Most of us in the Westernized world are familiar with the dentist’s office, and many of us are equally familiar with the butterflies and unease that accompany an impending visit to the dentist. For these people, they may find themselves asking: “Do I have to go to the dentist?” This article looks a little into why a visit to the dentist can be useful and important.

10 Reasons why to visit the dentist:

1.) To help keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong

Although dental damage can be treatable, once it occurs it’s often irreversible, so it’s helpful if a dentist will spot signs of potential problems before they even occur. Dentists examine the mouth very closely and are able to access how good your oral health is. If you are not brushing well or not quite reaching all the necessary areas in your flossing regime, a dentist can identify this and help guide you to improve your oral hygiene and the future health of your teeth.

2.) To enable you to eat and drink comfortably

It’s easy to take our teeth and gums for granted, but just ask someone with a cavity what it’s like to eat something sweet or cold, or ask someone with missing or dodgy teeth to eat something hard and crunchy and you’ll realize that it’s important to have healthy teeth to enable comfortable eating and drinking. Poor dental health can reduce the choices of foods and drinks you can eat. Visiting the dentist helps you keep strong teeth to enable you to enjoy the full spectrum of foods out there.

3.) To help you maintain good breath

A dentist’s help in maintaining your dental health is another step towards beating bad breath. With the dentist’s guidance for maintaining good oral hygiene, it can help prevent the build-up of oral bacteria which are behind bad breath in around 85-90% of cases.

4.) To help keep the appearance of your teeth beautiful

Throughout history, healthy, straight pearly whites have been a sign of beauty and this remains to be true today.

A dentist or specialized dental hygienist can help you keep your teeth beautifully white by doing a thorough dental cleaning treatment using special equipment which is superior to a normal toothbrush . It can remove plaque, tartar and staining from things like coffee, tea, tobacco and others substances that leave a residue on your teeth. The result? A world of difference to your smile. Even if you follow a rigorous oral hygiene routine at home there’s nothing quite like a dentist’s clean.

A dentist can often also recommend a good orthodontist to straighten your teeth if necessary. Dentists can even help improve your smile in situations like missing teeth which can be filled with seamless tooth implants.

5.) To treat existing dental problems and removing any related discomfort

Unfortunately, sometimes we get to the dentist when we’ve already caused some damage to our teeth or gums through poor diet and poor dental hygiene. The good news is that a dentist can help identify common dental diseases, such as decay and gum disease, which can cause pain and discomfort, and treats them so that you feel better. Treating them promptly also ensures the problem is resolved before it gets any worse, to ultimately help you keep your teeth as healthy and strong as they can be. When caught at the early stages, treatment can be easy and minor so it’s best to treat them as soon as possible because neglect can lead to the development of more major dental damage which can be more unpleasant and more expensive to treat.

6.) To prevent tooth loss

If oral health is neglected, in the worst case, a tooth can be lost. Regular check-ups can help prevent this from happening.

7.) A good dentist may be able to catch early tooth-signs of other body-wide health problems, helping you nip them in the bud

Some studies suggest that an inspection of the mouth’s bacteria can give clues to the risk of certain diseases including strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and even dementia. By examining your mouth, your dentist may be able to catch these problems to help you treat them before they develop further.

Dental x-rays can sometimes also pick up osteoporosis to enable early treatment.

Oral cancer is another condition that can be spotted by dentists, and the sooner someone spots the warning signs of this, the quicker treatment can begin and the better the chances of successful recovery. An early spotting of signs of oral cancer by a routine visit to the dentist can literally save your life.

8.) To help you maintain good health in general

Some health conditions are linked to poor oral health.

Maintaining good oral health which includes regular visits to the dentist, may reduce your risk of diseases like heart disease. Some studies have suggested a possible link between bacterial gum disease leading to an increased risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. It has been suggested that the mouth bacteria may affect the body’s functioning within blood vessels.

9.) The more you get used to the dentist, the less the fear of going

For those who are afraid of going to the dentist, the longer they wait, sometimes, the worse the fear gets. If you go more regularly, face your fear, you’re likely to see that it’s not so bad (afterall, it’s only been a short time since your last visit so chances are everything will be ok). The more accustomed you get to hearing good news from the dentist after regular check-ups, the less scary a dentist’s office will seem.

10.) Regular visits with no necessary damage-control are cheaper than a serious visit with serious damage-control later on

Routine treatments and check-ups at the dentist are much cheaper and more pleasant than complex and more serious courses of treatment that may result from years of dental neglect.

How often should I visit the dentist?

Most experts recommend that you should visit the dentist once every six months.

About the Authors
This article has been co-written by Richard Keane and Li-Or. Richard writes for the website dentalimplant.co.uk and does his best to take care of his teeth and gums for future dental and general health.

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The causes of grey hair in each of these instances often differ.

This article will examine what causes grey hair in prematurely greying people. You can read about appropriate-age hair greying here.

How do you know if you’re greying prematurely or if it’s just your time?

The average age of grey hairs to first appear seems to be around the late 20s, early 30s, but usually at this age the odd white hair is not really noticeable. It becomes noticeable when a large percentage of your head hair turns grey.

Premature grey hair is broadly classified as a situation where more than 50% of a person’s hair is grey before they are 40 years old.

Causes of prematurely grey hair

There are many possible reasons for premature greying. The main ones are described below:

1.) Dietary causes for premature greying

Malnutrition can be behind prematurely greying hair.¹

Particularly in cases where your parents do not have a history of early greying, diet should be examined carefully as a potential cause.

Some nutritional deficiencies that may be behind premature greying include:

• Copper deficiency²,
• Protein deficiency: Since protein is a major raw material for hair health, it may be linked to greying hair when it is deficient. When protein deficiency is severe it can result in the disease, kwashiorkor, which is known for changes in hair pigmentation.³
• B5 deficiency^4-6
• PABA deficiency: Several studies have found that supplementation of the B-vitamin-like nutrient, PABA, has reversed hair greying as long as the supplement was taken. Results seem inconsistent and the mechanism by which it sometimes works is unknown but studies found that about 25% of people experience grey-hair reversal after around 6 weeks of supplementation at large doses of PABA.¹⁵ Unfortunately the colour was lost again within 3-4 weeks of stopping PABA supplementation. It may be that the people who responded to treatment were those who were deficient in PABA to begin with, and those with sufficient PABA levels did not respond to treatment. The dosage used by the researcher in the described experiment was 6 – 24g of PABA a day, which is an extremely high dose. Other authors reported positive results with only 200 mg of PABA a day.¹⁶ It should also be noted that high PABA dosage can cause diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, skin irritation and liver irritation, and in children doses of 20g can be lethal, so I would avoid supplementing high doses in adults too. It seems research is still inconclusive about what the best, safe dosage of PABA would be. Naturopathic Nutritionist, Dr Elson Haas suggests that some authorities supplementing with PABA for the purpose of reversing premature greying give 1000mg of PABA a day¹⁷, whilst others recommend not going over 400mg a day.
• Iodine deficiency⁷ : This causes hypothyroidism, which may decrease circulation of nutrients to the hair follicle as mentioned below (see Poor nourishment of hair due to poor circulation)

It is possible that other nutrient deficiencies may contribute to premature greying too.

