HEALTH HUB Latest Articles
Cholesterol lowering drugs can make you insulin resistant
Cholesterol lowering drugs can make you insulin resistant By naturopath Margaret Jasinska A recent systematic review of medical literature has shown that statin drugs reduce insulin sensitivity and worsen insulin resistance. This finding comes from studies with a total of 46,728,889 participants. This means that reducing your cholesterol with medication may worsen your metabolic health. It’s ironic that achieving a lower cholesterol reading can lead to insulin resistance, which is an underlying driver of serious diseases such as fatty liver, heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancer. Statins are some of the most commonly prescribed medications [...]
COVID raises the risk of autoimmune disease
Covid raises the risk of autoimmune disease By naturopath Margaret Jasinska COVID infection increases the risk of developing an autoimmune disease in genetically susceptible people. Research conducted in South Korea looked at 354,527 people diagnosed with COVID-19 via a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test from October 8, 2020 to December 31, 2021. The researchers compared the COVID-19 group to 6,134,940 healthy people who didn’t get COVID-19 to assess the risk for autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue diseases. They found the risk of alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis, Crohn's disease, and sarcoidosis were higher in [...]
Fatty liver raises the risk of cancer
Fatty liver raises the risk of cancer By naturopath Margaret Jasinska A new study has found that developing a fatty liver before age 45 increases the risk of cancer, especially digestive and lung cancer. This is a worrying finding considering how prevalent fatty liver has become in young people, even teenagers and children. It is also concerning because the incidence of lung cancer continues to be very high, even in people who have never been smokers. Bowel cancer rates continue to climb, especially in people under the age of 50. Fatty liver is the most common liver disease [...]
5 foods to optimise muscle recovery
5 foods to optimise muscle recovery By Jessah Shaw, Adv Dip (Nut Med) Whether you’re new to your exercise routine or an experienced lifter, it’s essential to refuel properly for optimal muscle recovery. When you do strength training your body creates micro tears in your muscles which enables them to repair and come back stronger. These 5 foods contain important nutrients to support muscle repair and reduce muscle soreness: Spinach Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K1, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Not only has it been [...]
How does alcohol affect gut health?
How does alcohol affect gut health? By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Most people enjoy a few drinks a few times a week while relaxing in the evening or while socializing. Alcohol is a part of society and culture in most parts of the world. Drinking too much obviously has negative health effects. The quantity differs among individuals; some people can get away with heavy drinking all their life and live to a ripe old age. Other people experience health consequences from light to moderate drinking fairly early in life. They tend to be people with underlying poor gut and [...]
Food addiction is a type 2 diabetes risk
Food addiction is a type 2 diabetes risk By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Research has shown that people with food addiction are at more than 5 times the risk of type 2 diabetes, even if they are not overweight. Food addiction usually refers to carbohydrate addiction. Consuming more carbohydrate than your body can process raises the risk of insulin resistance. Eventually insulin resistance can progress to type 2 diabetes. This is more likely to happen in overweight people but slim people are at risk too. Everyone has their own unique carbohydrate tolerance. For some people, it doesn’t take a [...]
Help for plantar fasciitis
Help for plantar fasciitis By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Do the soles of your feet hurt to step on first thing in the morning? Are your feet painful to walk on if you’ve been sitting for several hours and then try to get up and walk? It could be plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of foot pain in adults. It is caused by a strain of the ligaments in an area of the foot called the plantar fascia. This is a thick, pearly white tissue with long fibres that begins at the heel [...]
Balancing your hormones
Balancing your hormones By Dr Sandra Cabot When your hormones are out of balance you can have a wide range of symptoms and it can be hard to work out what is going on. To pinpoint the problem, you can have blood tests to measure the levels of the hormones FSH, TSH, Oestradiol, Progesterone, Testosterone (free and total) and DHEA-S. These blood tests are very accurate. When a woman's FSH blood level is consistently elevated to 30 mIU/mL or higher, and she has not had a menstrual period for a year, it is generally accepted that she has reached [...]
What causes gynecomastia (breast growth in men)?
What causes gynecomastia (breast growth in men)? By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Gynecomastia means overdevelopment or enlargement of breast tissue in men or boys. The breasts become larger and often grow unevenly. The condition is often caused by changes in levels of the female hormone oestrogen and the male hormone testosterone, but there can be other causes as well. Gynecomastia is fairly common, especially in older men who are overweight. Although not harmful, breast development in men can signify underlying hormonal and metabolic problems which could be harmful. What causes male breast development? As men age, their testosterone level [...]
5 foods to optimise muscle recovery
5 foods to optimise muscle recovery By Jessah Shaw, Adv Dip (Nut Med) Whether you’re new to your exercise routine or an experienced lifter, it’s essential to refuel properly for optimal muscle recovery. When you do strength training your body creates micro tears in your muscles which enables them to repair and come back stronger. These 5 foods contain important nutrients to support muscle repair and reduce muscle soreness: Spinach Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K1, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Not only has it been [...]