A March 2021 study of adolescents by the University of Bergen found that,
"…positive self-image and self-esteem protected against weight gain"
"We conclude that health promotive efforts in adolescence should be based on self- and body-acceptance"
Viewing entries in
health strategies
A March 2021 study by the University of Basel said,
"The goal of the recommendations … is primarily to lower blood pressure,"
"Ultimately, through blood pressure reduction, we can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease - thereby spending more years of life in good health."
"In people with hypertension, the blood pressure reduction that can be achieved with aerobic exercise is the same, or even slightly more, than taking a single antihypertensive medication,"
"People with normal blood pressure, but who are at raised risk of developing hypertension, may be particularly motivated to keep their levels down,"
"Obese individuals are very likely to develop high blood pressure if obesity persists over the years. Healthy individuals with a hypertensive parent are also at risk of developing high blood pressure, as are women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension). People in these groups can postpone or even prevent hypertension by exercising."
"For most exercises, the blood pressure lowering effect lasts for about 24 hours, similar to medication, so it's best to be active every day if possible."
A March 2021 study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that that ultra-processed foods and drink is associated with a risk of colorectal cancer.
The researchers consider this link to explained partly by
“the low intake of fibre, fruits and vegetables, which are known to offer protection against colorectal cancer, among people who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods, but also by the additives and other substances with carcinogenic potential typically used in processed food products."
"This finding is not surprising and is consistent with the results of previous studies of dietary factors and prostate cancer risk, in which no link was found,”
"We found differences in terms of their intake of energy, fibre, energy density and saturated fatty acids. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages was higher among colorectal and breast cancer cases than in the controls”
"ultra-processed foods and drinks in general are not yet classified as carcinogenic because the aim of the IARC was not to assess the overall risk of an individual's diet, but rather to focus on specific components that might be dangerous, such as processed meats".
A May 2021 study by the German Centre for Neurogenerative Diseases said,
"People in the second half of life have constant eating habits. We analyzed whether the study participants regularly eat a Mediterranean diet - and whether this might have an impact on brain health ",
"There was also a significant positive correlation between a closer adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet and a higher volume of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is an area of the brain that is considered the control center of memory. It shrinks early and severely in Alzheimer's disease,"
"It is possible that the Mediterranean diet protects the brain from protein deposits and brain atrophy that can cause memory loss and dementia. Our study hints at this,"
“But the biological mechanism underlying this will have to be clarified in future studies."
A https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/tes-hg031821.php by the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston finds (as we’ve long suspected),
“…that ghrelin [“the hunger hormone”] might play a broader role than previously acknowledged in human reward-related behavior and decision making, such as monetary choices,"
"This will hopefully inspire future research into its role in food-independent human perception and behavior."
Overall Weight Goal
BMI of 25 or less
Daily Activity
10,000 steps or equivalent
Daily Hydration
2 litres of water or equivalent
Daily Protein
80g (men) 60g (women)
Daily Fibre
38g (men) 30g (women)
Daily Supplements
A pill that contains all daily recommended vitamains and minerals
Gut Health
One glass daily of kefir or kombucha
Sugar and sweeteners Intake
Zero
QRisk Calculator
Use the Calculator to identify your risk of heart disease and stroke.
An April 2021 study found that,
“… a pro-inflammatory diet can contribute to testosterone deficiency, among other potentially debilitating health issues,"
"Our results suggest men who eat a pro-inflammatory diet [a refined diet** that scores high on the dietary inflammatory index (DII)], particularly those who are obese, are more likely to have testosterone deficiency,"
**A refined diet includes foods that contain refined carbohydrates and sugar as well as polyunsaturated fats.
The study also said,
"Since men with obesity likely already experience chronic inflammation, physicians should be aware of contributing factors, like diet, that could likely worsen this inflammation and contribute to the risk of other health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.”