It is interesting to note that often appetite and state of nourishment decrease with age, which makes me wonder if this may be a contributing factor to increased greying with old age.

In some cases, a person may be eating a good diet, rich in nutrients, but their gut health and digestion isn’t functioning well which means they may not be absorbing enough nutrients, and may therefore exhibit premature greying from nutritional deficiencies. In such cases, working on improving digestion with a Nutritionist or Naturopath can be helpful in preventing premature greying.

Things that deplete nutrients may also increase risk of nutritional deficiencies and associated premature greying. The main thing that depletes nutrients is stress. Stress can come in many forms, from internal stressors like inflammation, certain psychological states and disease (e.g. hyperthyroidism which uses up the body’s resources at an elevated rate), to external stressors like sun exposure, radiation, pollution and smoking. When stressors enter the equation, nutrients are used up faster than usual so you need more nutrients to replenish those that are used, otherwise deficiencies may result.

The good news is that prematurely greying due to malnourishment may be temporary, and potentially resolvable upon correction of the dietary deficiencies.

Note that these nutrients may help prevention of prematurely greying hair *only if* their deficiency is the driver behind it in the first place. Nevertheless, a good multivitamin like Nature’s Plus’ Nutri-Genic Softgels (iodine-free) or Nature’s Plus’ Source Of Life Liquid (contains iodine) would be beneficial for most people, and an occasional protein shake like “Whey To Go” can be a great snack.

2.) Poor nourishment of hair due to poor circulation

Sometimes you have enough nutrients in your body but due to poor circulation, they don’t make their way to the head in abundant amounts. This makes me wonder if this may partly have something to do with why as you get older and are less active, you are more prone to get grey hair.

Hypothyroidism is linked to poor circulation of nutrients, and it too has sometimes been associated with premature greying of hair.⁷

To get circulation going you can apply the following:

• Exercise: Make sure you’re active, and getting at least 30 minutes exercise 3 times a week.
• Deep breathing: Every day do 5-10 minuets of deep breathing exercises to encourage good circulation. It’s also great for stress management. If you combine deep breathing with a clearing of your mind and concentration on your breath, it is equivalent in its beneficial stress-fighting effect to meditation.
• Massage: Full body massage helps get your juices flowing! You could also do just a scalp massage if your focus is on hair health. There are Indian Head Massages for this purpose, or you could do it yourself: Whilst washing your hair, take time out to massage your head gently with your fingertips for 5-10 minutes to improve circulation to your scalp.
• Eat circulation-boosting foods. These include pungent and spicy foods like Chilli, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic, apple cider vinegar, rosemary and turmeric.
• Dry skin brushing can aid circulation. Some nice brushes you can get in the US include Body Brush Purest Palm 9″ L and Body Brush Natural Bristles.
• Hot/Cold therapy: Alternating between hot and cold temperatures stimulates circulation. This is why alternating saunas and steam rooms with a plunge in a cool pool can be good to get circulation going.

3.) Oxidation and free radical damage

There is a theory that oxidative and free radical damage of cells are behind premature greying of hair.⁸ The theory here is that hairs go grey because somewhere in the hair pigment production pathway, cells are damaged due to oxidative stress. The damaged cells are unable to carry out their functions, pigment cannot be made and cells go grey. Not only have Arck et al.⁸ found evidence for this free radical theory of greying, but also several activities that increase oxidation and free radical formation have been associated with premature greying of hair. These activities are listed below:

a.) Smoking

Smoking has been found to increase risk of premature greying of hair.^9, The mechanism is unclear, though it may be linked to the “cell damage by oxidation and free radical formation” theory. Other possible mechanisms could be that smoking puts the body under stress, and this stress may deplete the body’s nutrients, contributing to nutritional deficiencies which can cause premature greying, as already discussed. Another possible mechanism is that smoking contributes to poor circulation of blood which also increases risk of premature greying.

b.) Hydrogen peroxide build-up

Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidant, and although it is uncertain whether dying your hair blonde with it increases the risk of premature greying, some studies suggest hydrogen peroxide is linked to premature ageing of cells.¹¹ Extrapolation of this could suggest hydrogen peroxide build-up may contribute to the destruction of pigment-producing cells.

Natural hydrogen peroxide is produced in the body too in normal metabolism. Usually it is broken down by an enzyme called catalase so that it doesn’t accumulate, however in conditions like vitiligo it is known to accumulate to higher-than-normal levels, potentially contributing to premature greying in vitilgo patients. In ageing cells, their breakdown of hydrogen peroxide is also less efficient which may partly contribute to increased greying of hair with age.¹¹

c.) Stress

Psychological stress may give rise to oxidative stress¹². Although stress has not been formally linked to greying of hair scientifically, anecdotal stories of such occurrences do exist.

It could be that greying of hair that has been associated with stress may be related to hair loss in response to stress. Hair loss is a known side effect of stress, and mass hair loss gives the opportunity for mass new hair growth. If a person has lost melanocytes, usually it takes a while to perceive this change because you have to wait until a pigmented hair falls out in order for the new unpigmented hair to grow in its place. But if there has been hair loss, then lots of new hairs grow at once, none of which have melanocytes behind them to make melanin, so it appears as though suddenly you have a lot of grey hairs, but this wouldn’t have occurred if you didn’t have that mass hair loss that was brought on by stress.

d.) Sun exposure

Dr. Bihova, the assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center, says that whilst there’s no unequivocal evidence for this, overexposure to the sun may increase risk of premature greying.¹³

If this is true, perhaps there may be a link to the oxidative effect of sunlight and the greying of hair.

4.) Genetics

(a.) The Bcl2 gene deficiency

Genes do seem to play a factor in the age of onset of greying hair. One particular gene contributing to greying is the Bcl2 gene. People with a specific genetic mutation for this gene, (a mutation known as “Bcl2 deficiency”) have been found to have increased destruction of the pigment-producing cells in hair follicles; cells known as melanocyte stem cells.¹⁴ (These cells are discussed in “Why does hair go grey?”). The more melanocytes stem cells are destroyed, the more grey the individual is likely to become.

(b.) Werner syndrome genetic disorder

Another genetic reason for prematurely grey hair and ageing is the rare Werner syndrome, where individuals can look elderly by age 30-40.

(c.) Vitiligo
Genetic predisposition to develop the autoimmune disease vitiligo increases risk of premature greying of hair which is seen together with skin colour changes.

Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective: Kidney Problems

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), TCM kidney health controls hair health, and premature greying of hair is a clear indicator of a TCM Kidney pathology, like Kidney Jing Deficiency. A visit to a TCM practitioner can treat the problem from this perspective.

NB. It’s important to remember that the TCM Kidney is not the literal equivalent of what we consider to be the kidney organs in Western Medicine.

There’s a very interesting-sounding Chinese herb called He Shou Wu (also known as Fo Ti or Ho Shou Wu) which may be appropriate for some people in dealing with greying hair, but I would certainly recommend seeing a practitioner before taking a herb like this.

