Eating Boogers May Be Good for You!

If you catch your child with a finger up his nose, you probably discourage it. But could the “bad” childhood habit of picking your nose and eating it, actually be good for you? A biochemist from the University of Saskatchewan has theorized that nasal mucus, or as it’s more commonly known, boogers, has a sugary taste that’s meant to entice you to want to eat it. Doing this, he believes, may help introduce pathogens from your environment to your immune system, resulting in the building up of natural defenses. Other experts believe this theory, which has yet to be tested, doesn’t necessarily hold water because you swallow nasal secretions every day, including while you sleep, even if you don’t eat your boogers. Still, there's a tendency in our modern culture to be obsessive about cleanliness, especially in children, and it could be that scolding kids for this “dirty” habit may actually be counterproductive. Not All Germs are Bad Germs - A child raised in an environment devoid of dirt and germs, and who is given antibiotics that kill off all of the bacteria in his gut, is not able to build up natural resistance to disease, and becomes vulnerable to illnesses later in life. This theory, known as the hygiene hypothesis, is likely one reason why many allergies and immune system diseases have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in the last few decades. Why does your immune system need “dirt” and germs to stay healthy? Your immune system is composed of two main groups that work together to protect you. One part of your immune system deploys specialized white blood cells, called Th1 lymphocytes that direct an assault on infected cells throughout your body. The other major part of your immune system attacks intruders even earlier. It produces antibodies that try to block dangerous microbes from invading your body's cells in the first place. This latter strategy uses a different variety of white blood cells, called Th2 lymphocytes. The Th2 system also happens to drive allergic responses to foreign organisms. Dirt May Help Your Immune System Grow Stronger - At birth, an infant's immune system appears to rely primarily on the Th2 system, while waiting for the Th1 system to grow stronger. But the hygiene hypothesis suggests that the Th1 system can grow stronger only if it gets “exercise,” either through fighting infections or through encounters with certain harmless microbes. Without such stimulation, the Th2 system flourishes and the immune system tends to react with allergic responses more easily. In other words, the hygiene hypothesis posits that children and adults not being exposed to viruses and other environmental factors like dirt, germs and parasites results in their not being able to build up resistance, which makes them more vulnerable to illnesses. Allergies, Heart Disease and Even Depression Linked to Being ‘Too Clean’ - If you're healthy, exposure to bacteria and viruses may serve as "natural vaccines" that strengthen your immune system and provide long-lasting immunity against disease. If you don’t get this healthy exposure to germs in your environment, it may end up making you sick. Health problems already associated with the hygiene hypothesis include: Allergies, Asthma, Eczema, Autoimmune diseases and Heart disease (with one study finding that early exposure to viral infections during childhood could reduce the risk of heart disease later in life by up to 90 percent.) Even depression has been connected to early exposure to pathogens, via an inflammatory connection. Neuroscientist Charles Raison, MD, who led the study, said: "Since ancient times benign microorganisms, sometimes referred to as 'old friends,' have taught your immune system how to tolerate other harmless microorganisms, and in the process, reduce inflammatory responses that have been linked to the development of most modern illnesses, from cancer to depression." Your Immune System Dictates Whether or Not You Get Sick - If you’re looking for even further evidence that booger-eating may not be so bad after all, consider that it is the state of your immune system that determines whether or not you get sick when you’re exposed to a germ. In one study, when 17 people were infected with a flu virus, only half of them got sick. The researchers found changes in blood took place 36 hours before flu symptoms showed up, and everyone had an immune response, regardless of whether or not they felt sick. But the immune responses were quite different. In symptomatic participants, the immune response included antiviral and inflammatory responses that may be related to virus-induced oxidative stress. But in the non-symptomatic participants, these responses were tightly regulated. The asymptomatic group also had elevated expression of genes that function in antioxidant responses and cell-mediated responses. Researchers noted: “Exposure to influenza viruses is necessary, but not sufficient, for healthy human hosts to develop symptomatic illness. The host response [emphasis added] is an important determinant of disease progression.” The bottom line? If exposure to the bacteria in your boogers can indeed help your immune system to grow stronger, then a case could be made for their consumption (or at least, for not scolding your little ones if you find them with a finger up their nose). Of course, you can get healthful germ exposures other ways, too. How to Avoid Being Overly Hygienic - If the hygiene hypothesis is true, and there’s mounting research that it is, trying to keep your environment overly sterile could backfire big time and actually increase your risk of acute and chronic diseases. You can avoid being “too clean,” and in turn help bolster your body’s natural immune responses, by: • Letting your child get dirty. Allow your kids to play outside and get dirty (and realize that if your kid eats boogers, it isn’t the end of the world). • Not using antibacterial soaps and other antibacterial household products, which wipe out the microorganisms that your body needs to be exposed to for developing and maintaining proper immune function. Simple soap and water are all you need when washing your hands. The antibacterial chemicals (typically triclosan) are quite toxic and have even been found to promote the growth of resistant bacteria. • Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics. Remember that viral infections are impervious to antibiotics, as antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. • Serving locally grown or organic meats that do not contain antibiotics. • Educating yourself on the differences between natural and artificial immunity, and making informed decisions about the use of vaccinations. Source: mercola.com, 5/22/13

