Advocates of the therapy, which is also known as earthing, claim it can help reduce stress, depression and anxiety, and help us manage pain better.

The retardants, along with pesticides sprayed on parks and farms, have caused a decline in IQ and cognitive abilities in more than a million children in the US between 2001 and 2016, say researchers at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine.

A leaky gut is just that: our intestinal barrier weakens and allows bacteria into the bloodstream. And people who have hostile and angry confrontations with their partner end up with more bacteria in their blood, suggesting the upset has made the gut leaky.

Researchers from the Ohio State University tested the theory on a group of 43 healthy married couples. They were asked to talk about a sensitive issue, such as money or the in-laws, and they were observed via a video camera. Blood samples were taken before and after the argument, and the couples whose arguments became the most heated were also the ones with the highest levels of bacteria in their blood. In fact, the ones who had the most hostile confrontations had 79 per cent more bacteria in their blood than those who had a more equitable discussion.

Those four daily cups are enough to kick-start a protein called P27 that is found in the mitochondria—our cells' energy centres—that help protect the heart and repair damage to heart muscles after a heart attack.

This adds to the proven protective effects of coffee, which include lowering the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

The chemicals have been absorbed through the skin, and into the blood where amounts that are up to hundreds of times above recognised safety levels have been detected.

A high-fat diet changes the bacteria in the gut and makes you more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety as a result.

Researchers started investigating a possible link after noticing that obese people with type 2 diabetes were more likely to suffer from acute depression. While anyone can be depressed, the diabetic seems to feel it more keenly.

When laboratory mice are fed a high-fat diet, they become more erratic, and show signs of depression, anxiety and obsessive behaviour, say researchers from Harvard Medical School.

The ticks are attracted to Type A blood group people, while the Type B folk seem to have an in-built defence mechanism that repels them.

In a laboratory test, the ticks—known as 'sheep ticks' or Ixodes Ricinus—were naturally drawn to the Type A samples around 36 per cent of the time, and to the Type B samples just 15 per cent of the time. Every blood group was included in the test, which involved a Petri dish and ticks that were placed in the dish for two minutes.

What are they?
Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests ranging from bacteria and fungi to insects, plants and rodents. Sold as sprays, liquids, sticks, powders, balls and foggers, they work by deterring, incapacitating, killing or otherwise discouraging pests.

Where can you find them?
Surveys show that the majority of us maintain a home arsenal against a variety of house and garden pests—from weed killer to flea collars and moth balls—and use an average of three to four products a year.1 Indeed, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that 80 percent of most people's exposure to pesticides occurs indoors, and measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have been found in the air inside homes.2

Besides the many pest control products you probably have under your sink, pesticide residues in food (especially fruit and vegetables), bedding, carpets, furniture and household dust are other possible sources of exposure to these chemicals in the home.

High doses of the supplement—up to 10 times the recommended daily allowance—help the body regain its capacity to process glucose, or blood sugar. Diabetics have become insulin resistant, and, as a result, can't break down glucose properly.

Children with low levels of vitamin D—the 'sunshine' vitamin—are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension) even when they are very young.