New School Glossary

Cell Salts

Cell salts, also known as tissue salts or biochemical salts, were developed by the German physician Dr Wilhelm Schüßler in the 19th century. They are prepared from naturally occurring mineral compounds and are used in highly diluted doses to support the body's ability to utilise and regulate minerals. The twelve original cell salts include familiar minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, and silica, each traditionally associated with different tissues and functions within the body.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Distorted Thinking

Have you ever convinced yourself that someone is angry with you because they replied with ‘K’ in a text message? Or assumed that because you ate one biscuit, the entire healthy eating plan is now ruined, and you may as well eat the whole packet? Welcome to the world of distorted thinking. Also known as cognitive distortions, these are habitual patterns of thinking that can skew how we interpret ourselves, other people, and the world around us. They are incredibly common and part of being human.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Drama Triangle

The Drama Triangle sounds like something you might find in a soap opera, reality TV show, or the family WhatsApp group! In reality, it is a psychological model developed by Stephen Karpman that describes three common roles people can unconsciously move between during conflict, stress, and relationships. The three roles are the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor. The important thing to understand is that these are not identities. They are roles that most of us step into from time to time. This is about awareness, no judgement and no gold stars for avoiding them.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Functional Test

If you have ever been told, ‘your blood tests are normal’, not ‘normal’ or not yourself, then you have already discovered one of the reasons functional testing has become so popular. Functional tests are designed to provide additional information about how the body is functioning. They may explore areas such as hormones, digestion, nutrient status, fatty acids, the microbiome, genetics, metabolism, or stress physiology. Think of them as gathering more pieces of the health puzzle, ideally before a dis-ease ‘shows up’.  Sadly, most people turn to functional tests, once they have a dis-ease. 

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

H. Pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that has lived alongside humans for thousands of years. In fact, many people carry it without ever knowing it is there. Like many microbes, it is not always a villain. Sometimes it is simply part of the ecosystem. It is just that when it decide sto get a tad ‘loud’ that it becomes an issue.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

HPA axis

The HPA Axis stands for the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Sounds complicated, but it is essentially one of the body's main communication systems for responding to stress. It is like your body’s internal stress-response network, linking the brain and adrenal glands in a constant conversation about what is happening in your environment. Whether you are running late for work, worrying about finances, doom-scrolling at midnight, or genuinely facing danger, the HPA Axis helps coordinate the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to help you adapt and survive.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Menopause

Menopause is often described as the point at which a woman has gone twelve consecutive months without a menstrual period. Whilst technically correct, it does not provide the bigger ‘picture’. Menopause is a transition, more than an event. For many women, the journey begins years earlier during perimenopause, when hormones start to fluctuate and symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep disturbances, anxiety, brain fog, mood changes, joint pain, weight gain, and irregular periods may begin to appear. It can feel as though the body has decided to ‘pack up and go home’.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Metabolism

Metabolism is not a calorie-burning furnace that sits somewhere near your belly button, deciding whether you can fit into last year's jeans. Metabolism is the set of chemical processes taking place inside your body every second of every day, keeping you alive.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Methylation

Methylation is one of the body's most important ‘behind-the-scenes’ processes. Happening millions of times every second, it helps regulate everything from energy production and hormone balance to detoxification, neurotransmitters, DNA repair, and how we respond to stress. Yes, it is literally involves in every reaction in your body. At its heart, methylation is the process of transferring tiny chemical tags, called methyl groups (one carbon with 3 hydrogens if you like a bit of chemistry), from one molecule to another. To do this efficiently, the body relies on nutrients such as folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, zinc, choline, methionine and more. Together, these nutrients help produce a molecule called SAMe, which acts as one of the body's main methyl donors.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Microbiome

When you hear the word microbiome, you probably think of the gut. Fair enough, it gets most of the attention. But what if we told you that microbes are not just hanging out 'down under'? They are everywhere. There is the oral microbiome living in your mouth, the skin microbiome covering every inch of your body, the urogenital microbiome, the lung microbiome, and, of course, the celebrity of the microbial world, the gut microbiome. These tiny organisms are not unwanted guests infact, truth be known, we are their guests. They are part of you, which helps keep you alive.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 29 May 2026

Migraine

A migraine is a neurological condition characterised by recurrent attacks of moderate-to-severe headache, often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, and smells, as well as visual disturbances known as aura. Whilst many people think of migraines as simply a bad headache, they are actually considered a disorder of the nervous system. There are several different types of migraine, including migraine with aura, migraine without aura, vestibular migraine (where dizziness and balance problems dominate), ocular migraine, menstrual migraine, and chronic migraine.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026

Protein

Protein is one of the three main macronutrients, alongside fats and carbohydrates, yet for many years it was often the forgotten member of the trio. More recently, protein has become something of a celebrity in the nutrition world, appearing in everything from snack bars and cereals to coffee and desserts. Whilst the marketing can sometimes get a little carried away, the truth is that protein is essential for human health. Every cell in the body relies on it. Protein helps build and repair tissues, supports immune function, forms enzymes and hormones, transports nutrients, and helps maintain muscle mass, particularly as we age.

Dr Khush Mark PhD 18 Jun 2026