Ayurvedic perspective: Excess Pitta

An Ayurvedic practitioner may conclude that premature greying is the result of too much “pitta” in the system. A visit to an Ayurvedic practitioner will be helpful if you want to go for treatment via the Ayurvedic approach.

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Note:
This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and The Nutri Centre (for UK visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

References

1.)    McKenzie et al. 2007. Childhood malnutrition is associated with a reduction in the total melanin content of scalp hair. Br J Nutr. Jul;98(1):159-64.

2.)    Uauy et al. 1998. Essentialilty of copper in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 67(Supplement):952S-959S.

3.)    Lunn et al. 1998. A case of kwashiorkor in the UK. Clin Nutr.  Jun;17(3):131-3.

4.)    Braun 2006. Herbs and Natural Supplements. Elsevier Health; 2nd edition

5.)    Kelly et al. 1997.  Pantethine: a review of its biochemistry and therapeutic applications.  Alternative Medicine Review.  2(5):365-377.

6.)    Linder 1991. Nutrition and metabolism of vitamins. In: Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism, 2nd Edition. Maria C. Linder (editor). Simon Schuster, Connecticut, USA, 1991:122.

7.)    Fundukian 2008. The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. 3rd edition.

8.)    Arck et al. 2006. Towards a “free radical theory of graying”: melanocyte apoptosis in the aging human hair follicle is an indicator of oxidative stress induced tissue damage. FASEB J. 20, 1567–1569

9.)    Blechman et al. 2000. Smoking accelerates aging process. Muscular Development. 37(12):52

10.)    Mosley & Gibbs 1996. Premature grey hair and hair loss among smokers: a new opportunity for health education?  BMJ 313 : 1616

11.)    Schallreuter et al. 2009. FASEB Journal. The Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology. Research by researchers of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany and the University of Bradford in Great Britain

12.)    Ellard et al. 2006. Perceived stress, psychological wellbeing and the activity of neutrophils in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Stress and Health 2006;22:143-52

13.)    Fisher 1997. Age Erasers for Women: Actions You Can Take Right Now to Look Younger and Feel Great . Prevention Magazine Health Books, Rodale Center for Women’s Health. St. Martin’s Press

14.)    Nishimura et al. 2005. Mechanisms of Hair Graying: Incomplete Melanocyte Stem Cell Maintenance in the Niche.  Science 4 February 2005: Vol. 307 no. 5710 pp. 720-724

15.) Zarafonetis. 1964. Darkening of gray hair during para-amino-benzoic acid therapy. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 399-401.

16.) Sieve. 1941. Clinical achromotrichia. Science. 94:257.

17.) Haas. 2006. Staying Healthy with Nutrition, rev: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine

If you were to break a human body down to its raw constituents you’d find that we’re mostly made of water. About 45-60% of lean body weight is water.² If you work it out, a 70kg man would contain within his body 42 liters of water! This makes it clear that water plays an important part in our bodies, but what exactly does it do?

Uses of water

1.)    Water is needed to help transport things around the body:
Several transport systems exist in the body that utilize water:

- Flow of blood:
The main transport system in the body is the blood which is composed largely of water. The water in the blood system is needed to carry the flow of oxygen, nutrients, immune cells and signalling molecules like hormones to cells and tissues, and to take away wastes, toxins and dead cells.
Keeping the blood flowing is important for many reasons including:

a.) To keep raw materials for energy production arriving at cells to maintain high energy. Insufficient flow of nutrients can lead to feelings of low energy and fatigue.

b.) To wash toxins and wastes away so that they don’t build-up to cause problems.

c.) To keep the blood at the right consistency which is important for heart health. If the blood becomes thicker, as can happen with severe dehydration, it is more effort for the heart to push it around (as there is more friction and resistance if the substance is thicker), and this increases the risk of  hypertension and heart disease.³

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) “blood stagnation” is a common contributor to disease and is thought to contribute to blood clot formation. You can look for TCM blood stagnation by looking at your tongue and nails, where a purple colouration indicates stagnant blood flow.

- Flow of lymph: Lymph is another body fluid consisting largely of water. Lymph uses water for the transport of immune cells, so water is important for good immune health.

- Flow of digestive juices: In the digestive system, water plays a role in the transport of material through the gut. Having enough water is important in preventing constipation and in maintaining good digestion.

- Flow of substances between cells: The water found in the extracellular fluid around the body cells acts as a transporting medium through which cells can signal to one another via sending and receiving certain biochemicals. This gives your body the ability to respond well to stimuli.

2.)    Water is needed to fill cells out and to keep them with the right shape and turgidity.

66% of the body’s water is within cells. This helps maintain cell and tissue structure in tissues like the brain or in muscles which contain a large amount of water.
Water is even a small part of bone tissue, and studies have found that consuming enough water helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
A clear example of a tissue where water is seen to play a role in maintaining its structure is in the skin. Too little water and your skin can be dry and the risk of wrinkles is increased.

3.)    Water is required for temperature regulation
Sweating is one of our key ways of cooling down to maintain healthy body temperature, and sweating is reliant on the presence of water. Insufficient sweating could make us overheat.

4.)    Water is needed for lubrication of body organs
Water lubricates, cushions and protects various organs:

- Lubrication of joints: Water helps bones move smoothly past one another at joints. A lack of water around joints can increase the risk of friction which can increase the risk of arthritis.

- Lubrication of the eyes: Water not only helps the eyeballs move around, but it also washes away dust and other particles that may enter the eye and obstruct vision.

- Lubrication of the spinal cord helps protect and cushion it. A lack of water around the spinal cord can result in back pain.

- Lubrication of the foetus: Water plays a similar protective role when present in the amniotic sac of a foetus in the womb.

5.)    Water in the body allows minerals to exist in their ionic state

Water provides a medium in which minerals can become ions, and this is important because minerals need to be in ionic form in order to carry out their jobs in the body. To illustrate this point, solid salt crystals act very differently to sodium and chloride ions in solution. The same is true inside the body.

Keeping minerals in their dissolved state is important to prevent problems like kidney stones and the uric acid stones found in gout, so drinking plenty of water is crucial in avoiding conditions like this.

6.)    Water helps in chemical reactions in the body:
There is a reaction called hydrolysis where water is used and broken up to help break up other molecules. (hydro = water ; lysis = breakdown).
One of the key areas where chemical reactions depend on water is during digestion where water provides the medium in which enzymes break down food molecules. Digestion-linked water is found in saliva, gastric juices and intestinal juices.
Chemical reactions are not exclusive to the digestive system. They can occur anywhere in the body so the cells need a medium to bathe in to allow for chemical reactions to take place. For example, enzymatic reactions throughout the body depend on a fluid medium to occur properly.

7.)    Water helps dilute toxins, acids and alkalis:

Some toxins are made within the body as by-products of our metabolism (like urea for example), whilst others are ingested (like pollutants and certain food chemicals e.g. alcohol). Water is used to dilute their dangerous effects.
Water also dilutes acids and alkalis to help ensure that the body is at the correct pH.
Several conditions benefit from the diluting power of water:

- Alcohol excess: Drinking water before, during and after alcohol dilutes its effects.

