1.You have a bodyweight within the range of average weight, according to the height and not being overweight. 2.You have a routine, regular bowel habit. 3.You have clean and clear skin. 4.You get up fresh and remain energetic. There is an absence of laziness. 5.Experiencing a sense of hunger once or twice a day. 6.You don’t have general body ache except with injury or heavy exercise. 7. You experience a sense of wellbeing and generate positive thoughts. 8. You experience deep sleep at night.
These are general signs that indicate that your body is functioning optimally and your immunity is intact. Our body’s immunity and vitality is not acquired by having a glass of smoothy, or daily going to the gym and having a load of supplements. It is the result of what you eat, how you think and how you live.
Three simple ways to build up a strong immunity is:
1.Fasting: Fasting is the simplest and easiest way of building your immunity. Ideally,15 to 16 hours of fasting every day are good enough. It is also the easiest way of losing weight. Having everyday dinner at around 6-7 PM, and not having any meal or snacks in between except water. Then, followed by having breakfast, the next morning around 10 to 11 AM gives you fasting of at least 16 hours quickly.
2. Food:Having food which is as much as close to Mother Nature. Fruits and vegetables, in their natural form or cooking minimum to restore their nutritional value. Preferable having a one-grain meal a day like brown rice or whole wheat and having meals (1-2 times /per day) with enriched portions of fibres, healthy saturated fat, protein and carbohydrate. It is necessary for avoiding processed, refined food altogether. Limiting the intake of beverages, alcohol and having more water, instead is ideal.
3. Mind and body care: Exercising every day is a must. Instead of heavy workouts in the gym, simple exercises like walking in nature, running, jogging are ideal. Physical activity throughout the day is good enough to give you a good night sleep. It is essential to maintain a positive attitude and a calm mind, to keep stress at bay. So, meditation, yoga, mindfulness practices, spiritual practices helps to build a positive and healthy mind.
Skin is the largest organ in the body and is most prominent. So, any kind of changes of ageing can be visible clearly in the skin. The skin, like other tissues, possess the extracellular matrix. This matrix comprises collagen and other structural compounds called Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans. All these compounds together contribute to the tightness of the tissues which keep our skin stiff and makes us look younger and radiant.
As we age, we tend to lose more collagen, proteoglycans and GAGs slowly. A research study has shown that another vital hormone produced in the liver called Insulin Growth Factor -1 (IGF-1) is related to facial ageing. These IGF-1 levels are inversely proportional to the levels of serum insulin in the body. When insulin level is high like in case of insulin resistance individuals, the IGF-1 level is low. So, insulin resistance individuals tend to age faster usually. Hyaluronic acid is a lubricant which is also naturally produced by our body which helps the skin and connective tissues to retain the moisture. We tend to lose this lubricant due to ageing and unhealthy food habits.
Facial ageing causes the horizontal and vertical lines to look prominent, thinned skin, loss of elasticity and collagen, loss of tissues and bones in the cheeks, fat atrophy, puffiness around eyes, sagginess around the neck and so on.
Common factors which aggravate the ageing process:
1.Smoking 2.Too much sun exposure causes skin damage. But, daily exposure to 10-15 mins of sunlight is useful for Vitamin D synthesis in the body.
3.Too much chemical-based cosmetic products like cremes, lotions, make up products are harmful. 4.Alcohol /drugs consumption 5.Refined processed food and too much sugar
6.Chronic stress causes high cortisol level. 7.Sedantery lifestyle and lack of exercise.
Specific important ways which prevent facial ageing :
1.Exercise: Most preferably maintaining an active lifestyle with the routine exercise of 30 mins to1 hour is ideal.A particular activity like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is short periods of 7-10mins of intense exercise with intervals of rest, and low-intensity exercise is beneficial to keep the cortisol level optimum.
2.Enhance the quality of sleep: Sleep induces the release of HGH, human growth hormone and Insulin growth factor-1, which helps to prevent the breakdown of collagen and proteoglycans.
3.Intemittent fasting: Fasting of at least 16 hours can stimulate autophagy, body’s renewal mechanism, activates the immune system. Fasting increases the antioxidant activity and increase stem cell production. 4: Foods: Collagen rich foods: These foods are a rich source of collagen, amino acids and hyaluronic acids.
