Glossary

An overview of key terms used across the website and blog.

 

Accountability

Accountability is about taking responsibility and then acting in accordance with a predetermined agreement. For example, if you say you will go running, a health coach might ask you how you want to be held accountable to that goal. You might say that after each run you will post a picture of yourself to social media and tag your health coach. The action of posting the picture holds you accountable to the goal — running.

Aerobic fitness

The maximal capacity of the cardiorespiratory system to take up and use oxygen

Adiposity 

Adiposity refers to body fat. Adipocytes and adipose tissue store body lipids, including triglycerides and free cholesterol.

Agricultural Revolution

The agricultural revolution is the name given to a number of cultural transformations that initially allowed humans to change from a hunting and gathering subsistence to one of agriculture and animal domestications.

Alzheimer's Disease

A neurodegenerative disease resulting in progressive mental deterioration which is caused by the generalised degeneration of the brain.

Angina

A condition marked by severe pain in the chest, often also spreading to the shoulders, arms, and neck, owing to an inadequate blood supply to the heart. This is due to a build-up of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. People with angina are typically fine at rest but will experience symptoms when they begin to exert themselves.

Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis refers to the development of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a broad umbrella term used to categorise several anxiety disorders including generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. These disorders are characterised by feelings of apprehension about real or perceived events. There are both psychological and physical manifestations of anxiety. Physical manifestations include an increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension.

Allied health professionals 

Allied health professionals are qualified health practitioners with specialised expertise in preventing, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions and illnesses. Their practice is governed by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HIPCA Act). Examples of allied health professionals include chiropractic, psychology, dietetics, paramedicine and pharmacy. 

Althersclerosis

The buildup of cholesterol plaque in the walls of arteries, causing obstruction of blood flow to the heart. Plaques may rupture, causing acute occlusion (blockage) of the artery by clot (known as a thrombus). Atherosclerosis often has no symptoms until a plaque ruptures or the build-up is severe enough to block blood flow.

Anthropometry

The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body. Anthropometric measurements include height, weight, head circumference, body mass index (BMI), skin fold thickness and body circumferences of waist, hip, and limbs (girth) to assess for adiposity (body fat). How clothing fits can be a measure of body shape but sizing varies between brands and countries of origin.

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death. Cells usually grow and differentiate and then, after a pre-programmed period of time, die. For example, red blood cells are replaced every few months.

Benign

Benign tumours are those that stay in their primary location without invading other sites of the body. They do not spread to local structures or to distant parts of the body. Benign tumours tend to grow slowly and have distinct borders. Benign tumours are not usually problematic.

Beta cells

Beta cells are cells in the pancreas responsible for producing insulin, a hormone that controls blood glucose levels.

Biochemistry

Biochemistry (also referred to as biological chemistry) plays a vital role medicine for health, nutrition and understanding metabolism. It studies chemical aspects of biological processes in the human body such as digestion, respiration, reproduction, excretion, behaviour of hormones, and muscle contractions or relaxation. Clinical biochemistry measures biochemical compounds in bodily fluids and is crucial for diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases.

Buffers

Buffers are the things that will make a situation better. When you, or your client, is once more struck down with a case of 'life-sucks disease' and you reach for things that will have sustained benefits rather than temporary relief. 

Burden of disease

Burden of disease is the impact of a health problem (e.g. cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity) as measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity, or other indicators. It is often quantified in terms of quality-adjusted life years or disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease refers to a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. This includes high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body.

Communicable diseases

Communicable diseases, also known as infectious diseases or transmissible diseases, are illnesses that result from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic (capable of causing disease) biologic agents in an individual human or other animal host. Examples of communicable diseases include influenza, HIV, hepatitis A, B and C, measles, salmonella, measles, and blood-borne illnesses. 

Comorbidities

In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring (that is, concomitant or concurrent) with a primary condition. Comorbidity describes the effect of all other conditions an individual patient might have other than the primary condition of interest, and can be physiological or psychological.

Curiosity

Curiosity is a playful state of being, a state where we are full of wonder. It is that childlike state of fun and adventure that leads you on the road to exciting new discoveries. Curiosity leads to enhanced awareness of self and circumstances because you are unencumbered by fear of judgement or failure.

Exercise

Repetitive and planned physical activity with the goal of maintaining or improving physical fitness.

Dementia 

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities.