A more anti-inflammatory diet "could be a feasible method to reduce the accumulated inflammatory burden, [potentially] leading to an increased testosterone level.”
A March 2021 study by the Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and the Experimental and Clinical Research Center run by the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin found that,
"Switching to a healthy diet has a positive effect on blood pressure,"
"If the diet is preceded by a fast, this effect is intensified."
"The innate immune system remains stable during the fast, whereas the adaptive immune system shuts down,"
"Body mass index, blood pressure and the need for antihypertensive medication remained lower in the long term among volunteers who started the healthy diet with a five-day fast,"
"We were able to isolate the influence of the medication and observe that whether someone responds well to a change of diet or not depends on the individual immune response and the gut microbiome,"
"Those who have [low healthy gut bacteria] often feel that it is not worth the effort and go back to their old habits,"
"Fasting acts as a catalyst for protective microorganisms in the gut. Health clearly improves very quickly and patients can cut back on their medication or even often stop taking tablets altogether."
Avoid harmful things and do more good things.
Strive for excellence in what you do.
Drink plenty of water.
Get fresh air and sunlight daily if you can.
Exercise regularly.
Rest and relax.
Aim for a healthy balance between work and family life.
Read and listen to good things.
Sleep early, wake early.
Eat well, sleep well, reduce stress.
Wash hands before and after eating.
Eat good things, in balance.
Eat honey, dates, figs, vinegar, and olive oil.
Remember your parents.
Be around good people.
Be thankful, loving and kind.
… and have hijama.
It appears that just a few kilograms in weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.
A November 2020 study by the University of East Anglia said, "We have now shown a significant effect in Type 2 diabetes prevention, and we can be very optimistic that even a modest weight loss, and an increase in physical activity, in real world programmes like this have a big effect on the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.”
"This is really great news for the eight million people in the UK with a prediabetes diagnosis. The results of this trial, show that diabetes prevention is possible in the same prediabetes populations being treated in the NHS national diabetes prevention programme.”
"This is important to know, as the clinical methods for diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes have changed a lot in recent years."
A September 2020 study by Scripps Research continues the research on the links between body temperature and calorie restriction. The researchers said,
“It's not easy to discern what's driving the beneficial changes of calorie restriction … Is it the reduced calories on their own, or the change in body temperature that typically happens when one consumes fewer calories? Or is it a combination of both?"
"The data we collected showed that temperature has an equal or greater effect than nutrients on metabolism during calorie restriction,"
A February 2020 article by the University of Manitoba's Rady Faculty of Health Sciences said,
"Addressing health inequities requires a deeper understanding of the diversity within and across First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, as well as how different models of Indigenous-led health partnerships can respond to context-specific service needs."
"A largely biomedical approach to health fails to address Indigenous patients' myriad, unique needs in an integrated, holistic manner."
"If the swell of efforts of Elders, Knowledge Keepers and healers can be supported by the larger medical community, and if barriers to full health care rights for Indigenous Peoples can be lessened or removed … then systemic racism can be overpowered and health equity can be more easily approached."
Normal hiccups are a temporary inconvenience. Persistent Hiccups (2-30 days) are miserable. Alhamdulillah. Intractable Hiccups (30+ days) … I can’t imagine that.
I write this having had Persistent Hiccups for 7 days.
The hiccups stopped for periods of an hour, or two to four hours. As soon as they do, that’s when I slept. Whatever the time of day or night. Otherwise, sleep deprivation will replace the hiccups as the major problem. Usually I was woken by the onset of hiccups or they start again as soon as I got out of bed. The hiccups were sometimes normal hiccups. But there were two other types of hiccups. One can be described as “hicc-up-up-up”. The other, the most unpleasant, was a hiccup but with a very clammy, sticky roof of the mouth with the tongue getting stuck to it. The hiccups seemed the most worse in the evening and best or disappeared around 2am.