- Carcinogens: The diluting power of water may explain partly why a high intake of water has been associated with lowered risk of colon and bladder cancer.

- Heartburn-causing substances: Dilution also may explain why drinking water can alleviate heartburn which has been caused by certain food molecules you ate.

- Gout: Gout is another condition that benefits from the diluting effect of water. Gout occurs when a substance called uric acid is in excessively high concentrations in the body, and diluting it with water, and thereby encouraging its passage out of the body in the urine, can help.

- Headaches and migraines: Sometimes headaches and migraines are caused by excessive toxins or inflammatory molecules floating around in the blood. If you dilute these with more water intake, it can help alleviate the pain.

- Skin health: When the body has excess toxins, naturopathic theory suggests that they build up in the skin, where they can then create spots. The more water there is to dilute the toxins. the lower the risk that toxins will cause spots. Even skin conditions like psoriasis can benefit from drinking enough water.

- Diluting toxins can help lose weight: One theory has suggested that when the body’s toxins are dealt with by dilution, they are excreted via the kidneys in the urine. This puts less of a load on the liver for detoxifying them, leaving the liver free to metabolise fat, and this may promote fat elimination.

Note: Although water helps dilute toxins, the ideal would be that there are minimal toxins present in the first place. Prevention is always better than cure.

8.)    Water helps generate the power that drives our nervous system

Water together with mineral ions contained within it, generate a hydroelectric voltage across cell membranes which is used to drive impulses through our nervous system. Insufficient water may affect nervous function.

9.)    Water sometimes acts like glue in the body:
In certain situations the body uses water as a type of glue, to stick particular solid parts of cell structures together. You can see this effect on some level if you create a small water puddle on a table, and then put a ruler on the puddle. Try to pry the ruler off and you’ll see it sticks a bit.

10.)    Water is needed to be consumed in order to replace the losses:
Water is lost through sweating, urination, exhalation and even some in the faeces. It’s important to replenish these losses to enable water to carry out all the above functions.

Another minor benefit of water is that if you’re drinking certain mineral water brands, it provides a small amount of minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium and copper. When buying mineral water, check out the label and you’ll often see there are traces of these. The best waters are those that are high in magnesium (>20mg per liter) and calcium (>50mg per liter), and low in sodium (<10mg per liter) and in nitrates (<5mg per liter).

How much water do we need? Recommended Water Intake:

As a rough guide, most nutrition sources say 6-8 glasses of water a day is the recommended water intake.

If you want to get slightly more technical and accurate, your fluid needs can be calculated according to your individual body weight. The formula is:

35ml water  x your body weight in kg = milliliters of water you need a day

So, say a woman weighs 60kg, she’d need 2.1 liters a day (35 x 60 = 2100ml), which equates to about 8 glasses of water a day (if 1 cup contains 250ml). The more you weigh, the more water you’ll need.

Apart from body weight, several other factors may increase your water needs, including consumption of diuretics (e.g. alcohol, caffeine), being in hot and/or dry environments, and being highly physically active. The more active you are, the more water you need to replace that lost in sweat. For athletes the formula changes to:

42ml water x body weight in kg = milliliters of water needed daily

Why do I have to drink water rather than other forms of fluids?

Water is the most sublime choice of fluid to hydrate with because it has no calories and hydrates you with minimal effort needed (e.g. no digestive-processing or liver detoxing is required to process water). Other drinks are often sugary, contain caffeine, artificial chemicals, sweeteners or other potentially problematic chemicals which means that they do other things than just hydrate the body. Sometimes these other drinks or fluids occupy the body’s resources unnecessarily, drawing energy and materials away from more useful activities.

The only other drinks that are good to hydrate with are certain herbal teas.

Can you ever drink too much water?

Yes. Too much of *anything* can be harmful.

Your kidneys can only get rid of water at a rate of about 1 liter an hour, so if you drink more than 1 liter in an hour, it means that you start to accumulate more body fluids than you can eliminate.  To illustrate why this is a problem, let’s look at a balloon as an analogy for your body: What happens when you force water into a balloon at a faster rate than it can leak it out of a pinhole? The balloon starts to expand and if filled up with enough water, it can burst. In short, excess water is not just a health hazard for balloons, it can also be dangerous for humans. So steer clear of any water-drinking competitions where you have to glug down more than a liter in one go. People have died at these types of competitions.

But it’s important to remember that drinking too much is very rare and water intoxication is not something you are going to experience from sensible water consumption. So drink your 6-8 glasses a day to maintain optimal health, but make sure you spread out your water consumption over the course of your day.

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Related Articles
See our other nutrition articles including:
- Carbonated Water: Is Fizzy Water Bad for You?
- Is saturated fat bad for you?
- Why do I need fiber?
- Why do I need iodine?
- Why do I need zinc?
- Why take supplements?

References

1. Glenville. 2006. Fat Around The Middle: How To Lose That Bulge – For Good. Kyle Cathie

2. Kumar & Clark 2005. Kumar and Clark’s Clinical Medicine. Saunders Ltd. 6 edition

3. Chan et al. 2002. Water, Other Fluids, and Fatal Coronary Heart Disease The Adventist Health Study Am. J. Epidemiol. 155 (9): 827-833.

Note:
This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and Zazzle. If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

Now that’s out the way , we can answer the next question: why do we poop?

Why we poop

You might think the answer to this question is obvious: what goes in must come out, right? Well, almost. After all, a lot of what we eat is converted to energy and building materials for our body. So why do we still poop? Why can’t we just convert everything we put into our bodies into useful materials?

The reason for this is that not all materials can be broken down by the body to be used. Although the body is an amazing machine that can interconvert lots of materials, it has its limits. It lacks certain enzymes and other tools to break down some molecules. One of the most well-known examples is fiber, an often-used aid in constipation exactly because it cannot be broken down and must therefore be eliminated in your faeces.

So is it just fiber that we can’t break down that makes its way to our poop? No – our poop is so much more than just fiber! Some statistics say that human excrement is made up of only about 8% fiber. What makes up the rest? Perhaps surprisingly, a lot of the stool is made up of water (about 75% of its bulk is water!), but that still leaves about 17% of stool materials that are unaccounted for. This includes stuff like:

• Dead bacteria: Our gut is full of bacteria, some of which help our digestion, and they constantly reproduce and die as they go through their short lifespan. When these die, they pass into the stool. Dead bacteria release endotoxins called lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) which can be harmful to the body, so it’s important these are eliminated.
• Live bacteria: Some live bacteria from the gut also make their way into the stool.
• Old cells and old cell components: Like bacteria, the body’s cells also have lifespans. The gut-lining cells for example have a lifespan of about 3-4 days, after which they are shed to join the stool in its passage out the body. Remnants of other cells also find their way into the stool. The brown colour of poop is due to the breakdown products of old red blood cells that find their to the stool.
• Mucus: Mucus is made by cells in the gut to act as a lubricant, helping to move the stool along. It also protects the lining of the gut from the friction as it passes, and from chemical interactions with chemicals in the stool. Some of this mucus finds its way into the stool. A stool that is well-coated with a thin layer of mucus explains the phenomenon of the “clean poop effect”, where there is nothing on the toilet paper after wiping.
• Waste products made by the body: This is perhaps the most important component of poop which explains why it’s so important to have good bowel movements regularly. Let’s go into a bit more detail on this point:

What waste products do we need to eliminate?

