Alphabetical Index

How the body absorbs, uses and stores glucose while hormones help regulate blood glucose.

The blood supply that brings oxygen and fuel to the brain. Protecting your blood vessels matters; sudden neurological symptoms are an emergency.

Brain fog is the feeling that thinking, focusing or remembering takes extra effort. What helps depends on the cause; small changes can make the day manageable.

Brain health covers thinking, moving, feeling and daily function. Sleep, physical activity and vascular care can all play a part.

A flavouring spice; specific Ceylon bark products have traditional uses for mild cramps, bloating and diarrhoea.

Cognitive functions help you pay attention, learn, remember, speak and plan. Sleep and health can affect how well those skills work.

An edible plant whose root has traditional uses for mild digestive and urinary complaints.

The movement, breakdown and absorption of food and removal of leftovers.

Eggs provide protein and nutrients including vitamin B12; their place depends on the whole diet.

Low energy or exhaustion that can have many different causes.

A pungent rhizome used in cooking; particular ginger preparations have been studied for nausea and period pain.

Pungent ginger compounds; 6-gingerol has been studied alongside usual medicines during chemotherapy.

Headache is pain in or around the head. Water, regular meals and suitable pain relief may help ordinary symptoms; some warning signs require emergency care.

Red roselle calyces make a tart drink; studies suggest a possible reduction in systolic blood pressure.

A protective response to injury or disease; what helps depends on its cause.

Iron helps blood deliver oxygen; both animal and plant foods can supply it.

Iron deficiency means depleted stores; anaemia may follow. The cause matters as much as replacement.

Magnesium helps muscles move, nerves pass signals and the body use energy from food.

Magnesium deficiency means too little magnesium is available to the body; cramps alone do not prove it.

Memory helps you take things in and recall them later. Occasionally forgetting differs from increasing difficulty with daily tasks.

A cramp is a sudden painful muscle tightening; gentle stretching can ease it immediately.

Muscles help you get up, walk, carry things and keep balance; regular strength work helps maintain these abilities.

The unpleasant sensation that you may vomit; a symptom with many possible causes.

Nettle is eaten as a cooked vegetable and used for joint and urinary complaints; leaf, root, herb and fresh stinging are distinct uses.

Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting enough sleep. What helps depends on the pattern; chronic insomnia has a specific treatment.

Pumpkin seeds provide magnesium and fats; some seed preparations have a traditional use for relief of urinary symptoms.

Salmon is a fish supplying protein and marine fats in meals; species and preparation affect what you get.

Sleep quality is how well you sleep and recover, not just how many hours you spend in bed. Regularity, waking and daytime alertness matter too.

Spinach is a leafy vegetable for varied meals, supplying magnesium and plant-based iron among other nutrients.

Leaf used as tea for minor urinary complaints and mild diarrhoea in traditional medicine; it is not the strawberry fruit.

Stress is your mind and body's response to pressure. Reducing a manageable burden, asking for support and relaxation may help.

A condition in which the body responds less well to insulin or eventually makes too little, leaving blood glucose too high.

Vitamin B12 makes red blood cells and supports nerves; vegans need a reliable source and supplement.

Vitamin D helps maintain bones and normal muscle function; some groups need a daily supplement.

Low vitamin D can weaken bones and muscles; bone pain or walking difficulty calls for assessment.

Zinc helps growth, tissue repair and normal immunity; more is not always better.