We don’t give our body enough credit for its amazing ability to nurture us in unseen ways as we go about our daily activities. Often, we nitpick at things on the outside that we consider flaws or shortcomings whereas on the inside, our body is constantly healing and repairing itself.
Sally May Tan, certified health coach and author of Wellness The New Luxury, reveals some of the amazing facts we never knew about the body.
Your body is made up of very complex bacterial systems with over 100 trillion microbes, including “good” and “bad” bacteria. There’s a network containing trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit our skin, genital areas, mouth and, especially, intestines. Bacterial cells in the human body outnumber human cells 10 to one. So understanding how to be on the good side with our microbiome is one of the keys to good health.
For years, it was thought that brain and neural tissue couldn’t grow or regenerate. While it doesn’t act in the same manner as other tissues in the body, brain neurons can and do grow throughout life! This opens up new dimensions to understanding the brain and its ability to heal. The key to having a young, lively brain is to always be open to learning and, of course, you need to eat, move and rest well.
Related: Tips To Learning Faster As You Age
The stomach secretes about 1.5 litres of hydrochloric acid (pH 1 to 3) every day as part of the digestive process. While you certainly shouldn’t test the fortitude of your stomach with a metal object, the acids that digest food shouldn’t be taken lightly. Without your conscious efforts, your stomach knows just how much hydrochloric acid to secrete to help digest the food you eat.
The mucus-like cell lining, or the walls of the stomach, need to be frequently replaced because of the wear and tear from the action of the strong digestive acids. Make sure you eat right and regularly to help your stomach stay in top shape to avoid painful ulcers and bacterial infections.
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You may not think much about your liver, except after a long night of drinking, but the liver is one of the body’s hardest working, largest and busiest organs. It also has the amazing ability to regenerate itself. Its main job is to filter blood coming from the digestive tract and together with the pancreas, gallbladder and intestines, it digests, absorbs and processes everything we eat. Other functions include the production of bile, regulation of hormones, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis and detoxification.
Tips extracted from Wellness The New Luxury, by Sally May Tan, Wellness Whisperer and Founder of Catalyst Health Asia. The book, at S$49.90, is available at Times MPH, Kinokuniya, Amazon and Kindle.