Fermented foods: bone broth, green leafy veggies, caviar or fish roe, citrus fruits, mushrooms and seaweeds. To know more about collagen, please refer to my previous post https://healthhappinesshealing.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=4448&action=edit
Healthy fats:Omega 3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA found in oily fishes like salmon, tuna, sardines, nuts like walnuts, macadamia, pecan nuts, seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds. Saturated fats like in grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil are very helpful.
Organic Acids:Organic acids promote the growth of probiotics in the body, which helps to support the immune system and the cell renewal process. Organic acids found in fermented foods like saurkraut, kombucha are quite known for beauty benefits. The citric acid found in citrus fruits is also vital. Enzyme rich foods: Enzymes are essential for digestion and absorption of proteins in the body. Certain fruits with individual enzymes present in each of them like papaya contain papain. Figs contain ficans. Pineapple contains bromelain and kiwi have actinidain are all-powerful proteolytic enzymes which helps in the polysaccharide metabolism and the digestive process. Fruits are also rich in antioxidants which prevent free radical damage.
Vitamins: Fat-soluble vitamins D, K, E, A are all essential for the prevention of free radical damage and cells renewal process.
5.Essential oils: These natural oils work naturally on the skin by hydrating and moisturizing. Some commonly used oils for beauty purpose are geranium, frankincense, lavender, jojoba, myrrh, rose and rosemary.
So, it is crucial to understand that to have a healthy body, a glowing skin, and healthy hair; it is necessary to correct our food habits and lifestyle rather than spending an enormous amount on cosmetic treatments and beauty products. The approach should be inside out rather than external means.
The term “autophagy” means eating thyself where “auto” is self, and “phage” is eating. The name has been there in medicine since the 19th century. But the term became quite popular among the medical community in around 2016 when Japanese researcher Dr Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize.
Physiologically, the term means that the body has a natural capacity to eat and clean out the debris, junk and all the unnecessary components in the cells and recycle them as newer and healthier ones for smooth functioning. It’s a form of self-preservation process that the body has an innate capacity. In this way, the toxic, inflamed cells in the body which are responsible for chronic diseases are to be recycled and self preserved to healthier cells. The ageing process slows down, the body weight can be maintained. The process is possible in case of all cells in the body, including brain cells, heart, liver, lung, kidneys and all.
This is a natural phenomenon, which the body is capable of undergoing. But due to various factors, this bodily process isn’t so effective as it should be. The reasons are manifold like for the continuous binging of food, adopting an unhealthy lifestyle and choosing the wrong food items (high calories) to eat and so on. So, in many individuals, the process either slows down or work at a very minimal level. Therefore, there are vast dumping of debris and toxins in the cells leading to various chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and cancers. Autophagy has received much public attention these days for its capacity to prevent diseases like cancers. But, more studies are required in this area.
In an individual with a high carbohydrate intake of calories 300 to 500 calories/day, the process remains less effective. So, people are mainly adopting the Keto diet and lifestyle. Consuming food with healthy fats and a minimum level of carbs with increasing physical activities and short intervals of fasting induces ketosis in the body. Ketosis causes the body to use the fat reservoir for energy sources instead of carbohydrate as there is a minimum intake of sugar. Usually, the keto diet can be useful in weight loss and fat reduction, or muscle building process. Staying in ketosis can ignite the process of autophagy faster in a short interval of 12 hours.
Specific ways to ignite the process of autophagy are:
1.Sleep: Adequate quantity of sleep daily of at least 8 hours a day is beneficial. But more than the number, the adequate quality of sleep matters. Sleep accentuates the lymphatic flow between the neurons and fastens the cleaning process of neuronal debris and plaques. So, every day you get up with a clean brain, not only helps in smooth cognitive functioning but also fewer chances of ageing disease like dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Sleep not only promotes autophagy in the brain but also in all somatic cells, thereby cleaning toxins and debris throughout.