Depression

Depression and major depressive disorder exist along a continuum. These psychological pathologies are more than being sad or feeling a little blue. Depression is classified as persistent feelings of low mood. There are specific criteria for diagnosis in adolescents and adults. Common symptoms include low self-esteem, lack of interest in usually enjoyed activities, low energy and pain without clear cause.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter (messenger) or hormone that is crucial for the normal function of the nervous system. It is known as the ‘feel good’ or reward hormone and is associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, and motor system function. It is a modulatory neurotransmitter that is implicated in addiction because of its action on the reward mechanisms in the brain. A reduction in dopamine is associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Flourishing

Flourishing is "when people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning and positive social functioning, most of the time. It is a descriptor and measure of positive mental health and overall life well-being, and includes multiple components and concepts, such as cultivating strengths, subjective wellbeing, "growth, and resilience." Flourishing is the opposite of both pathology and languishing, which are described as living a life that feels hollow and empty. It is a central concept in positive psychology, developed by Corey Keyes and Barbara Fredrickson.

Flow

In Csikszentmihalyi’s popular book, the flow state encompasses the meaningful instances in life that make it worth living: “You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though it is difficult. You forget yourself. You feel part of something larger.”

GABA

The acronym for gamma-amino butyric acid is an antagonist neurotransmitter (messenger) in the nervous system, responsible for inhibiting nervous activity.

Glucose

When we eat carbohydrates they are broken down into glucose which circulates throughout the body the blood. Glucose is then stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.

Glutamate

The most prevalent neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain. It is an agonist (an excitatory neurotransmitter) responsible for stimulating nervous activity. A balance of GABA and glutamate is crucial for brain health, according to the glutamate hypothesis of brain health.

Glycation 

Glycation is a spontaneous nonenzymatic reaction of free reducing sugars with free amino groups of proteins, DNA, and lipids.

Glymphatic System

The waste clearance system responsible for efficiently clearing soluble proteins and metabolites from the nervous system. HEALTHSPAN While a single definition for healthspan does not exist, it is agreed that it is the period of life spent in good health, free from the chronic diseases and disabilities of aging. In other words, lifespan in the number of healthy years lived where an individual is free of morbidity.

HBA1C

The term HbA1c refers to glycated haemoglobin. It develops when haemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body, joins with glucose in the blood, becoming ‘glycated’. HbA1c is an average reading of how much glucose is stuck to red blood cells. It is usually measured every 6-12 weeks as this is how often red blood cells regenerate.

HDL Cholestorol

HDL (or high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is commonly known as 'good cholesterol'. High density lipoproteins absorb cholesterol and carry it back to the liver where it can then be removed from the body. Research illustrates that high levels of HDL cholesterol is associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke while low levels are associated with an increased risk. You can elevate your HDL cholesterol levels by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, avoiding cigarettes, and limiting alcohol consumption.

Health Coach

A PREKURE health coach is someone who utilises current health science and transformative coaching methodology to gain better health outcomes for their clients. The PREKURE health coach is skilled in the art of marrying science and practice to support the client to achieve their goals. As a collective, we are a like-minded community of passionate preventative health pioneers. 

Hyperinsulinemia 

This refers to high levels of insulin in the blood and is both anabolic (encourages growth) and inflammatory. Hyperinsulinemia is often associated with type 2 diabetes.

Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia is when blood glucose levels are higher than normal.

Hypertension

Blood pressure is measured as systolic and diastolic, these are the two readings. A blood pressure reading between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg could mean you're at risk of developing high blood pressure and you should probably start incorporating lifestyle modification to manage your blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher.

Hypotension

Hypotension, also known as low blood pressure, is a blood pressure under 90/60mmHg. People with hypotension may experience dizziness and fainting.

Hyperglycemia

 Hyperglycemia is when blood glucose levels are lower than normal. IKIGAI Ikigai (ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning 'alive' or 'life', and gai, meaning 'benefit' or 'worth'. When combined, these terms mean that which gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose. 

Insulin

This is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It is responsible for regulating the amount of glucose (or sugar) that is in the blood through a negative feedback loop. It controls glucose uptake into muscles, liver and other body tissues. When blood glucose rises the pancreas secretes insulin which then triggers cells (through a lock and key type mechanism) to store the extra sugar in the muscles and liver as glycogen or in adipocytes as fat. 

Insulin resistance 

Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily take up glucose from your blood. This is the result of continuously high blood glucose levels. As a result, your pancreas will continue to produce more insulin to try and get your cells to take up the glucose.

