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What is A Gut Microbiome Test, And Why is It Necessary?

The importance of good health can not be stated enough, and you will certainly agree with this if you have been faced with one health issue or the other in the past. However, staying healthy demands that you make deliberate efforts towards maintaining good health always.

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The importance of good health can not be stated enough, and you will certainly agree with this if you have been faced with one health issue or the other in the past. However, staying healthy demands that you make deliberate efforts towards maintaining good health always.

But as easy as caring for your external body parts are, extending the same care for your internal organs can become tricky. We have also learned that some of these internal parts, like the gut microbiome, house thousands of bacteria. These bacteria can be very harmful to the surrounding parts and organs if they become excessive. Therefore, monitoring these parts and the bacteria level becomes very critical. Do you know that it is possible to monitor the number of bacteria present in your body? Yes, you can do this by going for a microbiome gut test. This article highlights everything you need to know about a gut microbiome testing.

What is A Gut Microbiome Test?

The gut microbiota refers to the total number of bacteria residing in the gut. These bacteria can be good or bad, and some can be very dangerous and harmful to your organs. Gut microbiome testing helps analyze the bacteria present in your gastrointestinal tract. This test basically searches the gut and looks for signs of pathogens, and inflammatory and immune markers, then give feedback on the functionality of the digestive tract.

The test is kind of unique, however, compared to other tests like blood tests, and it involves testing the poop. Yes, it is not the most convenient method, but it has proven to be the most effective way of getting accurate results. Most patients are given a take-home kit to excrete and submit for test the next day.

What Microbiome Tests Reveal

A microbiome gut test can be an eye-opener because the result shows many unknown health conditions. Here are some things you stand to learn from a gut microbiome test.

Parasites: Your sample will be examined under a microscope for parasites, and the parasites will be diagnosed using the DNA found.
Yeast overgrowth: Yeast is a fungus that lives in the digestive system. When the yeast overgrows, it causes an infection called a yeast infection. But a gut microbiome test will help you spot yeast growth promptly.
Bacteria overgrowth: The first function of the microbiome test is to examine bacteria. Hence, it will inform you if there are excess bacteria in your system.
Immune markers: The microbiome gut test studies the immune markers and checks if the immune system is under-performing or functioning correctly.
Protein and fat: The level of protein and fat present on your stool is also considered during a microbiome test. The information is used to analyze how well you digest your food.
Good Bacteria: Yes, there are some bacteria that the body organs need for efficient performance. Your system may not appreciate the lack of sufficient amounts of these bacteria. The test helps to sort out the good bacteria and assess if they are sufficient in your body.

Conclusion

Taking a gut microbiome test may be the difference between assuming you are healthy and actually being healthy. It is essential because it helps to show some information vital to your organs’ efficiency, helping you tackle several threats promptly before they grow to cause infections.

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10 Bizarre Things You Should Know About Your Skin

Do you know what is the largest organ of the human body? Yes, it is the skin, and it weighs approximately 15% of our total body weight. Learning more about your skin’s particularities is highly important for a healthy body, so let’s dive right in!

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The skin is an organ because it consists of several tissues and cells of different and specific functions. It is an organ of protection, first and foremost, and it changes depending on age, internal health, and external factors. Due to its specificity across different areas of the same body, the skin is a sensitive, ever-changing organ. Since the skin around the eyes is made of a thinner layer of the epidermis, it needs different care than the skin on your legs, for example.

The structure of the skin

There are three main types of layers of the skin: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer. The epidermis, the outer layer, contains cells that produce the pigment (color/nuance of the skin), and they protect the immune system.

The dermis, the middle layer, contains connective tissue, capillaries, nerve tissue, and hair follicles. It also contains the sweat glands, and the body oil glands (sebum). The subcutaneous layer is the innermost layer of the skin and contains the large blood vessels, nerves, fat and connective tissues. It regulates body temperature and protects the internal organs and muscles from damaging impacts. It also produces the hormone called leptin which stabilizes the metabolism. Now that we understand how important the skin is for our survival, let’s see what are the negative factors that affect the health of the skin, and therefore, our general health.

Internal negative factors
The internal factors that can influence the health and aspect of your skin are genetics, hormones, and disease such as diabetes. Genes determine our skin type and aging process, so we cannot do much about it, except reduce the factors that would worsen our genes’ predisposition. Genes can influence our cell regeneration and biological aging; they can also determine how our sebum and sweat glands function.

Change of hormones can cause acne, especially during teenage years, or during menstruation in women. Female estrogen decreases after menopause, so the natural moisturizing function of the skin also decreases.