2. Adopting a ketogenic diet: Not changing the diet regime drastically from high carb to low carb and high fat. Because, it may cause severe outcomes like low blood sugar, electrolyte imbalance and fatigue. Instead, keeping in mind, the body’s tolerance level, slowly making changes by lowering the intake of carbs in the diet up to 50 calories/day. Incorporating more healthy fats in the diet of 80% of the entire daily intake of at least 2000 calories/day can give good results in the body. The body slowly ignites the natural process of autophagy faster, which takes a long time with a carbohydrate-rich diet. If you want, you can get more information about adopting ketogenic diet: Click the link https://481cb43mpgt7wbgmt08k1v3k18.hop.clickbank.net/
3.Intermittent fasting: This is itself a vast topic to discuss. It means that scheduling the meal timings in a day in between fasting intervals. The fasting period can be 8-10 hours to 14 -16 hours a day. There are some extreme methods of fasting, necessary for specific parameters to target. But for regular individuals like you and me, an early dinner or sometimes skipping a meal or fasting, a single day can be constructive. Early dinner can give us fasting of at least 10 hours every day. If you want, you can get more information on intermittent fasting : Click the link
4.Exercise: Heavy intense training and practice do more harm than good. Instead, it is wise to adopt interval training, to stretch, walking, yoga is all beneficial.
Hello everyone! Have a wonderful day and stay safe 🙋🏻
Vagus Nerve, is the body’s unique nerve which is by far the most important nerve to be stimulated in today’s time of crisis, threat, anxiety, innumerable stress, pain, tensions. Especially in times of crisis like this Coronavirus Pandemic where people are continuously under the anxiety and fear of falling sick, hospitalization, death.
Anatomically, this is the 10th cranial nerve which starts in the brain and runs entirely throughout the body till the reproductive organs. Therefore the name ‘Vagus’ comes which means a wanderer which wander through every organ of the body. It is also the longest and most complex nerve. Just to simplify, it runs from the brain and branch as dorsal and ventral branches with numerous sub-branches running through both front and back of our body touching almost every organ.
But, why is this nerve so important when it comes to wellbeing ? The reason is that this particular nerve is the cynosure of Parasympathetic Nervous system, the ‘rest and digest’ stimulation or the relaxation of the body. It is this nerve which helps the body to self regulate and maintain the homeostasis. It is this nerve which maintains the brain-gut communication. The immune system is rejuvenated and work efficiently. There are the body’s recovery and healing.
The Autonomic nervous system has 2 main areas: Sympathetic Nervous system: This system is mainly responsible for mobilization, high energy state, vigilant state. So, the heart rate, blood pressure, alertness, breathing rate are increased. In such state, there is no energy left for growth, repair and regeneration.
Parasympathetic Nervous system: The vagus nerve is mainly responsible for this system. This is the ‘rest and digest’ state where the metabolism is optimized, heart rate lowers, breathing slows down, blood pressure lowers and the body is relaxed. There is a restoration of growth. repair and the immune system is regulated to it’s highest potential. The body is in recovery and the healing state from any damage that it went through.
Ideally, there is a balance of harmony between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Whenever, there is an alert state, a threat, there is an automatic switch-on of the sympathetic system. Once, the threat is gone, there is a switch-off of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system takes the centre-stage. But in today’s time, we, people are so caught up with the day to day stress, anxiety, fear, that throughout the day, the sympathetic system remains in action. There is hardly the switch off. As a result, there is less potential for growth, repair, regeneration, rejuvenation of the body. The immune system is compromised and we become susceptible to disease. Most of the time, or even during an entire lifetime, we remain stuck in the high tone state which is not good for the body at all. We, end up, suffering from various chronic conditions and diseases. Therefore, it’s high time that we realise this default habit in our system and start taking measures to activate the Vagus Nerve (parasympathetic) tone daily for our overall wellbeing.
There are various ways by which the Vagus Nerve get stimulated to maintain the calm relaxed state:
1.Social connection: The ventral vagus branch is mainly stimulated by social connection and engagement. By keeping ourselves connected to loved ones, people around with positive emotions like love, gratitude, joy, empathy and compassion, there is the self-regulation of the body-mind connection and the homeostasis is maintained.
2.Deep breathing: Baroreceptors present in the heart and upper body around the neck get stimulated by slow deep breathing. Therefore, regulating the breath with slow deep cycles of breaths can instantly stimulate the vagus and lowers the heart rate and blood pressure bringing the vitals to a relaxed state. There are different breathing exercises like the Pranayama in yoga, Win Hoff method and other helpful breathing techniques.If you want to learn more about diaphargmatic breathing, you can listen and understand from audio CD of Dr Andrew Weil
3.Meditation: Meditation and deep relaxation can naturally put our body in the parasympathetic tone. Chanting or humming words, mantras can directly stimulate the Vagus nerve. The singing and chanting in the chorus (like the choir in Church), can increase the heart variability rate and naturally causes relaxation waves in the body. Prayers are highly effective in increasing heart variability rate and maintaining calmness.