Professional Status
Do not take any of the medical treatments set out here, except under the care of a professional. For myself, as a qualified Hijama Practitioner, qualified Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Hakeem, I feel I’m safe ground with all of these treatments, except, of course, the western medicine and for that I defer completely to GPs and Consultants in the NHS and private practitioners.
Faith and Spiritual Practices
Stay connected with your current practice, whatever that is. It’s a time when you are forced to re-connect. And it is, therefore, a blessing. Reach out. Ask for help. Submit. Especially at night, especially just before dawn. My personal mantra (it’s on my phone screensaver) is, “Allah is totally aware of my circumstances and He only wants the best for me.”
Cultivate your fighting spirit. Martial arts mentality (if we fight, we might both get hurt, but it’s me who’s going to win), strength training (when the gyms reopen). Fight the fear (that it is never going to stop).
Support
It is very useful to have as much support and love from a partner, family and friends as you can. Reach out. Ask for help.
Approaches
I am following western medicine protocols via Emergency GP services at the local hospital, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Unani-Tibb (Islamic Medicine), western herbal medicine, folk remedies and home remedies.
I have not yet done acupuncture – it’s difficult to do that on yourself for this particular condition (there are some points on the back) and the acupuncture clinics are just now reopening (as part of the Covid-19 lockdown re-opening rules). And by the time they went, there was no longer any need to make an appointment. I will now be getting a TCM diagnosis from one of my teachers at the College of Chinese Medicine and pursue acupuncture and herbal medicine as advised.
Treatments
These are the things that I did, with varying degrees of success. My approach was to do a lot of things at once. Because it may be the combination of treatments is the solution. Sometimes, there is no time to do things sequentially. One needs to find a solution and then work back and eliminate what’s not part of the solution.
This list is not in any particular order but the more successful ones I have mentioned first (sort of, as things are evolving and changing). This list is not exhaustive.
Fasting
Intermittent Fasting - with warm water
Hijama - wet cupping
First line A&E medicines – immediate effect but heavy-duty side effects. Ask a lot of questions before giving consent. Some of the medicines are anti-psychotic drugs. It felt like a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Second line Emergency GP medicines
Oxymel – honey and vinegar mix
Oxymel plus Blackseed Oil
Shadow Boxing – mouth closed, elbows tucked in tight
Chicken soup
Ice cream *
Straight back in prayer, standing, bowing and prostration
Vagus nerve stimulation. Qur’an, Dhikr, Wird, Dua, Ruqiya, Singing (in an appalling flat-toneless way)
Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas – combinations of Hai Feng Teng, Feng Fang, Huo Po, Ban Xia, Chen Pi, Shen Qu, Yu Yin, Bai Dou Kou, Da Huang
Vaping with CBD oil
Distractions - an absorbing film, an interesting conversation (my hiccups went for 2 hours after I started chatting with the paramedics about acupuncture for their bad backs), surprises (the garden parasol flying into next door’s garden).
Drinking water from the wrong side of the glass ***
Ice cold water *
Literally, “a spoon full of sugar” **
Rocking back and forth in fetal position
Being rocked back and forth in a fetal position
Standing on your head
Sucking a lemon (then you get to make lemonade)
Sunbath of kidneys
Notes
* My concern about the cold treatments is that they introduce a cold-dampness into the system and intuitively this is a cold-damp problem, rooted in a cold-damp type of constipation/wind imbalance. Here, I am using ‘wind’ in both the western sense and the Chinese Medicine sense. Indeed, the cold treatments seem to give some immediate relief but longer time were probably only exacerbating the problem.
** Normally, I would avoid sugar at all costs. The dampness and heat is problematic.
*** “I think hiccup cures were really invented for the amusement of the patient's friends.” Bill Watterson
A February 2020 study by the American Heart Association said,
"Exercise is medicine, and there is no question that moderate to vigorous physical activity is beneficial to overall cardiovascular health. However, like medicine, it is possible to underdose and overdose on exercise - more is not always better and can lead to cardiac events, particularly when performed by inactive, unfit, individuals with known or undiagnosed heart disease,"
"More people are running marathons, participating in triathlons and doing high-intensity interval training. The purpose of this statement is to put the benefits and risks of these vigorous exercise programs in perspective,"
“The heart becomes well when it acquires knowledge of its Lord and Creator and in His Names, Attributes, Actions and Commandments.”
