Acidosis
A state in the body where there is an actual or relative increase in acid in proportion to alkali or a decrease in alkali. Cellular function is impaired when acidosis exists.

Angstrom
A unit of length equal to one ten-billionth of a meter.

Animal Fat
Animal fats are fats or lipids that are of animal origin.

Apoptosis
Cell death by fragmentation into particles which are taken up by other cells.

Arachidonic Acid
Arachidonic acid is unsaturated fatty acid that is a precursor to inflammatory molecules such as prostaglandins.

Bone Density
Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. This measurement is generally regarded as a measure of bone soundness, and if low a person is said to have osteoporosis.

Cellular
Relating to, composed of, or derived from cells.

Cholesterol Synthesis Pathway
The chemical pathway and steps taken to synthesize cholesterol in the body.

Connexin Dysfunction
Connexin dysfunction is abnormal function of the connexin molecules.

Diet
Diet is defined in the context of this book as the foods and nutrients one consumes.

Down-Regulated
To down-regulate is to reduce the amount of protein produced or reduced its function. For example, connexin down-regulation is the reduction of connexin molecule production, membrane insertion or functionality.

Eight Diseases of Modern Man
The Eight Diseases of Modern Man are: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, hypothyroidism (obesity) and eye disease (cataracts).

Feed-Forward
A feed-forward system is such that one step enhances another in a positive direction.

Fitness
The condition of being suitable or qualified.

Fitness-related Health Performance
Fitness-related health performance is performance that is related to an organism's physical and mental fitness.

Functional Connexin
A connexin molecule that is able to perform its function of cellular communication both molecularly and electrically.

Gap Junction
A word synonymous with connexin which refers to the same protein.

Gating Properties
The properties that regulate the connexin pore size and the molecules that can pass through it.

Gene Expression
The process by which a gene's coded information is converted into the molecules present in the cell. For example, a connexin gene is expressed when its code is transcribed into mRNA and then translated into a protein.

Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a measure of how much your blood sugar increases after eating a carbohydrate food.

Glycemic Load
The glycemic load is equal to the glycemic index of a food times the number of grams of carbohydrate in the food being eaten.

Healing Rate
The rate or speed at which a tissue heals.

Health
Health is a state of being that entails full connectivity of cells and resultant absence of disease and illness.

Health Transformation
The current state of our nation and world in which we are becoming a global society immersed in illness.

Hippocrates
Greek physician. Considered to be the father of medicine. 460 - 377 B.C.

Hypothyroidism
Diminished production of thyroid hormone or diminished responsiveness to thyroid hormone. May result in weight gain, fatigue, depression, decreased libido, and high cholesterol.

mRNA
This stands for messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid) the gene transcript that codes for the protein sequence of amino acids that make up a protein molecule.

Mental Performance
The ability to perform mental tasks over time.

Metabolic Acidosis
A state of decreased pH and bicarbonate content in bodily fluids that can be caused by excess consumption of acid generating foods and insufficient intake of bicarbonate of alkalinizing foods.

Molecule
Two or more atoms (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, etc.) joined by a chemical bond.

Molecular Fitness
Enhanced function of the connexin molecule or molecular systems involved in connexin function.

Muscle Mass
Physical amount of muscle that is present.

Performance
The efficiency of a system while performing tasks. The operational and support characteristics of a system that allow it to effectively and efficiently perform a given mission over time.

Physical Performance
The ability to perform physical tasks over time.

Plato
Greek philosopher, 428 - 348 B.C.

PRAL
Potential renal acid load.

Rabbit Starvation
This is a condition that the early American settlers encountered when they ate an inadequate diet that was unbalanced and contained an excess of protein leading to illness and death.

Species
A species is a group of related organisms that share a distinctive form and are capable or interbreeding.

Up-regulated
Up-regulation is an actual or functional increase of protein molecule. For example, connexin up-regulation is an increase of connexin molecule synthesis or function.

Wellness
Wellness is a dimension of health that is beyond the absence of disease, which includes superlative social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health.