While plastics are cheap and offer versatile options to food packaging, studies show us that they also pose a significant threat to human health, such as impacting fertility, immune function, and causing obesity, cancer and development delays in children.

Power naps and quality sleep in general show to have a significant effect on endocrine health, most specifically on growth hormone, insulin, testosterone and progesterone.

Bacopa is one of the herbs that some of us used consistently before exams at university, since as students we needed all the help we could get with learning and retaining information before a big exam. In saying that, today research shows that Bacopa can also assist with ADHD symptoms, and has anxiolytic, antidepressant actions and antioxidant actions.

The triceps are a group of large muscles found at the back of our upper arm. Since they contribute to about two-thirds of our arm’s volume and total size, as well as having an important role in how our arm functions and operates, we need to give it proper attention when exercising.

Additional studies show that different slow breathing techniques have a positive impact on pain management, relaxation and sleep, increasing our immune system and physical performance, and managing blood sugar levels.

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble vitamin first found in butterfat and egg yolk. It is an important nutrient for the health of our eyes, skin and immunity. Deficiency in vitamin A can increase risk of infection, infertility and growth and development issues, as noted in research done on children in Uganda.

In traditional medicine, ginger is highly praised for its healing properties. Today, modern medicine and research states that ginger possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Therefore, it can assist with liver and respiratory health, reducing joint pain due to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and can even positively impact metabolic health that might have been compromised due to obesity or diabetes.

As we age the risk of falling increases. Therefore balance and mobility become crucial. It is important to exercise areas of the body which control strength and mobility, namely the core, hips, legs and spine.

Sciatica is a painful condition that is associated with nerve pain that can be felt in the lower back, buttocks area and can extend down the entire leg. While sciatica can be extremely unpleasant and painful, it also causes weakness in the legs and can severely restrict movement.

When we are planning to exclude certain food groups for a long period of time, especially if these foods are nutrient dense, it is important to know if our body is thriving on the new diet or if certain nutrients are missing. In the case of vegan, and to some extent vegetarian diets, there are certain health checks and blood tests that we should do more frequently, just in case.

Today, garlic is a familiar household herb, and we often forget its true properties and health benefits. Before the advent of anti-biotics, garlic was one of the herbs often used to assist with many health conditions and diseases. Studies now show that garlic, apart from having potent anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, can also lower high blood pressure and assist with hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

At some point most of us wonder why we are here, about the overall purpose of our lives and the relevance of our existence. These philosophical and existential ponderings are part of being human. There are no easy answers, but Viktor Frankl’s views about Ultimate Meaning provide a framework that may help guide us to the answers.