The Five Worst Foods for Sleep

Nearly 41 million adults are sleeping just 6 hours or less each night, putting them at risk of adverse health effects (such as heart disease and obesity) and potentially fatal drowsy driving linked to lack of sleep. While stress is one of the most often cited reasons why people can’t sleep, there’s another factor that could be keeping you up at night. Certain foods can significantly interfere with your sleep, including the five worst below. 1. Alcohol - A drink or two before bed can make you drowsy, leading many to believe it’s actually beneficial for sleep. While it may make you nod off quicker, research shows that you are more likely to wake during the night, leaving you feeling less rested in the morning. The latest study found that alcohol increases slow-wave “deep” sleep during the first half of the night, but then increases sleep disruptions in the second half of the night. Since alcohol is a potent muscle relaxant, it can also increase your risk of snoring. Snorers -- and their bed partners -- often experience restless sleep leading to sleepiness and difficulty concentrating during the day. 2. Coffee - Coffee, of course, is one of the most common sources of caffeine. This stimulant has a half-life of 5 hours, which means 25% of it will still be in your system 10 hours later. In some people caffeine is not metabolized efficiently, leaving you feeling its effects even longer. An afternoon cup of coffee or tea will keep some people from falling asleep at night. Some medications contain caffeine as well (for example, diet pills). 3. Dark Chocolate - Though the healthiest form of chocolate from an antioxidant perspective, it can contain relatively high levels of caffeine that can keep you up at night. 4. Spicy Foods - Spicy foods before bedtime can give you indigestion that makes it nearly impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Even if you can eat spicy foods without discomfort, they are still linked with more time spent awake during the night and taking longer to fall asleep. It’s speculated that this may be due to capsaicin, an active ingredient in chili peppers, affecting sleep via changes in body temperature. 5. Unhealthy Fatty Foods - When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods the next day. Eating a high-fat diet leads to more fragmented sleep. In fact, an animal study revealed that eating fatty foods may lead to disrupted sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness. The link may be due to the brain chemical hypocretin, a neurotransmitter that helps keep you awake and also plays a role in managing appetite. Recent Study Gives Clues on How Diet Impacts Sleep The link between what you eat and how well you sleep, and vice versa, is only beginning to be explored, however, a recent study evaluating the diets and sleep patterns of more than 4,500 people did find distinct dietary patterns among short and long sleepers. While the study was only able to generate hypotheses about dietary nutrients that may be associated with short and long sleep durations, it did yield some interesting data. • Very short sleepers (less than 5 hours a night): Had the least food variety, drank less water and consumed fewer total carbohydrates. • Short sleepers (5-6 hours): Ate the most calories but ate less vitamin C and selenium, and drank less water. • Normal sleepers (7-8 hours): Had the most food variety in their diet, which is generally associated with a healthier way of eating. • Long sleepers (9 or more hours): Ate the least calories as well as less total carbs. Long sleepers tended to drink more alcohol. As for what the data means, researchers aren’t yet sure, but it could be that eating a varied diet is one key to normal, healthful sleep. Sleep Tip: Stop Eating at Least Three Hours Before You Go to Bed It is ideal to avoid eating any food three hours before bed, as this will optimize your blood sugar, insulin and leptin levels and contribute to overall good health and restful sleep. Specifically, avoiding food for at least three hours before bed will lower your blood sugar during sleep and help minimize damage from too much sugar floating around. Additionally, it will jumpstart the glycogen depletion process so you can shift to fat-burning mode. A recent study is a powerful confirmation of this recommendation, as it found that the mere act of altering your typical eating habits — such as getting up in the middle of the night for a snack — causes a certain protein to desynchronize your internal food clock, which can throw you off kilter and set a vicious cycle in motion. Eating too close to bedtime, or very late at night when you'd normally be sleeping, may throw off your body's internal clock and lead to weight gain. Routinely eating at the wrong time may not only disrupt your biological clock and interfere with your sleep, but it may also devastate vital body functions and contribute to disease. That said, while you’ve likely heard the advice that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, some experts believe that skipping breakfast and eating your main meal at night may actually be more in-tune with your innate biological clock. I've revised my own eating schedule to eliminate breakfast and restrict the time I eat to a period of about six to seven hours each day, which is typically from noon to 6 or 7 pm. Diet Is Only One Factor in Getting a Good Night’s Sleep There are many variables that impact how well you sleep. Here are some other tips: • Cover your windows with blackout shades or drapes to ensure complete darkness. Even the tiniest bit of light can disrupt your production of melatonin and the melatonin precursor serotonin, thereby disrupting your sleep cycle. Close your bedroom door, get rid of night lights, and refrain from turning on any light during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. If you have to use a light, install so-called "low blue" light bulbs in your bedroom and bathroom. These emit a light that will not suppress melatonin production. • Keep the temperature in your bedroom at or below 70 degrees. Many people keep their homes and particularly their upstairs bedrooms too warm. Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 to 68 degrees. Keeping your room cooler or hotter can lead to restless sleep. • Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These can also disrupt your production of melatonin and serotonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. • Move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your head. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least three feet. • Reduce the use of light-emitting technology before going to bed. These emit the type of light that will suppress melatonin production, which in turn will hamper your ability to fall asleep, as well as increase your cancer risk (melatonin helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and slows the production of estrogen, which can contribute to cancer). Ideally, you'll want to turn all such light-emitting gadgets off at least one hour prior to bedtime. Source: mercola.com, 5/6/13.