigallocatechin gallate which has been linked in medical research to reducing the cells of cancer, however whilst the research is fairly small, it’s generally considered to be safe to drink and will do you know harm. The easiest way to consume green tea is to drink it as you would with a normal tea, however it’s available in pill form as well.

Omega 3 – Skip It

Medical research has shown that omega-3 fats that are contained in fish oil can boost brain activity and help concentration, however the research is limited and mixed with some voting for the benefits and some suggesting their is little or no benefit.