Gastrointestinal infections and other gut problems can become a chronic, long-term problem as we lose the ability to naturally regenerate intestinal stem cells, the source of all new cells in the gut.

The injury to the brain caused by a stroke can lead to problems with talking, seeing, thinking, remembering, moving, eating, swallowing and more. It's no wonder stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults worldwide.¹

But there are a number of complementary and alternative therapies showing promise for limiting and even reversing some of the damage—especially if used in the early stages following a stroke.

Eating one egg a day lowers the risk of developing the lifestyle disease, as it's known, and now researchers have discovered why they have their protective effects.

Just seeing eggs as being high in cholesterol is simplistic; instead, they contain many bio-active compounds that are good for us, say researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

The drugs interfere with 'first-line' immune cells—known as neutrophils—and they also weaken the intestinal barrier which stops invading bugs. As a result, we're much more susceptible to 'severe infection', said Koji Watanabe from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

It reduces arterial stiffness by around 42 per cent, a dramatic improvement that lowers the risk of heart disease by around 13 per cent, say researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Sweeteners such as sucralose seem to affect the way the body handles sugar, or glucose, in the blood. They also appear to raise glucose levels after a meal, which means the body must produce more insulin to break it down, and that's the start of a cycle that can lead to type 2 diabetes, say researchers from the Adelaide Medical School.

People taking aspirin were just as likely to suffer their first heart attack or stroke as others with a similar risk profile who were not on the medication. But the drug did increase the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding, researchers discovered.

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 greatest risk is when several different types of the drugs, known as antihypertensives, are taken in combination, and, in particular, the drugs that regulate the hormone, renin, which affects blood pressure levels.

People who are taking an ACE inhibitor or an ARB drug for heart problems should stay at home and not meet up with people, say researchers from Louisiana State University.

Dr Malcolm Kendrick, a UK GP, estimates that people taking one of the drugs are four times more likely to die from the virus.

Calcium-channel blockers are antihypertensives—they keep high blood pressure under control—that also raise the risk of diverticulosis, a bowel problem that causes small bulges or pouches in the intestine. Left untreated, it can lead to diverticulitis, when the pouches become inflamed.

But it's still to be established whether arginine supplements could help reverse depression, say researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

Six or more cups a day increase your risk of heart disease by 22 per cent, researchers reckon. This seems to be the tipping point for coffee drinking, after which your blood pressure will rise. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one cause of cardiovascular disease, still the world's major killer.

Fluoroquinolones, which include Cipro, can cause aortic and mitral regurgitation, where the blood backflows into the heart. The risk is greatest in the first 30 days of taking the drug.

The dark chocolate and olive oil combined are especially good for heart health, while drinking coffee seems to be associated with longevity, and people who drink at least four cups a day are 64 per cent less likely to have a premature death.

Laxatives increase the risk five-fold and diet pills by 80 percent—and researchers are now calling for restrictions on their availability, especially to minors.

The pills are easy to get hold of, either as over-the-counter remedies in pharmacies or online. Instagram recently blocked minors from seeing advertisements for 'detox' teas and diet pills.

In fact, elderly rare meat eaters could become seriously deficient in essential nutrients as their body cannot absorb and process the goodness from the food, say researchers at the University of Clermont Auvergne in France.

It's easier to follow than adopting a healthier diet or exercising, say researchers from the Salk Institute.