Inflamm-ageing is a term coined to describe one way in which the immune system runs awry with age. Like a malfunctioning thermostat, the level of inflammatory response is consistently too high, leading to tissue damage

The global food system itself spurs climate change, alters landscapes and drives resource shortages. And as population growth puts more and more pressure on resources, where does this leave my daughter and her peers, I can’t help but ask myself?

Thyroid hormone is vitally important: every cell in the body - be that a gut cell, brain cell, immune cell or muscle cell - has receptors for it, and thus it quite literally instructs each of those cells to do what they are designed to do and drives the speed at which all of these cells work. This is known as our metabolic rate. Like an accelerator pedal, turn it up and your metabolism will speed up; slow it down and you will also start to slow down - manifesting as fatigue, drying skin, slower bowel movements, constant infections, poor immunity, thinning hair and impaired digestion.

We learn in biology at school that the role of the gastrointestinal tract is associated with the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as, the function of elimination of waste products. But, another key function of the intestine is to police the transport of environmental antigens across the gut wall or what is correctly termed – the mucosal barrier.

Latest research suggests that changing our thoughts and practices around meals and mealtimes are just as important as obsessing over what it is we actually put in our mouths. Mindful eating aims to reconnect us more deeply with the experience of eating — and enjoying — our food. The goal of mindful eating then, is to base our meals on physical cues, such as our bodies’ hunger signals, not emotional ones — like eating for comfort.

Sleep is optimal to our health. During sleep, the body is in an anabolic state - basically when in energy conservation, tissue repair and growth take over. The body temperature falls, growth hormone is secreted and immune cell production is increased - ahh – why we get that cold or flu when we’ve been burning the candle too much!

You've probably heard about the microbiome in your gut. It's the collection of trillions of tiny microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses) living in and on our bodies, that can be likened to a kind of community or village.

Have you ever heard the term toxic burden? In Functional Medicine, we’ve been discussing and digging into the data for some time, and like all these things it is now being recognised and written about in published peer-reviewed journals and mainstream media. A PubMed search on “toxicity & endocrine disruptors” bought up 8281 papers this morning -  a few at random selection where::

Hormones regulate the activity of cells and tissues in various organs of the body. The balance of hormones produced by your body is essential to good health and a feeling of well-being.