Every day we are exposed to chemicals in our environment from pollution, additives in food, medications and more and many of these chemicals cannot be recycled into useful chemicals in the body.

In our food, some naturally occurring food chemicals like alcohol, caffeine and benzopyrene (a carcinogen from charcoal-broiled meat) also need to be detoxified and eliminated.

There are even naturally-made substances in the body that are not 100% re-used by the body, like certain hormones (e.g. oestrogen) and other chemicals we make (e.g. histamine, cholesterol).

There are two options for the fate of these materials: Either they are eliminated through routes like defecation (although other routes also exist like via urine, sweat and exhalation), or they stay in the body and accumulate, where they can potentially cause problems.  When they build up to detrimental levels in the body, these chemicals are often nicknamed “toxins” in the complementary health world.

Several conditions have been linked with unexcreted bowel contents and retained bowel-related toxins, including:

• Faecal impaction from intestinal obstruction of unpooped poo. This is dangerous because there comes a point where the bowel is so full of waste that there’s nowhere for it to go, and the gut walls can rupture.
• Dysbiosis , which is the overproliferation of unhelpful bacteria in the gut that can occur. Bacteria thrive on the stagnating bowel contents, and as they feed they make gaseous byproducts which can make you feel bloated and gassy.
• Hormonal imbalances from unexcreted hormonal residues (from excess oestrogen and its side effects, to thyroid problems),
• Cancer from unexcreted carcinogens, particularly bowel cancer (aka colorectal cancer).
• Mood affectations : unexcreted waste materials that travel in the blood also find their way to the brain where they can have an effect on the nervous system and your mood.  Negative impacts on mood may also result from hormonal changes and from feeling generally sub par because of the accumulating wastes in your body.
• The circulation of toxins in the blood can aggravate the immune system which detects unwanted substances in the blood and responds by fighting against these chemicals, creating constant low-grade inflammation in the body and using up energy which could be better spent used elsewhere. When the body is busy fighting such things, there are less resources to fight other problems, and immunity is therefore reduced. The result is a tendency to catch any bugs flying around.
  The side effects of low-grade inflammation can exhibit as tonsil stones, excess mucus production in the nose and throat, feverishness, and generally feeling a bit under the weather.
• If not eliminated, some chemicals circulate in the blood and are deposited elsewhere, like in the skin, where they can increase the risk of acne.
• And others… Murray & Pizzorno² say that antigens and toxins from bowel bacteria have been found to be possibly related to the development of Diabetes mellitus, Meningitis, Myasthenia gravis, Thyroid disease, Ulcerative colitis and other diseases.

The bottom line on why we poop:

It’s essential in order to eliminate harmful chemicals, so that our systems are clean and healthy, and so that we feel light and full of vitality.

References

1. Urban Dictionary

2. Murray & Pizzorno. 1999. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Prima Publishing,U.S.; 2Rev Ed edition

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This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and The Nutri Centre (for UK visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

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In spite of our best efforts to perfect our poses and our facial expressions when a camera is pointing our way, sometimes photos come back to us with our eyes glowing mysteriously ruby-red. Why do we sometimes get red eyes in photos?

The red eye effect happens when a photo has been taken using a flash. Usually in bright light the eye’s iris contracts to make the pupil appear small so that less light enters the eye. However when a flash is used, the iris doesn’t have enough time to adjust to the lighting so often the pupil remains large when the shot is taken.

What has pupil size got to do with red eyes? The bigger the pupil, the more light enters the eye and bounces off the back of the eye. Since the back of the eye (technically the choroid of the eye) is nourished by red blood vessels, the red surface absorbs all non-red light frequencies and reflects red light back. The red light that bounces off the back of the eye is detected by the camera, and voila! red eye effect is born.

How come animals don’t have red eyes when photographed?

In many animals, including common pets like dogs and cats, their eyes appear white in photos. Their eyes are built differently from ours because they have a layer in their eye called the tapetum lucidum which reflects all light back, not just the red light. When all light is reflected, the effect is a white light shining back in photos.

How the red eye effect can save a life

There is one rare cancer called retinoblastoma, most often found in children, which can be detected by seeing whether a child displays red eyes in flash photos or not. Children who have one or two eyes with a “white eye” in photos instead of a red eye should be checked for retinoblastoma. This white-eye effect is known as leukocoria and in the case of retinoblastoma it occurs because there is a cancerous tumour which is reflecting the light back out of the eye. When caught in time (often thanks to family photos) retinoblastoma has a really good cure rate.

Leukocoria need not always indicate cancer. It can indicate other health conditions so if it is spotted, it’s always advisable to have your eyes checked further. Other conditions which leukocoria could indicate include: cataracts, Coloboma, Persistent primary hyperplastic vitreous (PHPV), Retinopathy of prematurity, Norrie disease, Coat’s disease, a cloudy cornea from corneal scarring, Medullated nerve fibers, melanoma, ocular toxocariasis, Toxocara canis (infection caused by a parasite), Uveitis (aka Chorioretinitis) and retrolental fibroplasia.

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Can I do anything to prevent liver spots?

Prevention is always better than cure, and if you’re at a stage in your life where you don’t yet have liver spots (also known as age spots, sun spots or solar lentigo), you have a good chance of preventing them from occurring by doing the following:

1.) Protect yourself from the sun:
By minimizing sun exposure, wearing protective clothing and sunscreen with a broad-sprectrum UVA and UVB sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 on exposed skin, you will be reducing the risk of liver spots. Higher SPFs like 30, or ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 40 or 50 would be even better. A few sunscreens with more natural ingredients are:

If you’re out for several hours, reapplication of sunscreen may be necessary after about 2 hours in intense sunlight, especially if there is a lot of sweating going on that may be washing off some of the sunscreen.

The risk of sun exposure causing free radicals is greatest when the sun’s rays are most intense, and this is often between 10am and 4pm. Vigilance about sun protection is most important at these hours.

Other precautions you can take against the sun aside from sunscreen include:

• Hats: You can wear a broad-rimmed hat to protect your face from the sunlight.
• Anti-UVA films on windows: You can have anti-UV-A-film installed on your car windows to help minimize exposure when driving.

2.) Avoid products that increase skin sensitivity to the sun if you know you’re going to be out in the sunshine:

Some chemicals in food increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun. These chemicals are called psoralens. Certain people are genetically predisposed to be sensitive to psoralens. You’d know if you’re sensitive to psoralens if you notice that you’re more prone to getting sunburned after eating certain foods. If you are one of these sensitive people, foods to avoid before going out into the sun include: figs, celery, parsley, dill, lime and other citrus fruits, and also the herbs, Angelica and St John’s wort.

3.) Eat a lot of antioxidants:
Age spots are strongly linked to free radical damage, so eating lots of antioxidants which help neutralize free radicals, is one tool for preventing age spots.

