Michael Mosley (1) (1957–2024)

We hear a lot about 'intestinsal flora' and this is an accessible and fascinating account of the digestive system and the stuff it does that we don't realise.
Gamely swallowing a camera for an eye-witness account,the author describes the stomach: "a cavernous,exotic landscape...pink and pulsatile, a place of slobber and rawhide"...the small bowel : "it reminded me of the last time I went snorkelling in a bay full of seaweed" ....churning the chyme "in a frantic corkscrew motion"...note too show more that the digestive system (a hugely complex food factory) contains as many neurons as the brain of a cat, as it exchanges information with the brain) ....and thence to the colon, wherein dwells this eco system of bacteria, fungi, viruses and "simplre, primitive animals called protozoa."
(Also learnt something about that alleged "white elephant" the appendix: Apparently after a bad attack of diarrhoea, the sufferer needs to reseed his purged guts with 'good' bacteria, and the organ in question acts as "the Noah's Ark of the gut world, ready to repopulate your gut when the waters subside." Fascinating stuff.
Fascinating too to learn that the newborn imbibes its iniial hit of bacteria from its mother during birth: those born in a more sterile manner through Caesarean, are 64% more likely to be obese adults than those not!
The book then goes on to look at WHY these microbes matter...involved in everything from weight gain to IBS, allergies, sleeplessness, stress...
And how to cultivate them through 'prebiotics'(healthy foods that encourage growth) and 'probiotics' (stuff that actually contains microbes direct- yogurt, fermented foods.) They also do well under an intermittent fasting regime, and with exercise.
I was minded to recommend this book to a friend with IBS but may pass on that, since the author's top success story was a sufferer who undertook the rather extreme step of deliberately infecting himself with hookworm. "They damp down our immune responses by secreting compounds that manipulate our immune system...that enables the worm to survive but it also has benefits for us." And yet with the previously ill guy now able to eat the hottest curries...it sounds like a price worth paying!
Includes numerous recipes.
VERY interesting...arent humans brilliantly made?! And all this goes on with us barely aware of it beyond the odd gurgle or bit of acidity! (And they say we got here by accident...puh-lease!!) show less

Dr Michael Mosley’s latest best-seller (or soon-to-be bestseller) is one of a number of new books that promise massive improvements in your life — if you just do one tiny little thing. And yet — he’s right about so much.

I’ve already added a number of his suggestions to the daily tasks on my to-do list. (If you see me on early morning walks, doing deep breathing while staring at a tree, you’ll know why.). And he’s certainly changed my shopping list for this week. If there’s a show more shortage of beetroot juice or Pink Lady apples in your local supermarket, blame him.

I was happy to see that I already do a lot of the things that he suggests, though at least now I know why. Like many of you, I stand on one leg while brushing my teeth, alternating legs every 30 seconds. I mean, most people do that, right? Apparently, that helps avoid falls which is a good thing as we get older.

And singing aloud — in my case, very loud — in the shower is also a good thing. I don’t remember why, but if it improves my health, of course I’ll do it.

This is a very short book, disguised as a much bigger one. Very short chapters, two pages announcing the chapter title and another full page with a quote from the (very short) chapter. I’m not complaining; I like short books. And this is one that can be read in a couple of hours, so why not? show less

A really good summary of ways to treat your aging self right, or better yet, to treat your someday aging self ahead of time. I was surprised at how much of this I have picked up and incorporated into my life. A few choice additions are waiting for me to add. Short, formatted to be easy to read and easy to remember, but from my perspective, perfect. We're missing you, Michael Mosley.

Dr Michael Mosley is very easy to listen to and I've watched quite a few of his documentaries, however surprisingly, this is my first time reading any of his - many - books. Just One Thing - How Simple Changes Can Transform Your Life presents simple and easy changes you can make daily that will have significantly positive impacts on your overall health and wellbeing.

Each 'thing' is grouped according to the time of day Dr Mosley recommends you try the activity, although naturally they can be show more done at any time. The categories are: Early Morning, Breakfast, Mid-Morning, Lunchtime, Afternoon and Evening.

There are 30 'things', and some of my favourites were: Sing, Stand on One Leg, Exercise Less But More Often, Eccentric Exercise, Take a Nap, Stand Up, Dance, Learn A New Skill and of course Read!

I was surprised to read about the benefits of eating beetroot (who knew) and enjoyed learning that the temperature decrease that happens after a warm bath mimics the body's natural drop in core temperature prior to sleep. This is why Doctors always recommend a hot bath 90 minutes before bed to aid sleep.

I've decided the just one thing I'll try and do more of this year is Stand Up. When we sit for prolonged periods, many of our body's functions go into sleep mode, including our metabolism! I think we all recognise that a sedentary lifestyle and sitting for prolonged periods is terrible for our health.

"Emerging evidence suggests that unless you are doing 40 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise every single day, you cannot undo the damage that sitting causes. And even worse, if you sit for long periods each day, you could be decreasing the benefits of any exercise you do." Chapter entitled Stand Up

Instead of harping on the negatives, Dr Mosley highlights the benefits of standing for a few minutes at least once every hour. I find it quite easy at night time to watch two episodes of a favourite show back to back without moving on the couch, but since I started standing more often and interrupting this period of slothing and relaxing, I have noticed an improvement. The author points out that standing up helps us maintain muscle strength, bone density and blood sugar levels and while I'll never go so far as to work at a standing desk, I am able to make small improvements and changes.

Just One Thing contains 30 bite sized topics which are very easy to consume. I recommend listening to this in small doses and coming back later to revisit any specific chapters that take your fancy or require a quick refresher.

Any time is a good time to begin a new habit or learn more about the body, but December / January seems - to me at least - to be the ultimate time of year for this type of book. One of my favourite quotes at the moment is "Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits" from Atomic Habits by James Cleary, and trying any of these 'things' from Just One Thing by Dr Michael Mosley will improve your health and wellbeing. show less