What We SHOULD Eat
1. Nutrient-Dense Leafy Greens - daily, unlimited amounts! The more the better! One or two types at any time. Explore the many kinds. Try kale, mustard greens, collards, dandelion greens, arugula, beet greens, parsley, cilantro, spinach, swiss chard, endive, green and red lettuce, turnip greens, lamb’s lettuce, watercress, fresh herbs, etc…...
Asthma
Asthma is a disease in which inflammation of the airways restricts airflow in and out of the lungs. The word asthma comes from the Greek word for "panting." The panting and wheezing sound characteristic of asthma occur because of the restricted flow of air. Normally, when you breathe in an irritant or are subjected to a stressor such as exercise, your airways relax and open, allowing...
Blood Interpretation
Cholesterol Cholesterol values should only be analyzed after a 12 hour fast. Further, the physician must be aware that the patient's posture prior to the blood draw is significant. If the patient has been in a recumbent posture for more than 20 minutes, cholesterol values may be up to 15% lower than normal. Cholesterol is a blood fat which is the prime building block component to make...
Garlic Health: Is Garlic a Villain or Benefactor?
Many of my patients and audience members at lectures have asked me the above-titled question using different verbiages on different occasions. Why ask about garlic, the food we love to spice our meals with so often, despite the attendant aroma?
The Occasional Junk Food - Helping your Friends to Heal
I frequently encounter the question: "Junk food - how bad can it be if it's "only a rare occurrence"?" Previously, I've touched on this subject; today we will complete this discussion. The past article began as follows:
What is Eco-Raw Living? How is it "beyond raw food diet"?
EcoRaw Living is not only a natural way to satisfy our taste buds and nutrient needs without compromising the principles of ecology, sustainability, and nutritional health. It is a complete approach to life, involving every aspect of cellular nutrition and health that is known to science: Unlike other lifestyle approaches, including many raw food paths that often sadly focus on...
Cardiovascular Disease
Definitions of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Total cholesterol Cholesterol is a waxy fat like substance. Total cholesterol refers to the sum of the different sub-fractions of cholesterol that are measured in the blood. Total cholesterol is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program says 240 is considered high. A person with this level...
Depression
Depression is a major problem in the United States. Nearly 15 million Americans will suffer true clinical depression each year. Depression is also a big business for drug companies, especially for the maker of Prozac-Eli Lilly and Company. The good news is that there are natural measures to deal with depression that are both safer and more effective.
Ear Dysfunction - Meniere's Syndrome / Tinnitus
The disease was first diagnosed in 1861 by Prosper Meniere. Meniere's syndrome is an illness that afflicts more than seven million Americans, according to the Journal of American Medical Association (July 25, 1990). It is generally believed to be caused by a buildup of fluid in the inner ear. The resulting pressure can manifest the following list of symptoms: ringing or buzzing in the ears...
Female Conditions
Amenorrhea Absence of menstruation. Amenorrhea may be primary (the girl has never begun her periods) or secondary (the woman had her periods once and then stopped having them). Physiologic amenorrhea is the lack of menses before menarche, during pregnancy and early lactation, and after menopause (all considered normal). All other causes of amenorrhea are pathologic. Causes of Primary...
Fertility / Sexual Dysfunction - Male and Female
10-15% of couples experience the inability to conceive, and the percentage is growing. Men account for 40% of failures to conceive. Of the women who are responsible, failure to ovulate accounts for 30% of infertility problems; pelvic factors (such as tubal disease and endometriosis) account for 50%; cervical pathology is responsible 10% of the time; and in 10-20% of the women no reason is...
Fracture
Any break in a bone. There are many types of fractures:
Headache: Nonvascular
Headache without vascular cause. The most commonly diagnosed condition in the United States with 70% of these caused by muscle tension. Causes include suboccipital muscle spasms from injury (whiplash), postural strain (caused, for example, by a computer screen angled incorrectly), pillow too large that forces flexion of the neck during rest. Usually gradual onset, but tends to persist in cyclical...
Kidney Stones
Urinary calculi occurring in any part of the urinary tract are abnormal concretions usually composed of mineral salts such as mixtures of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and magnesium ammonium phosphate. They vary in size from microscopic to several centimeters in diameter. About 80% of all urinary stones contain calcium. The majority of these are composed of calcium oxalate. Contrary to...
Multiple Sclerosis
Nearly 350,000 Americans are affected by one of medicine's most misunderstood diseases, multiple sclerosis. Although there is no known cure, alternative medicine has recognized a number of contributing factors. Often, the early detection and identification of underlying causes combined with strict dietary and life-style guidelines can stabilize or reverse the symptoms.
Myofibrositis
Scar-type tissue causing restriction of tissue motion. Traumatic tearing of soft tissues or long standing muscle spasms cause production of thixotropic gel which organizes itself into collagen scar tissue. This is the body's attempt to stabilize what is perceived as injury. Three problems result from this scar formation:
Osteoporosis
A decreased density of bone compared to normal bone mass of age and sex matched controls. It is the most prevalent bone disease in the world. There are many factors that can contribute to osteoporosis, the most common is postmenopausal, estrogen deficient osteoporosis. More than one-half of women in the United States who are 50 years of age or older will have documented osteoporosis,...
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
What is polymyalgia rheumatica? Polymyalgia rheumatica (pronounced pah-lee-my-al-jah room-at-i-ca) is a type of arthritis that affects the muscles. It does not affect the bones, or the joints, which are the spots where two bones come together. It causes muscles to become stiff, tender and very sore. This is called inflammation. Even though the muscles are sore they do not become weak.
Sinusitis / Hayfever / Allergic Rhinitis
An inflammation or infection in the paranasal sinuses. The most common inciting agent of sinusitis is a viral upper respiratory infection, although bacteria, fungi, and allergic reactions may also be responsible. Any factor that creates edema of the nasal tissues resulting in obstruction and the lack of proper drainage of the area will often lead to sinus infection. As the obstruction continues,...
Sprain / Strain
Sprain: Wrenching or twisting of a joint with partial rupture of its attaching ligaments. Strain: Over-stretching a muscle. Invariably, both conditions are trauma-induced. Of the two, the sprain is the more serious. There are three classifications of a sprain: Grade 1: Mild/minimal sprain with no ligamentous tear. There may be pain, swelling and tenderness....
Tendinitis
Inflammation of the tendon and the lining of the tendon sheath. The sheath is typically the focus of the involvement, but the body's inflammatory response usually involves the tendon, too. The etiology is unknown, although repetitive or forceful trauma, exercise or strain, systemic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, gout, Reiter's syndrome) and hypercholesterolemia are implicated.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland, at the front of your neck, doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone or when your body fails to use thyroid hormone efficiently. There are several types of hypothyroidism. The most common is Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the thyroid gland. The disease affects both sexes and all ages, but is most...