There are plenty of antioxidants to choose from which you can eat through food, or supplement if desired. Some of the main antioxidants for skin health include:

(a.) Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, and for this reason it the #1 antioxidant to protect fatty acids, which are the main contributors to lipofuscin liver spot production. Eating vitamin E-rich foods is great to help you get your antioxidant levels up.

If desired vitamin E can be supplemented with 200-400IU a day. At a dosage of 400IU, this supplement is recommended only in the short-term (i.e. for a couple of weeks or so) rather than the long-term (i.e. years and years). Studies have found possible links to heart problems in long-term vitamin E supplementation at doses of over 400IU. Short-term supplementation at this dose however, for example when on holiday and spending more time in the sun, could be useful. Good vitamin E supplements to use are those with mixed tocopherols rather than just alpha-tocopherol. A good brand of vitamin E is Solgar’s Natural Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols), 400 IU.
Please note: You should not supplement vitamin E if you are taking anticoagulant drugs.

Alternatively, a lower dose in a multivitamin in the long-term should be safe. Some good brands of multivitamins containing vitamin E are given below.

(b.) Alpha lipoic acid:
This is a potent antioxidant that’s only found in quite low levels in food. It is best supplemented, and a good brand is Metagenics’ Meta Lipoate 300, and a good dose would be two of these 300mg tablets a day (to get a therapeutic dose of 600mg). Lipoic acid also has other benefits including sugar balancing and improving energy production.

(c.) Vitamin C:
Vitamin C is one of the best known antioxidants and it has a role in making the skin’s collagen, so is an important skin-health nutrient.

It’s worth seeing which foods contain high vitamin C levels and incorporating more of these foods into your diet. Having said that, getting sufficient vitamin C from food is very difficult because vitamin C is very sensitive to destruction by heat and time exposed to air. This means that it’s often quite low in foods by the time you eat them. You can supplement with a vitamin C supplement that contains 500mg. Choose a brand of vitamin C in the “buffered” form of magnesium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, or “mixed ascorbates”. Avoid forms that are “ascorbic acid” because these are acidic. Choose one that contains bioflavonoids, because these increase vitamin C absorption. A good vitamin C brand that meets these requirements is Solgar – Bio-Ascorbate Buffered Vitamin C Complex, 500 mg, .

(d.) Selenium:
Selenium is another antioxidant which also has a role in skin health. So it’s great to include some selenium-containing foods in your diet. If you have 1-4 Brazil nuts a day, that would be a good start.

(e.) Other antioxidants
The list of possible antioxidants can go on and on, and it includes also Zinc, carotenoids, reservatrol, polyphenols like OPC, anthocyanidins, curcuminoids, Epigallocatechin, EGCG and Quercetin to name but a few.

There is a measure of “antioxidant capacity” of foods which takes into consideration all these antioxidants together and measures the total antioxidant-effect of the food. This “antioxidant capacity” is known as ORAC (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity). You can find lists of antioxidant-rich foods organized by ORAC values which can be useful to check out.

You can get general antioxidant supplements containing several antioxidants in one tablet which can be helpful. Most multivitamins are rich in antioxidant molecules. Some good multis include: Nature’s Plus’ Nutri-Genic Softgels, which is iodine-free, or if you’re certain you have no autoimmune antibodies, you can go for an iodine-containing multi like Nature’s Plus’ Source Of Life Liquid , or Solgar’s Female Multiple . Please note that smokers should not use multis that contain beta-carotene because the interaction between smoking and this nutrient has been associated with increased risk of lung cancer.

Can I do anything to treat liver spots once I have them?

Unfortunately, once you have them, liver spots are notoriously difficult to shift naturally. Whilst there are the extreme options in allopathic medicine for treatment like skin bleaching, freezing the spots off, lasering them off or going for chemical peels, there are also milder treatment alternatives to try:

1.) Rosehip oil:
A study by Pareja et al (1988) entitled “Contributions to identification and application of active components contained in Rosa aff. rubiginosa”, found that spots faded upon application of rosehip oil for a minimum of 3 weeks. They write: “Significant changes were noted starting on the third week. Firstly, surface wrinkles started to disappear, spots started to fade until, at the end of the fourth month, the disappearance was complete. Skin presented a smooth and fresh aspect and the spots had almost disappeared.”

One brand of rosehip oil on the market is NZ Fusion Botanicals’ Pure Organic Rosehip Oil although there are several other brands available.

2.) Things that break down lipofuscin:
There are certain things that have been shown to break down lipofuscin deposits in various places in the body.
One drug that is used for this purpose is DMAE, although it has been reported to potentially have some minor temporary side effects (like headaches, insomnia and muscle tension), and is advised to be used with caution and medical supervision where epileptics are concerned. Some people who use DMAE for the removal of lipofuscin from their skin report that a daily dose of 300 mg (of 100% DMAE) causes the disappearance of liver spots after a few months. Other researchers report that a minimum of 1,600mg per day is required for this purpose. I would recommend medical supervision if going down this route. A few examples of DMAE cream on the market include derma e Retexturizing Creme, DMAE- Alpha Lipoic – C-Ester , DMAE skin cream , and Perricone MD High Potency Evening Facial Repair; but I would advise consulting a dermatologist for picking a product with the right dosage of DMAE in it.

There are other reports of certain nutrients helping to break down lipofuscin in areas of the body such as the brain (eg. Acetyl-L-Carnitine and many of the antioxidants mentioned above). However more research is needed to find out if these work on skin lipofuscin.

3.) Glycolic acid:
Glycolic acid is actually one of the acids used in acid-chemical peels when at high concentrations, but it can be bought at low concentrations over the counter and is said to be effective in helping liver spots fade when applied topically. Although it is one of the gentler, “light” chemical peels, it is still a peel, so if you’re going down this route, personally I think you really ought to be under supervision of a skin specialist because if not carried out at the right, safe concentrations, glycolic acid can burn the skin. One example of a glycolic cream on the market is Reviva – 10% Glycolic Acid Night Cream .

4.) Retin-A:
Like glycolic acid, retin A, also known as retinoic acid, is used in chemical peels when at high concentrations, but is available in lower concentrations as a prescription-cream. Treatment duration depends on the individual, but benefits can be seen within about a month for some people, or after 10 months for others. There are several creams available but 0.025% concentration is said to cause less irritation than the stronger concentration creams.

The problem with retin-A is that it does irritate the skin, causing redness, dryness, peeling, or even blisters initially, although these effects are said to decrease with ongoing use. The idea of how retin-A works is that it peels away the old skin to reveal new, liver-spot-free skin underneath. One side effect that does not diminish is the fact that retin-A makes the skin sensitive to sunlight, so that you are more prone to sunburn if you are unprotected in sunlight.
Retin-A is also potentially dangerous in pregnancy where too much retinoic acid may harm the baby.

Again, I would definitely advise seeking professional advice before using strong chemicals like this.

The Integrative Medicine specialist, Dr Andrew Weil, recommends the drug Retin-A as a tried and tested way of fading liver spots. (You can see his article on this topic here). As a side-benefit, retin-A also helps reduce wrinkles and other blemishes.

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This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and The Nutri Centre (for UK visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

Liver spot causes

First of all, it has nothing to do with the liver. Although it was once believed these spots arose due to liver problems, today we know this is not true. The name however, stuck!

