The topic of breastfeeding and infant formula has been on my mind lately. Perhaps it’s because a colleague and friend recently had a baby. My brother-in-law and his wife are also expecting. With all of the contradictory information out there about prenatal nutrition, I wonder how they and other parents-to-be decide on what’s best for the babies. Thankfully, it seems that at least one area of prenatal care isn’t widely contested – breastfeeding. If a mother is healthy and capable of providing adequate breast milk, it is generally considered the optimal source of nourishment. But much like infant formula, the quality of breast milk is largely dependent upon what ingredients it contains. This is why what a mother eats and supplements with during pregnancy and while breastfeeding is vitally important. My Healthy Monday tip of the week is for expectant mothers to discuss essential fatty acid supplementation with their physicians.
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Traveling can be be a lot of fun but it can also be challenging if you’re on a prescribed diet or wellness routine. Mrs. Healthy Fellow and I were reminded of this when we spent this past July in Martha’s Vineyard. Today I’m going tell you about a few of the strategies we personally employed and also give you an idea about what kinds of foods we ate while away from home. If we can manage to stay true to our health objectives while on the road, so can you. Read more »

Many of the things that improve the quality of life aren’t served on a dinner plate or taken in a pill form. But you’d never know that by visiting most doctors’ offices or reading the majority of medical journals. Then again, there is a great deal of wisdom that often bypasses both of those educational clearing houses. My hope is that the same pattern won’t befall this site. To that end, here are three compelling tweets from Dr. Mehmet Oz, Rick McGuire and Dr. Mary Dan Eades to enrich the quality of your days and nights.
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When it comes to herbal medicine, doctors and patients often share similar reservations. Among them is a question about the utility of natural remedies in a real world setting. They frequently doubt that the positive results found in animal and in-vitro (“test tube”) experiments will hold true in human subjects. Another area of skepticism has to do with the breadth of activity that many dietary supplements claim to possess. For instance, how is it possible that an herbal extract can improve seemingly disparate health conditions? It might surprise you to know that I sympathize with both of these points of view, but only up to a point. When there’s evidence that some natural remedies do, in fact, benefit human beings and support a variety of systems in the body, that data needs to be reckoned with and acknowledged. Read more »

In the late 1990′s I was working as a health food store consultant. I would advise the buyers and owners of health food stores about which types of supplements I thought were safest and most effective. On occasion I’d find myself in the middle of “rush hour”, when the health food store staff was outnumbered by patrons. This gave me an opportunity to work with customers in a more direct fashion. In addition, it allowed me to converse with individuals about what worked and didn’t in the personal application of natural remedies. I vividly recall one instance when I approached an older lady who was comparing labels in the protein powder isle of a family owned store. I offered some information and suggestions but also posed a few questions. Out of that exchange, I learned about an interesting ingredient that she always used when making protein shakes – avocado. Instead of using cream or milk in her blends, she used cold water, ice and a whole avocado. This gave her a dairy-free alternative that was rich in potassium and helped manage her borderline-high blood sugar and hypertension. Read more »

It’s hard to imagine any community that isn’t profoundly touched by addictive and/or compulsive disorders. The specific behaviors and substances involved vary but the end results are predictably ruinous, unless an effective intervention takes place. Alternative therapies are rarely used as primary treatment options for serious addictions which frequently lead to incarceration or permanent health consequences. However, a relatively new string of scientific studies do point to the utility of complementary approaches as an adjunct to conventional treatment. My Healthy Monday tip of the week is to consider mind-body techniques and natural remedies as part of a holistic treatment regime for addictions and compulsive behavior. Read more »