Some grave internal diseases can manifest at the skin level such as diabetes, cancer, and most commonly liver issues – intoxication, or bile malfunctioning. Liver issues manifest either as skin rashes or yellowish pigmentation of the skin. Hence, in many cultures, there is an old mentality that glowing, smooth skin indicates an internal healthy body. What you eat is what you are, and shown on the skin, so healthy, and vitamin-rich diets are a must for healthier skin. Other internal factors that can affect the skin are severe medical treatments such as chemotherapy. There are also viruses that affect the skin by eruption such as varicella and variola viruses.

External negative factors
External negative factors are the most known by people, because we hear about them in TV commercials, and they are highly visible at the skin level. The most common negative external factors for the skin are:

Sunburn/UV radiation
Excessive spray or artificial tan
Drastic change in temperature
Chemical products
Excessive washing
Smoking
Common skin conditions

Depressed because of acne, or depigmentation? You should know that acne and depigmentation are one of the most common skin conditions. Acne affects more than 50 million Americans annually, according to American Academy of Dermatology Association statistics. Atopic dermatitis will affect 1 in 10 people during their lifetime. 50 million men and 30 million women are affected by hair loss, according to Medline Plus, National Library of Medicine. Rosacea or redness of facial skin affects up to 16 million Americans, mostly over the age of 30. Vitiligo, another very common disease, manifesting as depigmentation or white patches on the skin surface, affects over 70 million people globally. All these skin conditions are often related to external negative factors and improper nutritional care.

The skin is a sensitive and complex organ that requires intensive care. It’s a wonderful part of our body and it is hiding even more miracles.

10 Bizarre Things You Should Know About Your Skin
It renews itself every 28 days;
Approximately 50% of the dust in your home is dead skin;
Body hair growth rate is 2 to 6 years;
The thickest skin is on the sole of your feet;
The thinnest skin is on the eyelids;
We lose around 20 – 100 hairs daily;
Scars don’t have hair and sweat glands;
Sweat doesn’t smell, but the bacteria in it does.
The skin has its own 1000 species of bacteria;
Babies develop their skin tone in 6 months.
The human body deserves care and respect, including the skin. This means that we need to be careful about what we eat and what we expose ourselves to, from a stressful environment to weather conditions. Don’t forget that health care is a modus vivendi.

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The Importance of Infection Cleaning Services

How to prevent spreading infections and how they are cleaned.

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Intro

Anyone can catch and spread infection, even young healthy people. Unfortunately, they may spread it to someone who can’t effectively fight off the infection. Even healthy people could be susceptible to long lasting effects of viruses. Covid-19 has taught us a lot about the importance of maintaining clean and healthy spaces to help prevent spread. The Delta variant that is currently present in the community is even more contagious. Experts in cleaning and disinfecting are available to help in case of infection or outbreak. All it takes is one infection to interrupt and even harm a lot of lives. It’s important to stop the spread before it starts. An infection cleaning service will ensure the location is properly disinfected and safe for occupancy again. Building owners and homeowners should call their local experts if they have encountered a case of a dangerous infection like Covid-19.

How Infections are Managed and Cleaned

In the case of a known infection, experts will go in an assess the area. This will help them determine what type of equipment and how many technicians they need for the cleaning. They will remove and dispose of items that are infected and cannot be cleaned. Once that’s done, they proceed to cleaning the remaining items. The first step is to spray all of the large items with a disinfectant. Then they go in and clean by hand for a more in-depth clean. This also allows them to clean more delicate items like electronics or high-touch items like phones. Once that’s done, everything is wiped down and excess disinfectant is wiped up. Once everything is cleaned up, the infection cleaners will properly dispose of all the waste in biohazard material bags and ensure they are taken to a proper facility.

Preventing Infection

There are things people can do to prevent themselves from getting sick and spreading infections. Some of these practices have become very well-known during the pandemic but can also be used anytime. Some things people can do regularly, whether there is a known outbreak or not, are avoiding touching surfaces that infected people may have touched, covering their mouths and faces if they cough or sneeze, frequently washing their hands, and avoiding touching their faces throughout the day. Certain areas require wearing a mask and distancing from others during the pandemic. When there is no longer a pandemic, these are great practices to keep up with in order to stay healthy, especially during cold and flu season. In addition to these practices, if someone is sick, they should avoid contact with others and wear a mask if they have to be close to others.

Conclusion

Infection cleaning is an important part of keeping the community safe and healthy. It is crucial that while we are dealing with Covid-19 everyone does their part in helping prevent outbreaks. Anyone who suspects contamination, or an outbreak should call the experts to have the area properly cleaned. To try and prevent this from happening, individuals can help by taking precautions and informing others when they become sick, especially if they test positive for Covid-19.

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