Archive for February, 2010
Breast and Prostate Cancer News
February 26, 2010 Written by JPWhile preparing today’s column I did a search on the phrase, “differences between men and women”. Any guess on how many hits this query turned up? 10,000? 100,000? 1,000,000? Try 17,700,000! One of the sites I stumbled upon contained a quote by the comedian Bill Cosby. He summed up the general sentiment conveyed by noteworthy figures throughout the ages: “Men and women belong to different species, and communication between them is a science still in its infancy”. I’m sure many of you nodded your head while reading that and with good reason. The tales my wife could tell! However, I believe our similarities far outnumber our differences. The same holds true if one were to examine the inner workings of the female and male body. Read more »
Tags: Breast Cancer, Exercise, Prostate
Posted in Food and Drink, Men's Health, Women's Health | 10 Comments & Updates
Crime and Nutrition
February 25, 2010 Written by JPAt the moment there is a budget crisis in my home state of California. As a consequence, local politicians are scrambling to find the least objectionable ways to make ends meet without endangering future bids for re-election. I have a suggestion for any elected official who’s genuinely interested in cutting costs and improving the quality of life of their constituents: Start by changing your diet and lifestyle and then help others to do the same. Read more »
Tags: Fish Oil, Minerals, Vitamins
Posted in Food and Drink, Mental Health, Nutrition | 17 Comments & Updates
Saturated Fat, Multivitamins and Carob
February 24, 2010 Written by JPI’m always on the lookout for signs that things can change for the better. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of only seeing the faults that are inherent in a world run by infinitely fallible human beings. But where does that get us? Instead of simply getting angry or frustrated at the current tide, we can all look for evidence of even the smallest victories and try to build upon them.
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Tags: Cholesterol, Heart Health, Vitamins
Posted in Heart Health, Nutrition, Women's Health | 19 Comments & Updates
Asparagus Cancer Cure
February 23, 2010 Written by JPThe Internet is my medium of choice. It’s the primary tool I use to reach the very people I hope to affect in a positive way. However, this same platform is also being used by others in ways that can be hurtful. Sometimes the root of the damage stems from greed. I’m sure you’ve seen online advertisements for products that claim to effortlessly reverse Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and even extend your lifespan. Fortunately, many people recognize that those sales pitches are hyperbolic at best and downright unbelievable at worst. But what happens when you receive an email from a family member or friend that contains health related information that claims a miraculous medical cure? The person who sent the information obviously cares about you and isn’t asking for any financial compensation. In short, the advice given in such emails is coming “from the heart”. What could possibly be wrong with that? Read more »
Tags: Antioxidants, Cancer, Liver
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Detoxification, Food and Drink | 25 Comments & Updates
Magnesium Supplements
February 22, 2010 Written by JPOne of the most frequent questions I’m asked has do with which supplements are the most essential. Many people who inquire are already taking a multivitamin. It’s not always the best multivitamin, but at least it provides the basic nutrients that are often lacking in the modern diet. However, there are certain minerals that are never provided in adequate amounts in a standard one-a-day supplement. They’re simply too bulky to be contained in a single capsule or even a large tablet. Read more »
Tags: asthma, Magnesium, Pregnancy
Posted in Bone and Joint Health, Mental Health, Women's Health | 30 Comments & Updates
Nutrition Myths February 2010
February 19, 2010 Written by JPI’m going to end this week by engaging in some good ol’ fashioned mythbusting. Have you ever heard a doctor emphatically state that you should never combine nutritional supplements and conventional cancer treatment? How about all those so-called experts who tell you that eating lots of fat will put you on the fast track to chronic disease. Are they as right as they think they are? I’m sure many of you have been made to believe that skin care creams sold by dermatologists are more effective than those you can buy at your local supermarket or the cosmetics counter of your pharmacy. Let’s put that notion to the test. Finally, can we at least agree that chocolate is fattening? I mean come on! Everybody knows that! It’s time to reconsider what we’ve been taught and take a closer look at what the real scientists are actually trying to tell us. Read more »
Tags: Chocolate, Liver, Skin Care
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements | 11 Comments & Updates
Almond Pancake Recipe
February 18, 2010 Written by JPI always try to find new and inventive ways to improve the health of those I love. I keep this objective in mind whenever I scour the medical journals or surf the information superhighway. But, in all honesty, I have an even more specific agenda – to discover delicious, pleasurable and/or simple ways of promoting wellness in my family and friends. I simply despise having to tell them that they need to make difficult changes in order to achieve better health. Sometimes this an unavoidable fact of life. However, if there is any way for me to offer a kinder, gentler alternative that’s precisely what I’ll do. Read more »
Tags: Eggs, Gluten, Nuts
Posted in Diet and Weight Loss, Nutrition, Recipes | 17 Comments & Updates
Herbal Sleep Study Results
February 17, 2010 Written by JPThere’s an old joke that goes: “If you want to hear God laugh, make a plan”. In November I hatched a plan to conduct a pilot study on a traditional herbal tea. The objective of the preliminary, mini-trial was to determine whether an herbal blend known as SLP Tea could help promote better sleep quality in a handful of my readers. I didn’t hear any divine chuckles, but not everything turned out quite as I had hoped. Initially, I enrolled 6 volunteers into my experiment. 3 of the 6 were ultimately able to comply with all of the guidelines I set for the study.