“The heart in addition becomes well when it prefers acquiring Allah's Pleasure and prefers what He likes, all the while avoiding His prohibitions and what might lead to His displeasure.”
“There is no life, health, or wellbeing for the heart except by this method, which only the Messengers can provide. It is wrong to think that one can ever attain the hearts wellbeing through any other way than through the guidance of the Messengers of Allah.”
“These errors result from confusing the heart's true wellbeing with satisfying and strengthening its lower animal lusts and desires. By this way, the heart will be far from acquiring its true wellbeing, strength and even its very existence will be in danger.”
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya in “Prophetic Medicine”
In a February 2020 study by the University of Oxford, it was said,
“There has been growing research linking the gut microbiome to the brain and behaviour, known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Most research has been conducted in animals, whilst studies in humans have focused on the role of the gut microbiome in neuropsychiatric conditions.”
The study was designed to, “look in the general population to see how variation in the types of bacteria living in the gut may be related to personality."
"This suggests that the gut microbiome may contribute not only to the extreme behavioural traits seen in autism but also to variation in social behaviour in the general population. However, since this is a cross-sectional study, future research may benefit from directly investigating the potential effect these bacteria may have on behaviour, which may help inform the development of new therapies for autism and depression."
“This is the first study to find a link between sociability and microbiome diversity in humans and follows on from similar findings in primates which have shown that social interactions can promote gut microbiome diversity. This result suggests the same may also be true in human populations."
"This is the first time this has been investigated in adults and the results suggest that infant nutrition may have long-term consequences for gut health."
"Our modern-day living may provide a perfect storm for dysbiosis of the gut. We lead stressful lives with fewer social interactions and less time spent with nature, our diets are typically deficient in fibre, we inhabit oversanitized environments and are dependent on antibiotic treatments. All these factors can influence the gut microbiome and so may be affecting our behaviour and psychological well-being in currently unknown ways."
A February 2020 paper by Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and University of Washington, Seattle, said, "Healthy Teaching Kitchens [a teaching environment] not only focus on participants' knowledge, but also on supporting practical skills such as kitchen setup, meal experience, grocery shopping, label reading, meal planning, and budgeting."
In a February 2020 study by the University of Turku in Finland it was said,
"Medication shouldn't be viewed as a free-pass to continue or start an unhealthy lifestyle. Our research sought to determine if people who started medications were making the lifestyle changes necessary to see health benefits,"
“People starting on medications should be encouraged to continue or start managing their weight, be physically active, manage alcohol consumption and quit smoking,"
The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74. It's designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.
Am I eligible for an NHS Health Check?
The check is for people who are aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:
heart disease
chronic kidney disease
diabetes
high blood pressure (hypertension)
atrial fibrillation
transient ischaemic attack
inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)
heart failure
peripheral arterial disease
stroke
currently being prescribed statins to lower cholesterol
previous checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years
How do I get an NHS Health Check?
If you're in the 40 to 74 age group without a pre-existing condition, you should receive a letter from your GP surgery or local council inviting you for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years. You can also call your GP surgery to book a Health Check. You may want to try this online Heart Age test.”
Source: NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/
A January 2020 study (on mice) by Yale University found mixed results by following a ketogenic diet. Short term health benefits were followed by some negative effects. There appears to be some benefit in lowering inflammation and reducing the risk of diabetes. Researchers said, “Obesity and type 2 diabetes are lifestyle diseases … Diet allows people a way to be in control … Our findings highlight the interplay between metabolism and the immune system, and how it coordinates maintenance of healthy tissue function,"