One Easy Way To Improve Oral Hygiene…

You need to invest in the fine art of tongue scraping.

It literally involves what it says on the tin; using a tool to remove bacteria, dead cells and other food debris from the tongue surface.

There is evidence suggesting doing this daily may help to reduce the burden of “bad” bacteria in your tongue to help eliminate bad breath.

You see the tongue is covered with small mounds of tissue known as papillae which can provide a breeding ground for bacteria which cause bad breath and disease.

Whilst your mouth needs a mix of bacterial species to maintain oral health, many bacterial strains have been linked with poor cardiovascular and brain health – it is these strains we want to limit and prevent their overgrowth.

Scraping not only strips excess bacteria but also helps to clear food debris these bacteria can feed on.

Try this easy to implement oral health tip into your usual oral hygiene regime.

Grab a metal tongue scraper (which are more effective than plastic ones) and starting from the back of your tongue run it across to the front 2-3 times (ensuring you rinse the scraper after each stroke).

How To Stop Snoring..

You may have come across some slightly unscientific ways to stop snoring if you’ve ever had a casual google…. One such method includes taping your mouth shut (which is incredibly dangerous if you have sleep apnoea)

Here are some easier and more scientifically backed ways to help you slumber in silence:

•   Try different sleep positions: Sleeping on your back is likely to worsen any snoring as the tongue and soft palate can collapse. Try switching to a side position or use 2 pillows to help raise your head.

• Nasal strips or sprays: This can help to target nasal congestion as a potential cause of snoring. These help open up the nasal passage thus providing smoother airflow. 

• Stop/reduce smoking: Inhalation of any toxic chemicals can cause irritation and inflammatory changes in the upper airway and this can affect the airflow and may cause snoring. 

• Mandibular advancement devices (MAD): This is something worth speaking to your doctor about (possible with an ENT consult) but these are dental devices that you place inside the mouth and help to move the lower jaw and tongue forward, which makes more space to breathe and prevent snoring.

Is Fluoride In Your Water Dangerous?

Conspiracy theorists beware….

There is actually a legitimate public health reason fluoride is in our water supply.

…and no, it’s not to control you or make you infertile.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral released from rocks that is then found in the air, water and even soil. It is present in many oral health products from mouthwash to toothpaste and even some medications.

The reason fluoride is added into water is because it can help to remineralise the enamel layer of your teeth (the hard outer coating) and help to reduce the incidence of cavities.

In fact public health authorities across the world have noted in areas where fluoridation was introduced showed much lower rates of tooth decay compared to non-fluoridated areas.

What You Should Read:

The Ape That Understood The Universe – Steve Stewart Williams

These days I mainly enjoy reading non-fiction and learning things about subjects I never knew much about. This book is one of those.

I have an amateur interest in psychology and this book takes an interesting perspective on both cultural evolutionary theories and evolutionary psychology.

It starts with the premise of an alien scientist viewing the human species and how they would view our sexual behaviour, our culture, our mind and more.

If you’re interested in science and a really good story about human nature and who we really are that’s written in a not stuffy way then consider checking this book out. A very easy read!

On that note if you enjoy reading things which you can apply to your daily life and pique your own curiosity – grab a copy of my book “This Book May Save Your Life” if you want to learn about how to tweak and optimise different body systems!

Can We Use Menstrual Blood To Harvest Stem Cells?!

So adult stem cells are self-renewing cells which can give rise to many different types of tissues.

Scientists have discovered that the endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) contained stem cells – and that makes sense right given its remarkable capacity to regrow itself each month!

Stem cells are highly prized because they have the potential to repair damaged tissue and treat diseases such as cancer and heart failure

But the problem is that they exist in low numbers throughout the body, and can be difficult to obtain often requiring invasive procedures such as surgical biopsies or bone marrow extraction with a needle.

But what if the stem cells were just ejected from the body… say every month?

Detailed studies of the endometrium have helped to explain how these precious endometrial stem cells or “menstrual stem cells” could end up in menstrual blood.

But what are the applications of these menstrual stem cells??

Ok so quick Segway into endometriosis – a chronic, painful gynaecological condition which lacks a reliable, noninvasive test to diagnose. Currently, patients wait an average of nearly seven years before receiving a diagnosis.

However studies have shown that stem cells collected from the menstrual blood of women with endometriosis have slightly different shapes and gene expression patterns versus menstrual blood from women without endometriosis.

If these menstrual stem cells could be built into an easy test then it could help identify women at higher risk of the condition, which could lead to faster diagnosis and treatment.

Beyond endometriosis, these menstrual stem cells may also have therapeutic applications. Some studies on mice have found that injecting menstrual stem cells into the rodents’ blood can repair the damaged endometrium and improve fertility.

Even more reason to have more awareness, research and funding into women’s health conditions!

Life Updates:

A busy 2 weeks of work, lectures and… hosting a conference?!

This Wednesday and next Wednesday I’ve been invited by two separate Oxford university colleges to give a talk so that should be interesting. Speaking engagements are something I’ve increasingly enjoyed over the last few years!

Next week my friend who left medicine a few years back to venture into the health tech start up space is hosting a conference in London and has asked me to host/MC the event and I’ve told him I might do a Ricky Gervais style roasting of the audience. I will feed back how that goes.

This year I’m going to be experimenting with more cooking particularly fermenting, pickling and trying out dishes well beyond my comfort zone in the “Feed Your Gut” series I’ve started on my social media channels.

I love food, I love cooking (amateur level) and I love talking about guts… so what better way to share my love of these things with you than a fusion of all 3!

Newsletter done, thank you for reading… I will be off to the gym!