The Valsalva Ratio is a measure of the response of your heart to the way you breathe. Interestingly, it tells you whether diabetes has affected your nerves. So what is the connection? Antonio Salva was an Italian scientist. Credited with several scientific insights, the Valsalva doctrine and maneuver are named
Buddhist philosophy has a concept known as Annicā. That nothing is permanent. Derived from the Pali language, Annicā teaches us that all experiences, material, emotional, or spiritual are transient. So how can we use this concept to understand our reality or life. Annicā is stating the obvious. Every moment, experience,
Yesterday, my son called me and said I should stop telling others how to live their lives. On enquiry, he explained I had not achieved my objectives for sleep, something I had promised on my show. So why lecture others when you can’t achieve your own aspirations, or so
The first recorded description that salt affects blood pressure apparently comes from Chinese literature. Emperor Huang Ti said, “if too much salt is used in food, the pulse hardens.” In 1904, French scientists Ambard and Beaujard proposed that salt caused hypertension. The theory went on to be called the Salt-Blood
Three things that you should never. If you’re on social media, chances are that you have seen a video where someone is telling you the three things you should never do. Don’t bring these three things home. Never eat these three things. The format is a template. Simplify
Peptides are small chains of amino acids that play essential roles in your body. They help repair tissues, reduce inflammation, and regulate hormones. Why do they matter? Unlike proteins, peptides are absorbed directly, making them fast and effective. There are two kinds, endogenous, made by internally and exogenous from a
The human brain is different. We know that. But how exactly to make it different? Our brain allows to to think in the abstract, to imagine the future. One reason, scientists believe, lies in its size relative to the size of our body. But perhaps the most important thing about
Every time we gaze at a sunrise or marvel at a painting a group of small but powerful proteins called opsins are working in the background. So what are opsins and what do they do? Opsins are light-sensitive proteins, found in the retina in your eyes. They are at the
Lucid dreaming is a state of consciousness where you know you are dreaming. I don’t recall dreams. So the notion that you can not only remember but be aware sounds fascinating. So can you train yourself to do so, and how can you use it for your benefit? Is
Approximately 20% of the food that you eat in calorie terms is used to consume the food. In science, they call it the thermic effect, the energy cost of breaking down food. So what is the thermic effect and how does it affect you? The food you eat needs to
The human brain is an energy hog consuming about 20% of the body’s energy while accounting for only 2% of its weight. But do you know that the brain divides the energy used for internal and external purposes? To understand this, we need to understand two terms. Interoception and
If you are like me, obsessed with tracking and measuring, you would have noticed that the new devices tell you your breath rate. Your smart watch, for example. But have you ever wondered how your watch, worn on your wrist, magically seems to be able to extend up and count