Emerging Areas
Individuals can now conduct some of their own scientific experiments in rented laboratory space. With advancement in medical science and our understanding of the human body, new areas relating to improving human health and performance and prolonging life are emerging every week. We live in an exciting time of human existence. Humans are approaching a point in the relatively near future where the only causes of death will be from accidental or intentional causes.
Bio Hacking
This fascinating area has numerous individuals performing tests on themselves, to "hack" the human body into better performance, health, fitness and other areas. These people are advancing science faster than the slogging pace that often seems to be the case with certain studies. This blog will introduce you to several self-described bio hackers and their expertise. This is some of the coolest health and fitness advancement information "out there" on the Internet.
Bacterial flora
Science is showing us that the number of bacteria on and in our bodies, vastly outnumbers that of the actual number of cells in our bodies! These varying strains of bacteria can be good or bad. In healthy people, the good ones control and keep the bad ones at bay. Our gut bacteria (in our digestive tract) help us digest many types of beneficial nutrients. To demonstrate how far this research has gone medically, there are now FDA approved fecal transplants....yes, you read that correctly, to help individuals with compromised immune systems fight deadly intestinal bacterial infections.
The so-called "dirt theory" postulates that those exposed to more bacteria at a younger age build stronger immune systems. Motherdirt.com is a company in the Boston area marketing skin cleansers and shampoos that build beneficial bacteria so you don't have to shower regularly (and you don't stink!).
The keys to so many health issues are being found to already exist in the natural environment. Humans have evolved so quickly in the relative recent years of our existence, that we've unknowingly discarded many of the very things that protect us.
Updated disease research
Some fascinating research is resurfacing and researched alongside new technological discoveries especially with regard to cancer. Cancer genome sequencing was going to find the cure because it was expected to show the common genetic variables needed to be addressed. Unfortunately, this is not what occurred. The so-called genetic theory, whereDNA, damaged by free radicals, etc., producing unstoppable tissue growth (tumors), when subjected to genomic study didn't have a common denominator, as expected. [Research dating back to a German doctor from the 1930s, who discovered that the mitochondria ("engines") in our cells were powered by either fat or sugar, also found that cancer cells can only "run" on sugar.][cite research] Interesting that newer information, from science and biohackers, is revealing that cancers thought to be incurable, have been cured by implementing a ketogenic (fat powered) diet, and some endurance athletes are fueling their bodies with fat instead of carbohydrates with phenomenal results in terms of efficacy.
These and many other discoveries are being studied. Some potentially beneficial aspects, especially those with the potential to avoid or thwart cancer and other disease to begin with, and have little or no risk of side effects, can be implemented now, rather than waiting half, or the remainder of your life, before you "know if works or not."