Any symptom the body presents is a form of communication. When it comes to hemorrhoids, the message being sent is typically two fold. First and foremost, anyone with hemorrhoids or at risk for them, ought to address the prevalent issue of constipation. If you strain during bowel movements, you’re encouraging the veins in the anus and rectum to swell. Do this frequently enough and hemorrhoids will most likely form. A lesser known contributor to hemorrhoids is poor circulation and vascular tone. All of these concerns can be addressed naturally.

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Back in the 1980′s, my childhood home came equipped with a sauna in the master bedroom. At the time, my parents didn’t consider sauna bathing to be a particularly healthful practice. In their minds, it was more of an elective activity from which some people derived pleasure and/or relaxation. As such, the wood lined sauna in our home was used exclusively as a make shift storage unit. However, over the past few decades a great deal of scientific research has been conducted on the health effects and risks associated with carefully controlled sauna exposure. A specific form, known as Waon Therapy, has recently been the subject of a considerable amount of positive attention.

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It’s estimated that more than 10% of men and women over the age of 50 have a chronic skin condition known as senile purpura. Even if the name isn’t familiar, the characteristic purplish bruises or lesions are easily recognizable. In many instances, physicians aren’t terribly concerned about senile purpura provided that potentially serious causes such as medication side effects and platelet abnormalities are ruled out. In general, it is believed that age related capillary fragility and thinning of the skin are the primary culprits of easy bruising. Fortunately, there are a number of dietary, supplemental and topical approaches one can take to address both of these risk factors.

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In the field of athletics, the term “performance enhancers” has taken on a negative connotation of late. The very mention of it frequently conjures up images of professional athletes “juicing up” on anabolic steroids or synthetic stimulants. Fortunately, in recent years, scientists have uncovered an all natural and much safer alternative that may just improve physical capacity and support cardiovascular health. According to several, peer-reviewed scientific studies, the solution may lie in the humble red beet (Beta vulgaris). Athletes who consume red beet juice, a rich source of naturally occurring antioxidants and nitrates, consistently find benefits in trial performance in a number of activities ranging from bicycling to knee-extensor exercises. The key to the greater stamina reported likely involves the ability of beet juice to improve circulation and increase peripheral tissue oxygenation. What’s more, beet root juice also supports cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, irregular blood clotting and, possibly, high triglycerides as well. If there is a down side to drinking red beet juice, it would be its high sugar content. The best way to derive the benefits of beet juice while limiting sugar intake is to supplement with beet root juice extracts or powders. For instance, one the most popular products on the market yields only 5 grams of sugar per concentrated tablespoon of beet juice powder. Finally, if you decide to try beet root juice and you find a distinct reddening when you use the bathroom, don’t worry. This is a well known reaction known as beeturia which affects approximately 14% of the population.

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Are you diabetic? I’m not. But I approach my health care as if I were and I think most people should as well. By this, I don’t mean that the majority of you should start popping medications that help manage blood sugar. Far from it. Why do that when you can most likely attain healthy glucose control via exercise, stress management and a whole food diet? That’s the game plan I advocate for most of my clients. However there’s more to supporting diabetic health than simply sustaining optimal blood sugar levels. One of the other pieces of the puzzle involves restoring oxidative balance within the body. Eating or supplementing with foods rich in antioxidants may very well reduce the risk of health threats that are commonly associated with adult-onset diabetes and beyond.
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I’ll be away on a business trip for the next couple weeks. I have some consulting work and research to conduct in Europe. While away, I plan to continue to post new content. However, you’ll notice a difference in the length of my road trip material. Some of my upcoming columns will be abbreviated because of my hectic itinerary and time constraints. But, when I return home, I hope to have some interesting anecdotes and information to share with you about my time abroad.
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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 »

Many years ago I attended a health conference where Dr. Julian Whitaker was giving the key note presentation. He mentioned that he was a strong believer in choosing at least one healthy habit and practicing it every day. In his case, Dr. Whitaker mentioned eating an apple once daily without fail. His reason for doing so was more than the obvious “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” philosophy. The broader point he was trying to make is that engaging in healthy lifestyle choices and/or eating nutritious food works best if we do it religiously. Sometimes having a specific goal in mind can assist us in doing just that. Read more »

When we go out with a group of friends, something kind of amusing often happens. During the course of the afternoon or evening, someone will pull me aside and bring up a health issue that they’ve read about or seen covered on the local news. “So what’s this I hear about coffee ‘curing’ diabetes?” “Is it okay to cook with extra virgin olive oil or should I just use it in salads?” “What’s the big deal about gluten?”. I love fielding these questions because it tests my knowledge and gives me a better idea of what kind of information is being spread over various media outlets. Read more »

There are some fairly obvious reasons why obesity is such a prevalent issue in the 21st century. Likewise, there are many predictable consequences that frequently befall those carrying around excess weight. However, there are also some modifiable risk factors that tend to fly under the mainstream media’s radar. It could be that these topics are just “too boring” or, perhaps, they’re deemed too specific for a mass audience. But the fact remains that being unaware of these threats can seriously endanger one’s health. Read more »

There are several stages in the time line of any disease. Even before any symptoms are evident, there are physiological forces at work in the body that eventually bubble to the surface. Take varicose veins, for example. If you have a genetic predisposition for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), you may not see the effects until well into adulthood. But that doesn’t mean that the forward march of this condition is inevitable and solely based on advancing age. If you understand the genetic blueprint that nature plans for you to follow, then you can proactively work to change that course. In the instance of CVI, this may be achieved by lifestyle modification and the selective use of nutritional supplements. Read more »

I found two new items today that made me feel quite hopeful. Anytime I find real evidence that a natural therapy can help manage a chronic health condition, it inspires hope in me, knowing that the alternative usually involves the use of long term medication or a surgical procedure of some sort. These two latter options carry a very real risk of unintended consequences (“side effects”). On the other hand, many natural options carry a very real possibility of “side benefits”. Read more »

Do you suffer from poor circulation? If you don’t, it’s almost certain that you know someone who does. Today I’m going to share some information about two natural approaches to improve the circulatory system. And the beautiful thing is that they’re completely free and won’t require you to take any pills. Read more »

Let’s go back in time ten years. It’s 1998 and you and I are playing a guessing game. The topic is: What will be the hottest health food in the year 2008? I’m not sure what I would have guessed. But I’m fairly confident that neither of us would have guessed that food would be chocolate. Read more »