The Weekly Dose - Episode 54

The Weekly Dose...

... the latest from Dr Karan

  Here is your weekly dose...  

Hi all!Here is your weekly dose of the Sunday Six! A few things I found interesting this week. If you enjoy this please feel free to forward this to friends. families and enemies alike!If you've enjoyed any of my content over the years, I know you will enjoy my new book "This Book May Save Your Life", available to pre-order here: My First Ever Book!If you enjoy interesting conversations and podcast, check out my brand new podcast "The Referral With Dr Karan"!**You'll find more in depth analysis of some of these subjects on my social platforms in the links just below, including Dr Karan Investigates! for deep dives into interesting topics on my YouTube channel.**

Our Gut Bacteria Are Dying...

Although our understanding of the gut microbiome has grown substantially over the last decade, it can still be considered the "dark matter" of biology. We know it exists and it's importance...but we've barely scratched the surface of it's true purpose and full extent of it's influence.That said, we also have data now which suggests certain strains of gut bacteria are now permanently extinct from the microbiome. Some which were present in our hunter-gatherer days, are now consigned to the annals of history.On the surface, it might seem like an "internal climate change" as the microbiome can be considered a biosensor of our environment and adapt rapidly to our surroundings. Could the extinction of our microbiome be adaptive to our modern lifestyles where we no longer have access to the dense fibres and types of foods we had access to thousands of years ago?Are those "deleted" bacteria serving a purpose we no longer need from them in the modern world? We don't have the answers to these questions as of yet.It is more than likely that rapid urbanisation, the increased usage of antibiotics in agriculture and the increasingly low fibre foods we consume contribute to this internal deforestation.I discuss strategies to keep our internal gut health well tuned in my podcast episode with Dr Blair Merrick if you're interested in helping the critters which dwell inside you! 

Vaginal Discharge: Good Or Bad?

The human body is very self sufficient with multiple organs and body parts which are self cleaning and auto-detoxifying: colon, kidneys, liver, ear, vagina...To this end, fluid which emanates from the vagina is needed to keep this organ clean, moist and protect it from infections. It is for all intents and purposes...filtered blood..combined with epithelial cells lining the vagina which have sloughed off and the vaginal flora. Normal vaginal discharge can vary in consistency and volume depending on menstrual cycles and fluctuating hormone levels (white, off-white and even yellowish or creamy) What is abnormal?As with all things, a sudden departure from normal - including an offensive smell, a sudden significant increase in volume or change in character to thick, bloodstained, frothy, or cottage cheese-like consistency is something to see a healthcare professional about. Definitely don't insert pleasant smelling de-odorising agents or any DIY home cures as a quick fix as this will more than likely make the problem worse!

Assume You Are Below Average...

93% of drivers say they are safer than average drivers.I went through a significant proportion of university with this mindset...that I was "better than the average". Now I assume I'm average or below average. This shift in mindset, perhaps surprisingly to you, gives me a leg up!I listen more, I seek to learn more, I ask far more questions than any sane person would do and most importantly I never think others are stupid (regardless of what might come out of their mouths).To assume you are below average is NOT a shortcoming, it is simply an admission that you're still open to learning and that you're not simply leaning on past accomplishments. 

The Strange History Of Tea...

Why do the English call it Tea, the Chinese call it Cha and the Indians call it Chai?!The etymology and history of tea is as rich as the brew itself...Prior to the 8th century, there was no dedicated word or character for tea since it was part of a larger group of herbs and plants that were consumed largely for medicinal purposes. This group was collectively known as tu 荼 -  bitter plant. As drinking of tea gained popularity all over China over the centuries, due to the diverse dialects that are specific to regions and provinces, the word tu was pronounced differently in different Chinese dialects.  For example, in the Guangdong Province, it was pronounced cha, in Shantou it was pronounced te, while in the Fujian Province it was pronounced as ta. In the Northern part of China along the banks of the river Yangtze, it was as  zhou as well as cha.As tea traveled from China to different parts of the world, the form of its name and pronunciation entered each language depending on the route it traveled by. In Russia, India, Japan and the Arab countries, because tea traveled via the land routes, the Mandarin word ch'a was used. When tea traveled to Europe, it was mainly traded by the Dutch who pronounced it  thee which became known as tea or tee in English, the in French, thee in German and te in Italian, Spanish, Hungarian...Another fascinating version of tea is chai. It is thought that chai evolved from the Persian chay. As tea reached from Northern China to Persia via Central Asia via the Silk Route, the suffix yi was added to cha. When tea traveled from Persia and Central Asia to Russia, Arabia and Turkey, it went as chai. In India, tea is called chai in Hindi due to the strong influence of the Persian language.

Quantum Physics In Your Nose?!...

If you've seen Ant-man (the most underrated super hero ever), you'll have some inkling that Quantum physics is associated with the very small and very complicated.Well..it turns out there may be some quantum physics happening in your nose..a quantum nose if you will..Your nose can distinguish over a trillion different smells. The mechanics of "smelling" is thought to be driven by a molecule (an odorant) entering your nose, binding to receptors and revealing the specific scent. This prevailing theory is the lock and key model, i.e an odorant finds the right receptor, it fits into it and triggers a specific smell. However, this lock and key model had some issues. In studies subjects were able to tell two scents apart, even when the odorant molecules took on n identical shape...so there must be another process working...  An additional, but contentious theory suggested that our noses could be sensitive to vibrations within these "smell molecules". So when an odorant settles into a receptor, the energy of its vibrations causes an electron to "quantum tunnel" to another location in the receptor. Thus combining the shape and vibrational energy theories, scientists came up with the "swipe card" model; i.e our noses are sensitive to both the shape of and vibrations within an odorant!Confused? So am I. What you should take away from this is that science is not black and white but a constantly evolving, updating spectrum of information! What is wrong today could be proved correct tomorrow and vice versa! (just ask Ignasz Semmelweis) 

What You Should Watch...

"Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal"Wow.This took me back to my school and then university admission days and made me think about how hard I had to study and work my ass off to get into a "top" school when I was 13. I went to maybe 5 or 6 different top London school and sat entrance exams and gave interviews alongside thousands of other 13 year olds back in 2002/2003.There is something disconcerting about putting a lifetime worth of pressure on a young teenager and making it seem as though exams, grades, where you go to school will determine your career and fortunes. Sadly my view was not stereoscopic and I believed in this notion at the time and from 13-18 I became obsessed with studying, exams and routine! Anyway back to this show! Operation varsity blues is an eye opening deep dive into the dodgy goings on by Rick Singer, the man at the centre of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal and how he persuaded his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged.The documentary combines interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI’s wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients - watch it!

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which of this weeks Sunday six is your favourite? Is there something you want more, or less of? I'm open to any suggestions so please let me know! Just send a  tweet to @drkaranrajan and use the hashtag #theweeklydose at the end so I can find it!

Have a wonderful week, all.

Much love,

Karan