Have you ever watched a video of a gazelle fleeing from a lion? That gazelle is in high-stress mode. Its heart rate and blood pressure shoot up. Its blood sugar level rockets upwards. Its digestive, reproductive, hormone, and immune systems shut down. When we’re stressed, our bodies respond the same way. Instead of short minutes, however, our […]
What is the microbiome, anyway? You’re outnumbered. Your body contains ten times more microbes than human cells and one hundred times more microbial DNA than human DNA. What are microbes? Think tiny organisms like bacteria and yeasts. All the microbes inside you are collectively known as the microbiome. Think of the microbiome as the microbe […]
Editor’s Note: The following was written by Dr. Heather Tick. Dr. Tick serves at the forefront of research and teaching as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington It’s easy to underestimate the importance of sleep because we are, after all, asleep and unaware of all the activity going on in our brain and […]