People usually associate lavender with two specific traits: its fragrance and its color. But you may not know that the lavender flower and the oil derived from it have long histories in herbal medicine. The word lavender comes from the Latin root “lavare,” which literally means “to wash.” The earliest recorded use of lavender dates back to ancient Egypt. There, lavender oil played a role in the mummification process. During later times, lavender became a bath additiv...

Metabolic disorders, particularly obesity increases the risk of a number of cancers, e.g. colon, mammary, pancreas and liver. The primary functions of the liver are metabolism and detoxification. Nutrients from the gut are metabolised in the liver involving the insulin regulated PI3K/PTEN pathway. Wnt/β-catenin signalling also plays important role in regulating the metabolic and detoxicating functions of the liver as it regulates liver structure and zonation. Following a diet containing h...

Malnutrition in cancer is the result of a combination of metabolic dysregulation and anorexia, caused by the tumour itself or by its treatment. It negatively impact the clinical outcomes and mortality risk of cancer patients. At cancer diagnosis, half of patients present with some form of nutritional deficit. Nutritional status also often declines further during cancer treatment due to various treatment-related side effects such as anorexia, mucositis, and nausea and vomiting. The incide...

In order to prevent or eradicate work-related stress, you must first understand how you got to this point. Here’s what I typically see: No control. The person feels they have no say over their schedule, work assignments, or workload. They also feel that they lack adequate resources to get their job done. Unclear expectations. A person’s job description and title might be confusing or ambiguous. Does the job description say one thing yet you’re taking on entirely diff...

The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of how much certain foods increase blood sugar levels. It scores foods on a 0–100 scale and ranks them as low, medium, or high  Here are the score ranges for the three GI values: Low: 55 or less
Medium: 56–69
High: 70 or above
Foods high in simple carbs or added sugar are broken down more quickly in the bloodstream and tend to have a higher GI. Meanwhile, foods high in protein, fat, or fibre have less of an effect on blood sugar level...

Almost half of the people who undergo chemotherapy experience a change in their sense of taste. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, certain cancers, and treatment-related medications can all cause changes in the way foods taste. Changes in your taste and smell can make it hard to eat or drink enough. These changes can cause unwanted loss of appetite, low body weight, poor quality of life, and diminished well-being. However, there are strategies that can help people to cope with taste chan...