Each day we are challenged to live up to our highest potential. These tests can be as basic as the thoughts upon which we choose to focus or as profound as life and death decisions such as whether or not to quit smoking. One of the issues that I’ve tried to work on over the years is to refrain from comparing myself to others. I’d like to say that I came to this realization after years of careful contemplation and devout study of the most sacred spiritual texts. But, in reality, I attribute this shift of thinking to a rerun of an old television sitcom. Many years ago, I fell asleep watching TV. I awoke at about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and I recall seeing a few moments from an episode of M*A*S*H. The scene involved an older, wiser character (Colonel Potter, played by Harry Morgan) giving some sage advice to a younger, wilder surgeon under his command (”Hawkeye” Pierce, played by Alan Alda): “The only person you need to compare yourself to is who you have been. And the only person you need be better than is who you are now”. To this day, I don’t know whether I actually heard that wisdom or conjured it up in the fog of my sleepy head. Read more »

It’s difficult to conceive of any circumstance in which you’d purposefully eat the bark of a tree. Fruit from a tree, sure. Seeds? Possibly. Leaves? That might be pushing things a bit, but still plausible. But tree bark?! Technically, you can eat some varieties of tree bark in a survival situation. But I think most people would need to be in pretty dire straits to resort to that last ditch option. Fortunately for us all, a select group of scientists have been studying the health benefits of a specific tree bark in an attempt to derive a natural medicine from it. I’m pleased to report that their promising research now allows mankind to benefit from the goodness of tree bark by swallowing a pill rather than chewing on “tree skin”.
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It’s interesting how certain aspects of the past are glamorized while others are considered “dated”. We can easily find examples in the worlds of architecture, fashion, slang/speech and transportation. The same is true of the history of nutrition. Particular foods and beverages, such as a midday tea or a bowl of stewed prunes, are generally associated with a period that’s time has long passed. Read more »

Very few health conditions are brought about by genetic factors alone. Some people may be prone to elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity or type 2 diabetes. But it’s extremely uncommon that such health concerns are solely influenced by a familial predisposition. More often than not these conditions are influenced by diet and lifestyle choices that are less than optimal. A pertinent analogy for this might be that genes are like a field. If you eat well, exercise regularly, practice stress reduction and supplement wisely, you will, in effect, encourage lush green plant life to grow. However, if you don’t take proper care of yourself, the field will become dry and lifeless. When ash or a spark comes drifting your way, which type of a field would you rather be? Read more »

Last week I described how Vitamin D was quickly becoming a major player in the landscape of modern medicine. Green tea is likewise gaining popularity in the medical literature. Exploring the benefits of Camellia sinensis provides a rather unique opportunity. Millions upon millions of people drink this beverage on a daily basis. This affords researchers fertile ground upon which they can conduct large population studies, in addition to more controlled experiments. Read more »

If you took a poll that asked people to identify the most popular vitamin in the world, you’d likely find that Vitamin C tops the list. But if you posed that same question to researchers who are currently conducting scientific studies, their answer would almost certainly be Vitamin D - and I’m not just referring to researchers in the field of nutritional science. Specialists from all over the medical map are expressing an interest in the role that the “sunshine vitamin” may play in conditions ranging from asthma to cardiovascular disease to diabetes, and even lesser known conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). These days, the scientific literature is simply lit up with references to ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3).
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In life and in medicine we tend to categorize as a way of simplifying things. But every so often we learn something new about a medical technique that genuinely surprises us. Take the Mediterranean diet for instance. Doctors and patients throughout the world associate this way of eating with cardiovascular benefits. It’s the “heart healthy” diet. This view is both accurate and incomplete. Read more »

Improving personal health and the health of our communities, countries and the world at large can take place one small step at a time. I was thinking about this the other day and I wondered whether there was a simple change that I could implement and suggest in order to do my part. Pretty much everywhere I go, I see people of all kinds drinking soda. The drinks range from high-calorie to no-calorie, loaded with caffeine or caffeine-free and artificially or naturally flavored. Some of the fizzy pop is as clear as water while other varieties are chemically enhanced to produce any color of the rainbow and beyond. But the one thing that these beverages have in common is that they always contains some questionable ingredients and virtually never provide any nutritional content. In my opinion, a health promoting alternative to such popular drinks is long overdue.
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It’s a happy occasion when I can recommend something that is not only genuinely health promoting, but also pleasurable and simple to enact. Too often, eating a healthy diet can seem complicated and, even worse, not very enjoyable. When we remove all the “bad” things from our diets, sometimes a void is left. One solution is to turn up the volume on flavor by incorporating natural seasonings that are actually good for you. Adding fresh (or even dried) herbs and spices is one of best ways to increase levels of protective antioxidants in our daily routine. There’s also a little known secret contained in many of these savory plants: they’re actually powerful “phytomedicinals” (plant medicines) in disguise. Read more »

The fruit of the tree is what first catches the eye. Then the mind begins to anticipate the satisfyingly sweet flavor and fragrant scent that is unique to fresh ripened fruit. However, it’s pretty rare that we ponder the intrinsic value of the other parts of bushes, plants and trees. Without leaves, roots and stems there would obviously be no fruit to bear, but that’s about as much consideration as most non-botanists give to this topic. Fortunately, research scientists are a different breed. They look at the same tree and wonder about the chemical make up of all the inedible parts. They understand that the next big breakthrough in the management of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or virtually any health condition may be found in the less conspicuous regions of the natural world. Read more »

Salvia hispanica isn’t exactly a household name. But when it’s referred to as “chia seeds”, the recognition factor increases substantially. In prior decades, that coupling of words would bring to mind a novelty item that would grow into a Chia Pet. However these days, Salvia hispanica is more likely to be mentioned at your local health food store. It turns out that the seeds of chia are noteworthy for being more than just a gag gift. Read more »

Sometimes we need to look back to the distant past in order to create a better future. This certainly seems to be the case in terms of dietary choices. A relatively unpublicized, but growing body of research is telling us that so called “primal eating” may be healthier than the most common diets adopted by modern man. It’s hard for some people to accept that “cave men” could possibly have figured out a better way of eating than modern nutritionists and physicians. But as is often the case, it’s not simply a matter of intellect or lack thereof. Rather, it’s an issue of man respecting the laws of nature. If we can manage to combine the intrinsic knowledge of our predecessors with the discoveries of 21st century science, then we can truly benefit from the best of both worlds. Read more »

One of my primary goals for this site is to provide practical and topical information that can be incorporated into daily life. The following research has all been published within the past seven months. 2009 may ultimately be considered the “year of the nut” thanks to the extensive coverage that science is devoting to this humble snack food. By looking at the current batch of studies and data collected over the last few decades, it’s become abundantly clear that regular nut consumption can help address some of the biggest health crises facing our society, namely diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The best news of all is that every one of us can easily adjust our diets to derive all of the benefits that nuts have to offer. 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 »