Balancing Act

Our gut ecosystem is becoming infertile for a multitude of reasons. Overuse fattening up farmed animals, C-sections (in which the baby fails to get a wash of microbes), and our own misuse of antibiotics all seem to contribute.

When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, he also warned about the dangers of microbes growing resistant to antibiotics. Almost three-quarters of the 40 million antibiotic prescriptions written each year in the United States are for conditions that cannot be cured with antibiotics.

Our brain weighs just 2% of our body weight, yet consumes 20% of our energy requirements. Even when not active, it will burn roughly 400 calories every day.

The most efficient brains burn the least calories. Efficient brains can save a task quickly and then go into a kind of standby mode.

Our vestibular system is responsible for balance. A gel is located inside our ears and tells our brain if we are going right or left.

When we spin in a circle, the gel keeps moving when we stop, resulting in disorientation. When the loss of balance is severe, the brain interprets it as poisoning. That is why the loss of balance can result in nausea.

Our saliva produces a natural painkiller, opiorphin. It is six times more potent than morphine, but we produce minimal amounts of it. It is an essential biological feature that helps us manage pain.

Only our brain — an organ that itself cannot feel pain — can feel pain. Headaches are not even our brain hurting.

There is not much difference between physical and emotional pain. Both can be reduced through a variety of means, like pleasant aromas or music. In many ways, we feel the pain we expect to feel.

Children go through puberty sooner due to improved nutrition. However, young girls are now menstruating as early as seven. There is also a known link between excess estrogen and cancer later in life. That means you solve one problem like malnutrition but then another problem may appear.

10% - 40% of the world's populations suffer an allergy to something. The richer the nation, the more allergies its citizens have.

Babies born through a C-section are 8 times more likely to develop allergies, diabetes, asthma, celiac disease, and obesity.

In 1915, an average American spent half of their weekly income on food.

Today, an average American spends 6 %, yet eating more than ever, mostly processed foods that contain added sugars.

Nearly 40% of people who were once very fit got ill with diabetes, chronic hypertension, or cardiovascular disease.

Nearly 20% of people who are severely overweight live to a good old age without ever doing anything about it.

• MSG is not poisonous and an essential component of the taste sensation, umami. 
• Men taking testosterone supplements are more likely to cause harm. The supplements increase their risk of a heart attack or stroke.
• 10 000 steps a day: This myth is based on a single study done in Japan in the 1960s.
• Losing body heat through your head: Body heat is evenly distributed. You only lose heat through your head if it is exposed.