Life is Like a Russian Doll

It's something I had thought about for quite a while and was left in awe of when I pondered deep enough. We're all one tiny part of a huge, ever-expanding universe - one we have only discovered a very tiny portion of. A seemingly never-ending Russian doll - each part fitting perfectly in its place…

Lessons from 2017

Happy new year! I think most of us can agree that we have mixed feelings about how 2017 went. Here are some of my biggest life lessons from the past year. I'd love to know yours so feel free to get in touch. I hope 2018 is an awesome and fulfilling year for us all.…

What is Self-Efficacy and Why is it Important?

I recently started watching Once Upon a Time and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I got into it (I mean, it's full of happy endings and who doesn't love those?!) If you're not familiar with the plot, here's a quick summary: Emma Swan has been a lone-wolf her entire life until…

What is The Relationship Between Nutrition and Dementia? (part 1)

This is going to be 3 part series about the nutritional implications of dementia. I'll first be giving a brief introduction to the disease and its pathology, then the following posts in the series will look into dietary habits that induce and prevent the development of it. According to Potocnik’s, (2013), article on Dementia in The…

Olives (Sunnah Food Series #3)

"He causes to grow for you thereby the crops, olives, palm trees, grapevines, and from all the fruits. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who gives thought." [Qur'an 16:11] Abu Asid said: “The Prophet  (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Eat the oil and use it on your hair and skin,…

Date Fruit (Sunnah Food Series #2)

"The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a date-palm... Do not grieve! Your Lord has placed a small stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the palm towards you and fresh, ripe dates will drop down onto you. Eat and drink and delight your eyes…" [Qur'an 19:23-26] Research suggests that eating…

Do sports injuries have a genetic basis?

Tendons and ligaments are specialized fibrous tissues that connect bone to muscle and bone to bone respectively (Tozer and Duprez, 2005). They are made up of fibroblasts that produce large amounts of extracellular matrix, giving rise to dense hypocellular structures. During embryonic development, tendon and cartilage cells originate from mesodermal compartments, whereas details in the…

Sunnah Food Series

This post is an introduction to a short series I will be publishing alongside my usual essays and reviews. Sunnah refers to the practices, traditions and customs of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), all of which have been documented and compiled in a collection of reports known as the Hadith. Islam promotes a clean…