The Long March of the Allergy

The food allergy is frequently the beginning of the long march of the allergy

Even if a food allergy frequently disappears with age, it is unfortunately far too often the beginning of a chronic illness that is characterized by the immune system reacting to various triggers (allergens) mainly with acute inflammation symptoms (eyes, conjunctivitis, runny nose, inflamed nasal mucosa etc.). The long march clearly indicates that the allergy was not caused by allergens but by the immune system itself revealing dysfunctions or problems with dealing with the environment, which become particularly noticeable when we come into contact with the triggers (allergens) through the skin or mucous membranes.

Have a look at the experiences of our Biest athletes...

It's flu season on the Northern hemisphere. Flu shots became a very common way of flu prevention, even though discussed controversially. The stories that flu vaccines failed are not a rare phenomenon. One reason among others is that flu viruses mutate quickly, and therefore undermine the vaccine's effect. Almost every year we face different strains that are not covered by vaccines. Biestmilch works differently.

Periods of rest are highly active phases for body build-up You probably urge yourself as often as your coach does to take a rest? You can hardly stand the breaks and tend to carry on training again much too early, and you have a bad conscience when you are not training? How are we supposed to judge our needs of the own period of recovery in a reliable way? Or put it another way: which criteria should you choose in order to make the decision to take a rest both rationally and with a good conscience? Even though science has tried to define parameters or body conditions such as heavy legs syndrome or heart rate the decision to get on is in the end primarily made by feel.

Spring is in full swing on the Northern hemisphere, and so is allergy. From LA to Frankfurt thousands of people suffer from the various symptoms connected with allergies. For this reason I would like to say a few words about the relation between allergies, the immune system and stress. In many ways I got the impression over the years that there are lots of misleading views about the cause and effect relation of allergies out there. The condition of your immune system determines the course of your allergy What about the scientific thought model, that it is not the pollen that causes the allergy, but that it is the immune system that's not able to deal with the pollen?

What is happening, what is going wrong? (2/2) A short reflection on stress from a biological point of view.

Influences on our body that threaten its balance are stress factors activating a stress response. Stress factors can be physical as well as psychological factors. As a rule, the  stress response proceeds unconsciously. Usually consciousness is only switched on after the event, when it would already be too late for an adequate reaction. For you to survive the biological stress response must proceed well coordinated and perfectly timed.

Right at the beginning I want to underline, that I am not taking the position of a psychologist but more of a biologist. »The word motivation comes from the Latin word for moving=movere and motus= movement. It describes the state of an organism that influences the direction and the energy load of the current behavior. By direction especially the focus on goals is meant. The energy load means the physical forces which drive the behavior.« Source: wikipedia Is motivation grounded in biology or psychology? Or both? "The significance of the immune system for motivation", was the headline of an article I was going to write about a few months ago, when I sent my topic list to an editorial office where I use to publicise. Back then I had a rather vague idea, on how I was going to tackle this interesting subject. When the date of publication came closer and I finally began to think about this topic in greater detail, I quickly realized that I was to going move towards an intersection of different sciences and thought models connected with the most controversial and antagonizing viewpoints. In the following article I don't intend to explain the different methods of motivational training but want to elucidate in greater depth the biological background and coherences that characterize a state of motivation.

Biestmilch proudly presents its first guest author Anna Sophie Bernstein. Her publication gives an interesting approach to the intake and effects of magnesium. Obviously magnesium can dampen inflammatory processes, and thus lower the risk of developing diabetes type 2.  As I see it, it is probably not magnesium alone, but a combination of factors that leads to the antiinflamatory impact of this ion. Nevertheless, Sophie makes a good point and magnesium has to be seen as a player in the endless game of preventing diseases.