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Tags: Lemon Balm, Sleep, Tea
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Nutritional Supplements, Product Reviews | 15 Comments & Updates
Good Bacteria Bad Bacteria
February 16, 2010 Written by JPLife may seem rather complicated when you look at all the moving pieces. Living in today’s world means that you must constantly be aware of cultural and environment considerations, governmental regulations and political issues, interpersonal relationships, religion and spiritual practices and technological advances. Ignoring any of these elements could spell trouble or otherwise put you at a disadvantage. But if it ever seems as if all of that is too much to handle, just remember that your brain is already overseeing a vastly more complex landscape every minute of every day – the incredibly intricate and magnificent machinery that resides within the body. It requires the utmost precision and skill to coordinate all of the disparate functions and physiological components that are absolutely vital in order to keep us alive and thriving. In most instances, the mind manages this enormous task seamlessly. Read more »
Tags: Liver, Pregnancy, Probiotics
Posted in Diabetes, Diet and Weight Loss, Food and Drink | 11 Comments & Updates
President’s Day Holiday
February 15, 2010 Written by JPDear Ladies and Gentleman,
I’ll be taking President’s Day off to be with family and friends. Please come back tomorrow for the latest information about how bacteria affect our lives for better or worse.
Be well!
JP
Posted in General Health | No Comments;
Isoflavone Research
February 13, 2010 Written by JPWithin every living flower, plant and seed there is a complex factory fast at work. The goods manufactured have one basic goal in mind – to ensure survival. In this way, human beings are quite similar to the inhabitants of the botanical world. But, when we think of ourselves, we tend to focus on the external characteristics or feelings and thoughts that we experience. Rarely do we contemplate the broad array of natural substances that travel through the bloodstream, reside in organs and otherwise populate the inner metropolis that is our physiology. That specific type of curiosity is almost exclusively the domain of physicians and scientists.
Tags: Bone and Joint Health, Prebiotics, Soy
Posted in Food and Drink, Men's Health, Women's Health | 10 Comments & Updates
Cranberry Heart Therapy
February 11, 2010 Written by JPHave you ever flipped through cable TV late at night and stopped at one of the stations that regularly features documentaries about UFOs or other supernatural phenomena? It doesn’t much matter whether you believe in the subject matter or not. What’s interesting about the programs is that they’ll often feature noted professors, scholars and even theologians who offer rather involved theories about how and why extraterrestrials or extra-sensory powers could be plausible. These intricate explanations often call upon historical records and even scientific principles to bolster credibility. Naturally there are always opposing experts who can and do dispute these controversial points of view. However the hashing out of information and/or the debate along the way can be rather fascinating. Read more »
Tags: Cranberries, Heart Health, Juice
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Heart Health | 16 Comments & Updates
Herbs for Bronchitis, High Cholesterol and Wrinkles
February 10, 2010 Written by JPIf you’ve ever listened to talk radio on the weekends then you’ve probably come across more than a few infomercials selling so-called “nutraceuticals”. Nutraceutical is a term that marries the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”. A common feature of these sales pitches is to offer a money back guarantee. This is an attempt to address the widespread skepticism of many people when hearing programs that pitch products that seem too good to be true.
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Tags: Ginger, Ginseng, Nausea, Skin Care
Posted in Heart Health, Nutritional Supplements, Women's Health | 11 Comments & Updates