The answer to why we get liver spots is a simple one: sun exposure.

If you notice where liver spots are most prevalent, you’ll find they occur on areas of skin that are exposed to the sun. The backs of hands, arms, the face, shoulders, and tops of bald heads are often the favourite places for liver spots to spring up.

How does the sun cause liver spots?

When the sun shines on your skin, penetrating ultraviolet rays cause the molecules in your body to become excited by this source of energy. If you have plenty of melanin pigment in your skin (i.e. if you’re dark skinned), the melanin molecules intercept much of this energy safely and transforms the UV-photons into harmless by-products. But in fair-skinned people the energization of the body’s molecules can lead to what’s known as “photodissociation” or “photolysis” of the molecules, which is where the high-energy UV photons break down molecules in the skin into free radicals.

With free radicals running loose in your body, they wreak havoc on the surrounding skin cells. Free radicals cause other molecules (often molecules that are parts of body cells) to dissociate and therefore leave behind a trail of damaged cells.

One group of the molecules that is often a casualty of sun-induced free radical damage are the unsaturated fatty acid molecules in the skin, found in the cell membranes amongst other places. When free radicals come in contact with them, these unsaturated fatty acids can become oxidized in the process known as “lipid peroxidation”. Sometimes, if you have enough antioxidants around, the body can curb the damage here, but if there aren’t enough antioxidants, the damaged fat molecules go to a place in the cells called the “lysosome” which is sort of like the waste disposal unit of the cell. The lysosome breaks down the unusuable sun-damaged fatty debris into waste products. One waste product that the lysosomes make is a “lipopigment” molecule called lipofuscin. Lipofuscin is the brown pigment that gives liver spots their brown colour.

When your body is exposed to sun-induced free radical damage repeatedly over years, lipofuscin accumulates in your skin, and when you have enough around, it starts to become visible as brown spots on your skin. Thus the liver spot is born.

So why do some people get more liver spots than others?

How many liver spots you have, or how old you are when you get them depends on a few factors:

• Your genetic predisposition:
  People may have a genetic predisposition to be more or less sensitive to the sun’s rays. One example of this is that some people have genes coding for low melanin production and therefore these people are more “photosensitive” and less protected from the sun’s UV rays.
• Your skin colour:
  Fair-coloured skin types are more prone to free radical sun damage than dark skin types because of the different levels of protective melanin.
• How much time you’ve spent in the sun without sun protection in your life:
  If you’re in your 20s but have spent every day of your life sunbathing on the beach without proper sun protection, it is entirely possible that you could have more liver spots at 20-something than a person in their 60s who has had little sun-exposure throughout their lifetime. Note that we need some time in the sun without protection in order to make vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. It is generally said that 15 minutes in the sun is enough for this purpose, and this minimal sun exposure shouldn’t cause liver spots. It is recommended that the daily 15 minute sun-bathe should be done when the sun is not at its hottest (10am-4pm), so early morning or late afternoon is best.
• How often you’ve been in sun beds to get a tan:
  Sunbeds which emit UV-rays have the same free-radical-producing effect on skin. The more often people spend time in sunbeds, the more likely they are to have liver spots.
• How many antioxidants are in your diet to carry out sun-damage control
  Antioxidants are like the firemen of the body, putting out the fires free radicals produce, and hopefully stopping the sun-damage before lipofuscin-production occurs. The more antioxidants you have in your diet, the better your chances are of evading age spots, but of course it is a combination of high antioxidants and protection from sun exposure which is optimal.
• How many psoralens you eat before being in the sun, and how sensitive you are to psoralens:
  Psoralens are chemicals found in some foods and herbs which increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun. Foods containing psoralens include figs, citrus fruits e.g. lime, celery, carrots, dill, fennel, and herbs rich in psoralens are angelica and St Johns Wort. Whilst for most of us this sensitivity is negligible, some people are more sensitive to the effects of psoralens than others, and for them, psoralen-rich food consumption on a regular basis combined with time in the sun may increase risk of liver spots.

How do you prevent liver spots or rid of them once you have them?
For information on this see the follow-up article: Preventing Age spots and Age spot removal.

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This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and The Nutri Centre (for UK visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

The Mythological Answer
The story goes that every night the Sandman comes and sprinkles magical sleepy sand or dust into childrens eyes which sends them to deep sleep. The remains of his magical ingredient are seen in the morning as golden nuggets or gloopy sleep in the eyes.

The Scientific answer
The main reason that we get sleep in the eyes is due to the eyes being closed all night. And it’s all down to the fact that at night when our eyes are closed, tear drainage is impaired.

Our eyes need to be kept moist by a film of tears at all times. During the day, we blink to wash our eyes with a film of tears and this keeps the eyes well-nourished and oxygenated, as well as washing away any waste products or impurities like dust or irritants in the eye. Daytime blinking also helps drain away our tears. Where do the tears drain to? If you look in a mirror and pull down the corner of your eye closest to your nose, on the inside of your bottom eyelid you’ll see a little hole. This is one of the exit routes for tears. There is another one on the upper lid. The scientific name for these two holes is the lacrimal puncta. From here the tears drain away into several tubes before eventually passing into the nose. This passageway of tears draining into the nose explains why our nose runs when we cry. Incidentally, these passages between the nose and eyes are not a one-way street, and some passage of stuff from the nasal cavity can pass up into the eyes too, although usually this happens most when we have an awful cold and are very congested.

When we sleep, tear drainage is less efficient, partly because we don’t blink. With blocked tear drainage, the tears hang around. The tears we make at night are made of a lot of components including: water, mucusy mucin, oils, proteins, and a few other small molecules. When the tears hang around, a combination of the dry air around you and the body’s heat causes the water component of the tears to slowly evaporate. As evaporation occurs, the remaining “tears” become thicker and more gloopy. The hard sand-like golden nuggets you sometimes find in your eye are examples of tears that have had so much water evaporate, that they’ve become a precipitate.

Why do we get more sleep some days than others?

At times when our body is under the stress of inflammation which may be due to having a cold, flu or some other bug, eye irritation or infection, allergies, or even something like a food intolerance, you may see your eyes being crustier than usual. Why is this? Because we have a lot more thick, gloopy mucus around during inflammation.

Mucus production is one of the body’s responses to inflammation. The body makes it to form a protective coating over your tissues to prevent inflammatory damage. Due to the close link between the nose and the eyes, if you have more mucus in your nasal passages, some will flow back into your eyes when you lie down for the night and this can result in crustier eyes in times of inflammation.

Not only will the excess mucus make your eyes crustier than usual, but it may also irritate your eyes, encouraging even more watery tear production to clean the mucus away. This may partly explain why we get watery eyes when we have a cold with a congested nose. Mucus travelling up to the eyes and irritating them may also explain why we sometimes get watery eyes when we sneeze.

Inflammation is sometimes why people find they have “sleep” in their eyes even during the day, in spite of cleaning their eyes out that morning.

*  *  *

So there you have it: why we get sleep in the eyes. I still however rather like the sandman dust version of the story!

