Weekly Health Quiz: Mushrooms, Back Pain and Loneliness

1 Which of the following foods will NOT optimize sulforaphane content and health benefits of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables?

• Mustard seed
• Daikon radishes
• Wasabi
• Grass fed butter

  The sulforaphane in broccoli and other cruciferous veggies is augmented when paired with a myrosinase-containing food such as mustard seed, daikon radishes, wasabi, arugula or coleslaw, with mustard seed being the most potent. Learn more.

2 Which of the following companies bought Monsanto and retired its name but continues to sell its products, including Roundup?

• Bayer AG

  Bayer AG's $66 billion buyout of Monsanto took effect May 29, 2018. Bayer retired the Monsanto name as of June 2018, but continues selling Monsanto's brand name products, including Roundup, which has been linked to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Learn more.

• Syngenta
• BASF
• Dow AgroSciences

3 Recent research has revealed a chemical pathway in your gut lining that plays an important role in inflammatory bowel diseases by preventing excess white blood cells from entering your gut and causing damage. This pathway produces which of the following endogenous chemicals?

• Cholesterol, such as that found in eggs
• Endocannabinoids, similar to those found in marijuana

  Recent research reveals endocannabinoids produced naturally by your body — similar to those found in the marijuana plant — play an important role in controlling inflammatory bowel diseases by preventing excess white blood cells from entering your gut and causing damage. Learn more.

• Opioids, similar to those found in pharmaceutical painkillers
• Ketones, such as those found in MCT oil

4 Feeling lonely has been scientifically linked to which of the following lifestyle-related problems?

• Nature deficiency
• Lack of sun exposure
• Lack of sleep

  Recent research suggests even the emotion of loneliness may be tied to lack of sleep; the more sleep deprived you are, the less social you become, and others pick up on the cue that you want to be left alone. Learn more.

• Social media avoidance

5 The following is essential to cultivate mushrooms in hardwood logs:

• Mushroom spawn

  Mushroom spores, available as plug spawn and sawdust spawn, is required, as this is what grows into mushrooms once plugged into your hardwood logs. Oak or maple logs are preferable. An inoculation tool is optional, if you're using sawdust spawn. Learn more.

• Cow dung
• Pine or spruce logs
• Inoculation tool

6 Which of the following has been found to play a significant role in back pain?

• Tight fascia (connective tissue), often due to lack of physical movement

  Fascia may play a significant role in pain, especially back pain. The reason for this is because the fascia is one interconnected system, and when it loses its suppleness, pain can transfer from one region to another. Learn more.

• Tight muscles in the neck or shoulders
• Excessive exercise, especially extensive walking
• Standing more than three hours a day

7 Which of the following wavelengths of light has the most profound healing effects on your body?

• Gamma rays
• Far-infrared
• Mid-infrared
• Near-infrared

  Near-infrared light stimulates your mitochondria to release nitric oxide and boost ATP production which, together, promote healing effects such as DNA repair and cellular regeneration. Learn more.