Ischemia

A condition in which the blood flow (and thus oxygen) is restricted or reduced in a part of the body. You will often hear this in conjunction with the heart or brain.

Lifespan

Lifespan refers to the number of years between birth and death, or the total number of years lived. Statistically this is calculated as life expectancy. Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, its current age, and other demographic factors like sex. 

Low-density lipoprotein

Low-density lipoprotein is one of the five major groups of lipoprotein which transport all fat molecules around the body in the extracellular water. LDL cholesterol is sometimes referred to as the ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Magnifiers 

Magnifiers are the things that make a situation worse. When you, or your client, is struck down with a case of 'life-sucks disease' and you reach for things that might provide some form of temporary relief when you know this will actually make matters worse.

Metastatic 

This refers to the spread of cancer around the body from the location it originally developed. When cancer spreads around the body it is described as being metastatic. In metastasis, cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumour, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form a new tumour in other organs or tissues of the body.

Metformin

Metformin is a medication prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes. It decreases the amount of sugar absorbed from food and the amount of sugar made by the liver. It also increases the body's response to insulin.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases. They tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors (this includes physical activity, nutrition, environmental exposures, stress, and sleep). The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and metabolic diseases like diabetes.

Prediabetes

This is where blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Typically this is diagnosed when HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) is beyond 40mmol/L.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter (or chemical messenger) also known as 5- hydroxytryptamine. It is often referred to as the 'feel good hormone' and its functions include modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, and memory, as well as several physiological processes. Serotonin is also responsible for your sleep and wake cycles and controlling your sexual desire. It is what is referred to as a modulatory neurotransmitter.

Scope of Practice 

Scope of practice describes the procedures, actions, and processes that a healthcare practitioner is permitted to undertake in keeping with the terms of their professional license. The scope of practice exists to keep you and your clients safe throughout the coaching process.

Social Determinants of Health 

Social determinants of health refer to the social and economic conditions that influence both individual and group differences in health status. This includes where we are born, grow up, live, learn, work and age (ie the physical environment) as well as external factors beyond our control like the economic and development policies, geographic and climatic environments, social norms, social policies, political systems and cultural norms. These all affect individual and group access and use of health systems and health equity.

SGLT2 Inhibitors

These are a class of medication prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes. SGLT2 inhibitors work by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose back into the blood. This allows the kidneys to lower blood glucose levels and the excess glucose in the blood is removed from the body via urine.

Thrombus

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in a vessel and remains there. An embolism is a clot that travels from the site where it formed to another location in the body. Thrombi or emboli can lodge in a blood vessel and block the flow of blood in that location, depriving tissues of normal blood flow and oxygen. 

Top-down control

Refers to an individual’s ability to selectively process information in the environment. Top-down control relies on an observer’s expectancies about events in the environment, knowledge of and experience with similar environments, and the ability to develop and maintain an attentional set for particular kinds of environmental events

Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)

A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or 'mini stroke' is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. The disruption in blood supply results in a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Transtheoretical Change Model (TTM)

Also known as the TTM or Change Model this theory of behaviour change suggests that individuals move through five key stages (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) which can at any point be disrupted by a relapse, when they are trying to change a health related behaviour.

Triglycerides 

Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid). They are made of one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids, hence the name triglyceride. They are the most common type of fat in your body.

Type 1 Diabetes

Is a condition where the beta cells in the pancreas are damaged (usually due to an autoimmune response) and are unable to make insulin. As a result the body is unable to regulate blood glucose levels. The onset of type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and teens. 

Type 2 Diabetes

Is a condition where the body no longer responds to insulin. As a result the body is unable to regulate blood glucose levels. The onset of type 2 diabetes is usually in adulthood; however, recent data illustrates that onset age is trending downward and prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in children and teens.

Ultra-processed Food

These are hyper-palatable food formulations that have little or no intact foods in them. They make up 80% of the foods available in most supermarkets and provide little nutritional value.

Visceral Adiposity

If you are a woman and your waist measurement is greater than 90cm or a man and your waist measurement is more than 100cm you are at increased risk of Metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Warburg Effect

The Warburg Effect is defined as an increase in the rate of glucose uptake and preferential production of lactate, even in the presence of oxygen. This is common in cancer cells. Rather than producing 36 ATP per glucose molecule they only produce 4 and do this via a pathway that is inflammatory, known as oxidative phosphorylation. This means cancer cells burn through energy and create an inflammatory environment.