There’s been an explosion of research in the past couple of decades on the relationship between gut microbiota (the 3½-4 pounds of microscopic critters that live inside our intestines, especially the bacteria in our colons) and health. One surprising finding is that these colonic microbes have a considerable influence on our ability to deal with stress and anxiety. New challenges posed by the COVID pandemic have made it all the more important to maintain stress resiliency—the ability to roll with the punches and deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way. Like most health resources, at Beyond Health we’ve often recommended “stress reduction” practices, like meditation, exercise, and simple things like enjoying music or nature to reduce the impact of stress. But an equally powerful way to increase stress resilience is by making sure you have good bacteria in your colon! There is a complex bi-directional communication system between gut microbiota…

. . . it's not that hard to virtually eliminate the risk! Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the largest cause of natural death in the US. Most people who die from a sudden heart attack never realized they were at risk, especially women. But by taking care of the fundamentals, you can bring your risk of SCD down to virtually zero! A recent study published in JAMA analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study, which followed 81,000 women over a 26-year period to see how four healthy lifestyle factors affected risk for SCD. Although only women were involved, the findings would apply to men as well. 1. Not smoking - reduced risk by 75% 2. A Body Mass Index of less than 25 - reduced risk by 56% 3. Exercising at least 30 minutes a day - reduced risk by 72% 4. Following a Mediterranean-type diet, emphasizing high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and fish, along with moderate alcohol consumption - reduced risk by 40% All four factors combined reduced the…