Posts Tagged ‘Ginger’

Lemon Gingerade Recipe

August 10, 2015 Written by JP

The inspiration for today’s healing elixir is the “dog days” of summer. It’s been hot, muggy and, some refreshment is definitely in order! But, there’s a twist to this recipe: it can be tweaked ever so slightly to make it into a warm, soothing beverage for the frosty days of winter as well.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Recipes | 14 Comments & Updates

Protect Your Colon Part Two

December 11, 2014 Written by JP

There is often disagreement about the safety and validity of medical tests in the holistic, health community. Perhaps the best examples are the use of mammography to detect breast cancer and the PSA blood test to ferret out prostate cancer. However, colonoscopies tend to be less controversial for a number of reasons. Firstly, there really isn’t any alternative, stand alone test currently available. Secondly, the documented benefits of colonoscopies far outweigh the low risk of significant side effects. Lastly, as I stated in part one of this column, colonoscopies not only detect potential malignancies, they also remove questionable growths while still benign. For these reasons, integrative health experts such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Stephen Sinatra endorse this particular test.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Nutritional Supplements | 13 Comments & Updates

Prescription 2014: Lowering HbA1C Naturally

April 1, 2014 Written by JP

Recently, I saw an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times for a popular medication used to lower hemoglobin A1C, a long-term measure of blood sugar. The ad reads, “If you have type 2 diabetes, your A1C number may be going in the wrong direction. To help change it, ask your doctor if adding Tradjenta may be right for you”. Of course, if you read on you’ll also notice warnings about possible side effects, including cough, diarrhea, potentially life threatening inflammation of the pancreas, runny nose and sore throat. Still, lowering high blood sugar is a valuable endeavor for diabetics and pre-diabetics alike. So, what to do? To answer that question, here are a few suggestions by Dr. Richard Bernstein, a pioneering maverick in the field of integrative-diabetes care, and current studies from the medical literature.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Diabetes, Food and Drink | 24 Comments & Updates

Medicinal Seasonings

February 21, 2014 Written by JP

Certain herbs and spices are widely acknowledged as possessing medicinal properties. Common examples include cinnamon extracts, echinacea tea and turmeric formulas standardized for curcuminoids. Others such as basil, coriander, dill, ginger and rosemary are primarily thought of as means of adding complexity to international recipes. And, while that is undeniably the case, it is not a complete representation of their potential.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Mental Health | 3 Comments & Updates

Super Salad Smoothie Recipe

February 10, 2014 Written by JP

During my recent health crisis, I began looking into new ways of getting more fresh fruits and vegetables into my daily diet. One option that immediately came to mind was eating salad. This isn’t my favorite way of enjoying vegetables, but, admittedly, it is a healthy and practical way to eat more of them. After a few days of having salad after salad, I began to wonder: Could I get more nutrition from similar ingredients if I blended them up? A crazy idea, I know. However, in theory, the end result could be something like a combination of a salad and soup. In practice, it became known as my “Super Salad Smoothie”.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Nutrition, Recipes | 7 Comments & Updates

Healthier Ice Cubes

November 8, 2012 Written by JP

One of the keys to improving your diet is looking for practical ways to increase your intake of health promoting nutrients and phytochemicals. Ice cubes may seem like an unlikely way to further this cause, but that all depends on what you use to make ice cubes. By using coconut water or ginger and hibiscus tea, you can transform conventional ice cubes into flavorful and healthful additions to common beverages such as lemonade and mineral water.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Nutrition | 9 Comments & Updates

Salad Science

November 14, 2011 Written by JP

I rarely eat salads at home or at restaurants. I have all kinds of excuses as to why this is so. I tell myself that salad dressings are usually loaded with preservatives, sugar and other undesirable ingredients. When dining out, I convince myself that the ubiquitous iceberg lettuce isn’t nutritious enough to merit several minutes of chewing. I even worry about getting tiny pieces of salad stuck in my front teeth and not knowing it until dinner, often with clients, colleagues or friends, is over! But, recently a friend who happens to be a salad fanatic inspired me to take another look at the science behind salads. What I found has, at long last, convinced me that salad lovers may have been right all along.

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Posted in Diet and Weight Loss, Food and Drink, Nutrition | 11 Comments & Updates

Ginger, Green Tea and Cancer

August 29, 2011 Written by JP

A few of my favorite “herbs”, Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Camellia sinesis (green tea), have recently received positive attention in the medical literature with regard to cancer. For starters, two studies published in 2011 have confirmed the efficacy of ginger root in minimizing chemotherapy-induced nausea. A third, and much more surprising trial, reports that “whole ginger extract” possesses potent prostate cancer (PC) fighting activity. This intriguing discovery is based on an in vitro and in vivo experiment conducted in an animal model of PC. Arguably, green tea has an even more impressive track record as a proposed natural chemopreventive agent. Some of the research has examined green tea as a stand alone remedy. Other inquires have tested it in combination with various natural substances such as curcumin and the trace mineral selenium.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Nutritional Supplements | 10 Comments & Updates

Ginger Cookie Recipe

January 4, 2011 Written by JP

New Year’s Day is a time when many people vow to make healthy changes in their diets. Reducing sugar intake frequently tops this to-do list. Beginning the process of dietary change with resolve goes a long way toward accomplishing this end. But for long term success, you’ll also need to plan ahead and pool together as many resources as possible. For instance, how are you going to react when you encounter your first, second or fiftieth craving for something sweet? Will you call upon your inner strength or join a support group to get you through? These are options that work well for some people. Another way to go is to opt for a similar type of treat that adheres to your new nutritional guidelines. In my experience, a combination of these and other strategies usually works best. Read more »


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Posted in Food and Drink, Nutrition, Recipes | 7 Comments & Updates

Herbal Tea Revolution

June 21, 2010 Written by JP

It’s not uncommon for me to have a glass of biodynamic or organic red wine with my evening meal. As I was planning dinner last night, I got to thinking about why I enjoy wine and also about the rather substantial number of people who can’t or choose not to include alcohol in their lives. That thought process lead me to a decision to brew a cup of chamomile tea instead of having my usual glass of Pinot Noir. I remembered a study from last year that described the anti-anxiety properties of chamomile. So I wondered whether this herbal brew could provide a similar soothing effect as I’d come to expect from wine. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did. This experience is the basis for my Healthy Monday tip of the week: Drink more herbal tea! (1) Read more »


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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Heart Health | 8 Comments & Updates

Herbs for Bronchitis, High Cholesterol and Wrinkles

February 10, 2010 Written by JP

If 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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Posted in Heart Health, Nutritional Supplements, Women's Health | 11 Comments & Updates

Ginger Root Power

June 1, 2009 Written by JP

It’s part of human nature to overlook the potential of very “ordinary” things and instead seek out more exotic solutions to problems in our lives. This is very often the case in the field of natural medicine. We’re far more likely to hear about a new “superfruit” from a remote location than to read about similarly impressive features found in items available at the local supermarket. I can think of no better example of this than in the case of Zingiber Officinale, otherwise known as ginger root.
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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Nutritional Supplements, Women's Health | 21 Comments & Updates

Hot Drinks for Colds

December 10, 2008 Written by JP

Sometimes the best remedies are the simplest remedies. Today’s topic is certainly an illustration of just that.

There’s a special center at Cardiff University that focuses on all things related to the common cold. Earlier today, The Common Cold Centre released a statement touting the benefits of drinking hot drinks. Hot drinks? Yes, hot drinks! Read more »


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Posted in Food and Drink | 4 Comments & Updates