4. Cold exposure: Exposing the body to cold like cold water shower, splashing cold water in the face, drinking ice cold water, sudden cold exposure can naturally stimulate the Vagus Nerve. 5.Message: Having messages like a foot, hand, neck messages along the carotid arteries can naturally stimulate the Vagus Nerve. It also lowers heart and blood pressure.
6.Gargling: This is a simple technique where the muscles of the pallet are stimulated by gargling which inturn stimulates Vagus nerve instantly.
7.Exercises: Usually mild low-intensity exercises like stretching, Yoga, Tai Chi stimulate and improves the brain-gut axis and helps in relaxation. High intense training should always be done in short intervals followed by relaxation so that the body learns to fluctuate from sympathetic to parasympathetic tone in a quick recovery state.
8. Food rich in omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics,fermented food can naturally stimulate the gut which in turn stimulate the gut-brain axis.
9. Music: Relaxation and listening to the music of your choice can naturally increase the heart variability rate, gives your pleasure, joy which enhances immunity and stimulate the Vagus Nerve. 10. Intermittent Fasting: Intermittent fasting provide the much-needed break, the rest to the digestive process. The metabolism slows down and improves the vagus nerve activity.
Hello everyone ! Have a great Friday and weekend too 🙋🏻
Cell division
Individually, our body is not a single life form. It is a community of 50 -75 trillion cells depending on body size. Each of the cells collectively forms individual tissue, tissues collectively form organs, organs collectively form systems and systems form the human body. Each cell function as an individual unit. It needs food, nutrients, water, air and undergo metabolism, absorb its necessary nutrients and releases toxins as waste. That’s how, fundamentally the cells functions, grow and carry out different bodily functions. Optimally, our body needs 116 essential nutrients to function normally, maintain a proper weight, energy and health, that is the overall wellbeing.
Human blood cells
As we age, the cells slowly get tired, slows down metabolism. They are unable to absorb the nutrients and vitamins that we get from food and supplements. The toxins from food, air and water get deposited in the cells. Slowly, the cellular function gets damaged leading to diseases state, fasten ageing and poor health. So, several factors are affecting at the cellular level. The poor quality of food, processed food, food contaminated with pesticides, low quality of vitamins and supplements. Other factors like environmental pollutions, high level of stress daily, lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol, all of them affect greatly at the cellular level, the core of the body.
Therefore, to become healthier and stay healthy, we need to take care of the body at the cellular level. Experts say that NAD+, a coenzyme is associated with the function of Sirtuins, the kind of protein which is responsible for ageing and longevity. NAD+ is the main factor for maintaining the cellular functions ranging from metabolism, energy production, circadian rhythm, excretion/release of toxins and DNA health. As age progresses, Sirtuins activity, NAD+ levels decline in the body. When Sirtuin activity and NAD+ levels decline, not only we age faster, affect the life span, also result in pathogenesis of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases like diabetes.
How to increase and improve the activity of Sirtuins and NAD+ levels?
Calorie restriction: This is not a diet plan. It is just that you started to reduce the intake of the number of calories slowly than your usual or habitual intake. Research shows, that when food is restricted, scarce in the body, the state has a powerful influence in the activity of Sirtuins, SIRT 1. Similarly, in the case of intermittent fasting, the same effect is observed.
Intermittent fasting: This is a pattern of eating. It is having just 2 proper meals a day leaving long hours of fasting between the meals so that you get the maximum benefit out of them.
3.Physical activity: Any form of physical activity.
4.Melatonin, the sleep hormone also influences the activity of Sirtuins.
5. Food which increases polyphenols and omega 3 fatty acids. Research shows that some particular variety of food are responsible to increase the activity of Sirtuins, SIRT1
Quercetin: Found in green vegetables, berries, tea, citrus fruits, apples, onions Resveratrol: Pomegranate, berries, grapes, soybeans. Food like green tea, olive oil, cocoa, omega 3 fatty acids rich fishes (salmon, tuna, sardines) avocados, all influences the activity of Sirtuins, SIRT1.