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The tiny crescent-shaped area within the pink corner of the eye known as the plica semilunaris has been the subject of much discussion and debate, especially amongst evolutionists and creationists. Why? Because this area of the eye is thought to be a remnant from our evolutionary history, when we had a spare eyelid that shot out from this area!

Although we no longer have a spare third eyelid that can slide horizontally across our eyes, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and some mammals (polar bears, seals and aardvarks to name a few) do still have this interesting translucent structure, whose technical term is the “nictitating membrane”. In these animals it is used to clean and protect the eyes much like our eyelids do. It is also used to protect the eyes from the sun or glare, acting like sunglasses, or it can act like goggles when the animals are under water.

Evolutionists say that the presence of this pink crescent in the corner of our eyes is proof that we evolved from creatures that once had a functional nictitating membrane. Their argument is that we have retained this now-pretty-much-useless vestigial organ because it hasn’t yet been selected against by evolution.

Some creationists say that the plica semilunaris is not proof of evolution because it functions to make and collect “sleep” that we get in our eyes in the morning. Sleep is secreted from a combination of sources including the lacrimal gland, conjunctival goblet cells, the meibomian gland, in some cases also from nasal mucous overflow, and perhaps a little from the nearby lacriminal caruncle. The plica semilunaris may contribute to the secretions because it is rich in goblet cells which make mucus.

So why do we have the pink corner of the eye? Well, both the lacrimal caruncle and the plica semilunaris contain cells which allow it to secrete things which may contribute to our tears and their functions in protecting our eyes, keeping them moist and healthy, but could the plica semilunaris be a remnant of a third eyelid? If it is, what a shame that we didn’t retain it! I for one think it would have been great to have built-in sunglasses and underwater goggles!

References
Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine on the anatomy of the plica semilunaris and laminal caruncle

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You get out the bath, you look at your hands and you realize your fingertips are as wrinkled as a raisin! Why do we get pruney fingers after soaking in the bath? And why do some people get wrinkly fingers even if they haven’t been anywhere near water?

Understanding Wrinkled Fingers in the Bath

There are two main factors making our fingers wrinkle in the bath:

Factor 1: Absorption of water by the skin cells

During long periods of immersing hands in water, the skin on your fingers absorbs water. To be more precise, the keratin-laden dead skin cells which are found in your uppermost layer of your skin, absorb the water. Keratin is a protein found in skin, hair and nails, and it is a really good absorber of water. This water absorbability by keratin is also what softens nails after you’ve been in the bath. Where skin is thicker, it contains more keratin, and is therefore able to absorb more water in these areas. Your hands and feet are areas where keratin is found in high concentrations in the skin, because keratin makes these areas tough to withstand hard work. Lots of keratin here means that these areas absorb more water than other areas of skin on your body.

When water is absorbed into the upper layer of the skin, the skin swells. The skin layers below this water-expanded area do not swell, and are still attached to the increasingly swelling skin cells above. Eventually the swollen skin layer’s surface area is increased so much that it is forced to wrinkle, to accommodate the increased skin area on the limited space that is available on your fingertip.

Imagine a small table and a large tablecloth that has to fit exactly onto the tabletop without being allowed to hang off the sides. To make it fit, you’ll find that you need to wrinkle the tablecloth so that it fits the table dimensions exactly. That’s effectively what’s happening on your fingertip.

Factor 2: Blood vessels constrict when you’re in water

Scientists have observed that water submersion of the hands triggers nerves to fire off, and these nervous messages tell your skin’s blood vessels to constrict. As they constrict, the skin that is directly above them is pulled down, producing the deeper part of the wrinkles. People who have lost nerve function for whatever reason may find that their fingertips no longer wrinkle in the bath.

Why don’t fingers get wrinkly right away? Why do your fingers get more wrinkly the longer you’re in the bath?

We have a protective layer of oil on our skin, called sebum which makes our skin waterproof. If you’re in water for a short amount of time, the sebum prevents water being taken up by the skin cells. But the longer you are in water, eventually the sebum is washed away from the skin surface and water can be absorbed into the skin cells.

Some people have more or less sebum on their skin before entering the water, which means that it takes them different lengths of time to become wrinkly in water. Sebum deficiency may be linked to low essential fats in your diet, hormonal imbalances (e.g. low DHEA, low testosterone), using hands in hard physical labour which temporarily strips away the protective fatty coating, cold weather which dries out skin, old age, or a genetic tendency for dry skin.

Will it make a difference if I’m soaking in a bath or in the sea?

Yes. Seawater is really high in minerals, so the laws of osmosis mean that this highly concentrated water enters your skin more slowly than your average low-mineral-concentration bathwater. This means that it will take you longer to absorb water, pucker and become prune-like in the sea than in the bath; unless you’re bathing in high mineral bathwater.

Why do fingers sometimes go wrinkly even if you’ve been no-where near water?

I have only been able to hypothesize and find anecdotal answers to this question so far (although if you know of any studies or texts that address this question, please do leave a comment below). My reading of anecdotal reports and my own hypothesizing has led me to these tentative possible answers:

• Low sebum means your skin is more prone to respond to changes in the environment which may predispose to finger pruning. Low sebum may occur for reasons such as:
  - low essential fats in your diet. These can be supplemented with a good fish oil like Double Strength Eskimo-3
  - hormonal imbalances (e.g. low DHEA, low testosterone),
  - using hands in hard physical labour which temporarily strips away the protective fatty coating. Excessive use of chemicals, soaps, and high levels of handwashing also strips sebum levels.
  - cold weather which dries out skin: Cold air tends to be drier than warm air, and this dryness may inhibit sebum production.
  - old age,
  - a genetic tendency for dry skin.
• Thyroid problems, particularly hypothyroidism: Anecdotal reports commonly associate hypothyroidism with constantly puckered fingers. My guess for why hypothyroidism may be linked with wrinkly fingertips is that hypothyroidism causes low metabolism, and therefore lower body heat, which comes with cold hands and feet. When the body is cold, it encourages blood vessels at the surface of the skin to constrict so that less of the blood’s heat is lost. As discussed above, blood vessel constriction (vasoconstriction) has been linked to wrinkling in water, so it may also be linked to cold-related wrinkling.
• Cold hands and feet: Even if you don’t have hypothyroidism, people have noticed finger wrinkling is increased in winter and when they are cold. I hypothesize that this may be because of the cold-linked vasoconstriction.
• Sweaty hands: Another anecdotal suggestion was that people prone to sweaty hands effectively have their hands submerged in water as long as their hands are sweaty, which may cause puckering.
• Stress: Some people report that their fingers wrinkle most when they are feeling stressed. My guess is that this may be because of vasoconstriction that naturally occurs during stress. Blood is diverted away from the skin surface in response to stress, to provide blood flow to the heart, lungs and brain for “fight or flight” mode. Another theory I’ve seen is that it may also be linked to cortisol-induced collagen loss, although I’m unsure how likely this theory is. Stress and anxiety also predisposes to sweaty hands.
• Other theories floating around for possible causes of persistent fingertip wrinkling for which I have been unable to find more information on yet include: dehydration, blood sugar imbalances, medication side effects, or rarely, connective tissue disorders.

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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.