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Cardiovascular / Circulatory

Cold Water Immersion: Is It Worth Doing?

Besh.ca INTRODUCTION Cold water immersion (fancy way of describing being in cold friggin’ water) is a form of bathing that has gained popularity in recent years, thanks to researchers and popular public figures (i.e., Dr. Andrew Huberman, Wim Hof, Brent Beshara). Cold water immersion (CWI) can be defined by exposing the body to water temperatures…

Mitochondria and Relationships to Health

INTRODUCTION Mitochondria are organelles (subcellular structures conducting specific tasks) found within the cells of our bodies. Such organelles are involved in several critical processes to include reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell survival, cell signalling, apoptosis (cell death), several metabolic pathways, and energy production via adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis; its most widely known contribution.1,2 As…

Plastics and Negative Health Impacts

PLASTIC BASICS Plastics tend to constitute an estimated 10% of total household waste, most of which are disposed of in landfills.1 Plastics are made of a wide variety of synthetic and semi-synthetic organic substances, which allow for various molded objects and shapes. Due to the multiple uses and durability of plastic, production is high; in…

Dementia: Support With Sauna Therapy

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a condition characterized by the development of two abnormal proteins in the brain known as β-amyloid and tau, which are toxic to nerve cells within the brain.1 The build-up of such proteins inexorably leads to neuron death, degraded brain function, and manifestations of dementia; a general term, which describes a decline in mental abilities…

Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

Mounting evidence is suggesting that deep belly breathing, otherwise known as diaphragmatic breathing (DB), can induce beneficial and relaxing effects that support physical and mental health.1 Although DB is slowly gaining attention amongst exercise professionals, medical professionals, and the general public, specific benefits have remained largely elusive.1(1) Considering the anecdotal benefits of DB, the following…

Heavy Metals and Hypertension: How Saunas Can Help

Heavy metal exposure from the environment, food, and water is considered a nearly unavoidable occurrence; a process that slowly develops and worsens over a lifetime.1 Metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium have been identified within individuals, of which there is no known biological benefit. Of particular note; said elements are likely progenitors of…

Inadequate Sleep and Health Outcomes

Sleep is a vital, yet greatly overlooked, component to health. In many industrialized societies, there is a trend towards less hours of sleep per night (Gallicchio & Kalesan, 2009). Losses in sleep of seven hours or less are attributed to factors such as longer work schedules, and greater time associated with leisure activities (Gallicchio &…

Biomarkers of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a term that identifies an aggregate of physiological abnormalities which increases the risk of liver disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular disease (Agyemang-Yeboah, Eghan, Annani-Akollor, Togbe, Donkor, & Afranie, 2019). Physiological abnormalities that constitute MS include dysregulated glucose metabolism, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and abnormal lipid profiles (Agyemang-Yeboah et…

Saunas, Detoxification, and Managing Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a condition accounting for 30% of all cause mortality and 10% disability worldwide (Zhang & Chang, 2019). Underlying causes of CVD can include congenital abnormalities, infectious agents, nutritional, and environmental factors (Reisner & Reisner, 2017; Sears, Kerr, & Bray, 2012). As such, interventions to manage said factors are paramount in maintaining…

Environmental Pollutants, Sweating, and Detoxification

Sears, Kerr, and Bray (2012) indicated that several elements exist in the environment that provide no known benefit, physiologically. Such elements include arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) (Sears et al., 2012). However, said elements have the capacity to bioaccumulate in the body producing aberrations in multiple regions to include the cardiovascular,…