Yamabushitake, or Lion’s mane mushroom, is definitely not your classic cap and stem variety of mushroom. It has a rather distinctive appearance with long cascading white spines, kind of resembling a Lion’s Mane. It is also known by other names – Satyr’s beard, Hedgehog mushroom, Bearded hedgehog, Pom Pom and of course in Japanese it is called Yamabushitake (which literally means ‘mountain priest mushroom’).

Our immune system is designed to protect and heal the body against most diseases, even cancer. Conventional cancer treatment such as chemotherapy uses toxic drugs to target rapidly dividing cancer cells. However, there are healthy cells that need to continuously divide at a fast pace too, such as cells in our digestive system, immune system, reproductive system, blood and bone marrow. Chemotherapy drugs don’t differentiate between rogue cancer cells and healthy cells, targeting them with equal gusto and in the process creating more damage than good, promoting inflammation and hitting the immune system particularly hard. Ironically, this situation sets the stage for cancer to relapse down the road and creating conditions favourable for new cancer to grow.

Free radicals – nasty toxic molecules that have long been known to damage DNA, proteins, lipids and other essential biological molecules. Their contribution to premature aging and chronic degenerative illness is well-established. But is it the only way to perceive free radicals? As we are about to find out, the fear of free radicals may actually be exaggerated. While free radicals ride on a lot of negative hype, the truth is they are a crucial part of life and play an important role in many biological functions in small amounts.

Most of us are aware of the powerful combination of calcium and Vitamin D when it comes to maintaining strong, healthy bones and preventing osteoporosis. However, there are other nutrients that take equally active and critical roles in bone health. When we focus on the benefits offered by a specific nutrient or a micronutrient, we often discount the fact that nutrients – well, most of them - simply don’t work alone. 

Many underlying factors come together to raise your risk for type 2 diabetes, including genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as calories intake, physical inactivity and unhealthy sleeping patterns. In fact, it is a well-established fact that lack of exercise puts you at an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. But evolving research in this field is an indicator that the amount of time you spend in uninterrupted sitting, irrespective of your daily exercise regime whatever it may be, has a potential to increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Tobacco smoke is contaminated with more than 7,000 toxic substances such as tar, arsenic, nicotine and cyanide. Over 60 of these chemicals are carcinogenic ingredients. What is lesser known is that tobacco also contains radioactive materials; polonium-210 and lead-210, which can accumulate in the lungs of the smokers for decades, leading to lung cancer [2]. Tobacco smoke can cause many other types of cancer including cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), oesophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, colon/rectum and myeloid leukaemia [2]. In addition, it increases the risk of premature death, pulmonary and respiratory disorders such as chronic bronchitis, coronary heart disease, and stroke and even carries profound health risks to an unborn child.

CoQ10 is an important player in the generation of energy within the cells, and it is a co-enzyme found in virtually every cell of the body. Co-enzymes are non-protein compounds that support enzymes in facilitating important biochemical processes in the body. It is also known as ubiquinone, stemming from the fact that this miracle nutrient is ubiquitous – present everywhere in the body. However, it is found in particularly high concentrations in the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and immune system owing to their high energy requirements.

Inflammation seems to be the buzzword among the health conscious. Everything ailment and every disease is directly or indirectly linked with inflammation. But is it really that bad to have an inflammation? Especially when inflammation is actually an integral part of our body’s natural healing mechanism and no infection or injury can be healed without it. We all are familiar with inflammation in one form or another. Ever cut a finger or had a sore throat? Well, there you are. All the pain, swelling and heat is because you are experiencing inflammation.

Glutathione is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants produced by our body, and yet it hardly receives the attention it deserves from the medical community. It may be little known and may not have as many cheerleaders as other anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, lycopene and even resveratrol found in red wine, but you can’t just deny the super role of Glutathione as a powerful detoxifier, immune booster and - of course - potent anti-oxidant.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed that adults with fibromyalgia (FM) are much more likely to have restless legs syndrome (RLS) than healthy people [1]. According to Nathaniel F. Watson, MD, one of the study authors, “Sleep disruption is common in fibromyalgia and often difficult to treat. It is apparent from our study that a substantial portion of sleep disruption in fibromyalgia is due to restless legs syndrome.” [2]