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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I’m entirely open to seeing a doctor and having appropriate medical tests conducted. I’m even willing to judiciously use medication if it’s truly warranted. But there are many conditions that effect quality of life without threatening mortality. These are the types of health concerns that are often best addressed by natural means. A good example is a common problem that afflicts a large segment of the adolescent population. Acne vulgaris is a skin condition that’s a major cause of both physical and psychological harm. It just so happens that there is an all natural, inexpensive and safe treatment plan that may help abate the suffering. Read more »

A few months ago I wrote a column about a relatively obscure sweetener known as luo han guo. It was of interest to me because it’s a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that doesn’t appear to impact blood sugar levels and may even possess some health promoting properties. The real question in my mind was how luo han guo compared to another similar sweetener called stevia. To that end, I did some very basic blood sugar testing on myself in order to compare how luo han guo and stevia affected me.
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The concept that aging inevitably brings about negative changes in our bodies and minds is widespread. Many people simply accept the “fact” that the physical body will weaken, eyesight will become blurry and the brain will no longer cooperate like it used to. To that I say: fight it! Accept what can’t be changed, but do whatever is possible to improve the things that are pliable. For example, we can and should adopt a philosophy that an aging brain can learn new tricks. Read more »

The world of nutrition was rocked this past week by a seemingly innocuous little study. It came in the form of a scientific presentation by Professor Bart Hoebel from the Princeton Department of Psychology. Dr. Hoebel and his team, which included members from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, revealed findings that suggest that sugar can indeed be addictive. Read more »