There is an enormous gap between what we know and don’t know in the field of alternative and complementary medicine. Countless questions remain unanswered simply because there isn’t enough financing and resources to test in a scientific manner. That’s why it’s vitally important to put to use every last study that has been conducted. Because even the slightest of experiments can yield important clues that help bridge the knowledge gap. Read more »

Long before the advent of alarm clocks, the Sun served as mankind’s lone wake-up call. Conversely, when the dark hours of night rolled around it was an obvious reminder to rest and allow the body to recover from the active day that preceded. This was the logical pattern that served countless generations well, but that has largely been abandoned in modern times. While it’s impractical to try and reclaim this traditional sleep-wake cycle, it may be wise to inch closer to it in ways that fit our schedules. Read more »

I recently had two positive experiences while visiting a couple of allopathic physicians. The first occurred when my wife and I went in for our yearly physical, convenient because we both see the same doctor. After a thorough, “old school” examination he proclaimed, “You guys don’t really need me. You already know all the right things to do and you’re doing them”. That’s a bit of an overstatement, but it’s a clear example of his approach to medicine. This is a physician who doesn’t like to waste money or time – his or ours. A couple of weeks later we made a surprise visit to the emergency room. My wife took a nasty fall and hit her head on a steel beam. Needless to say, we fully expected that a CT scan would be required to rule out a concussion or worse. But once again, the doctor we saw opted for a more conservative approach. He explained that he prefers to use CT scans only when forced to by the presence of certain critical symptoms. He simply does not like to expose the brain to large doses of unnecessary radiation. Read more »

According to the National Institute of Mental Health almost 10% of the US adult population is living with a mood disorder. Approximately 15,000 million of these men and women carry the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. An additional 3 million adults are dealing with a milder form of chronic depression referred to as dysthymic disorder. (1) Read more »

Whenever possible, I like to turn the spotlight on alternative remedies to potentially dangerous medications. A class of drugs known as bisphophonates are best sellers in the senior population. Older women tend to be the primary recipients of prescriptions for Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax because they’re geared toward stemming the loss of bone density. My problem with bisphosphonates is the quality of bone they ultimately yield, which can be brittle, and their questionable side effect profile. Patients and physicians have reported instances of “acute influenza-like illness”, arterial fibrillation, esophageal irritation, gastrointestinal upset, musculoskeletal complaints and osteonecrosis (bone death) of the jaw that appear to be associated with long term use of these medications. (1,2,3)
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The first stop on today’s Twitter tour is a visit with Dr. Andrew Weil to get his two cents about the relative merits of honey as a sweetener. Then two new contributors to Twitter Thursday – Nancy Onyett, a certified family nurse practitioner, competitive bodybuilder and director of the Pyramid Preventative Medicine and Dr. Bill Yates, a Tulsa-based physician with a keen eye for interesting neuroscientific research. Finally, we’ll round out today’s column with some input from a few familiar Twitter sources: Neatorama and Dr. Wayne Dyer.
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Several years ago, I was working in the casting department at a major film and television company. On one particular day I was asked to pull some scenes from the film Pay it Forward (starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osmont) that would highlight the considerable acting skills of Mr. Spacey. While reviewing the film, I remember thinking that screenwriters sometime like to write young characters into their films because they can say things that older actors can’t. Take this line for instance: “I guess it’s hard for people who are so used to things the way they are – even if they’re bad – to change. ‘Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses”. As spoken by the young Haley Joel Osment, the dialog was effective. But even a great performer such as Kevin Spacey might have a hard time pulling off those lines without sounding corny. Read more »

Some alt-med experts are suspicious of mainstream medical publications such as the The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). They generally believe that such periodicals are firmly in the camp or even in the pocket of allopathic medicine. While there may be some truth to that, it’s also accurate to say that unbiased articles do occasionally appear in these same journals that are often criticized. Read the following quote and tell me if it sounds like it belongs in a publication whose primary purpose is to support the existing medical and pharmaceutical paradigm: “The current drug-labeling practice for adverse events is based on the implicit assumption that an accurate portrait of patients’ subjective experiences can be provided by clinicians’ documentation alone. Yet a substantial body of evidence contradicts this assumption, showing that clinicians systematically downgrade the severity of patients’ symptoms, that patients’ self-reports frequently capture side effects that clinicians miss, and that clinicians’ failure to note these symptoms results in the occurrence of preventable adverse events”. That quote is taken directly from a current analysis entitled, “The Missing Voice of Patients in Drug-Safety Reporting” which is presented in the March 10th online edition of the NEJM. Read more »

One of most common problems that writers have is a nagging inability to self edit. It may seem odd, but it’s much easier for many scribes to write articles, novels or screenplays that are too long rather than too short. When I compose my daily column, I find that I generally have an over abundance of information to share. Therefore, I need to carefully pick and choose among my source information. But even so, I still end up with blog entries that tend to be lengthier than desired. This is especially problematic because I very much want to provide clear and concise resources on this site. One possible solution I’m currently toying with is the use of occasional lists. Instead of writing columns that are comprised of densely constructed paragraphs, I’ll simply select 5 noteworthy studies or topics and briefly describe their relevance as I see it. Read more »

A few years ago I gave my wife a rather unconventional gift for the holidays. It was a book of “vouchers for lovers”. In it, there were coupons that could be redeemed whenever she chose. Some of the options included requests for “alone time”, “a big kiss”, “breakfast in bed”, “a candlelight dinner”, “a foot massage” and “a weekend getaway”. I don’t know who originally conceived of this idea, but I thought it was very clever. It seemed like an excellent way for couples to give a lot without necessarily having to spend a lot. 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 »

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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We all need reminders. There’s so much information to process these days that much of what we learn is often misplaced somewhere deep in the recesses of our minds. While scouring through my list of scientific resources, I was reminded of some previous topics that needed updating and perhaps more importantly, expanding. Many times I’ll focus on a specific function of a food, supplement or therapy. By revisiting these topics, I can paint a broader and more accurate picture of the full potential of these gifts that nature provides. Read more »

Physical strength isn’t just a characteristic of athleticism and youth. Rather, it’s something we rely on in order to live the type of lifestyle we choose. It’s not imperative that we look like bodybuilders on Muscle Beach or bikini models in a sports magazine. But, we all hope to have enough power in our muscles to take walks in the park, shop at a sprawling super market and to play catch with our grandchildren. Unfortunately, maintaining lean body mass as we age is not a given. For many, it requires actively railing against the course that nature has plotted. Read more »

News reports about the so called Novel H1N1 Swine Flu continue to roll in from around the world. On a daily basis, governmental agencies and medical specialists offer the best information they currently have about how to contain the spread of this pandemic. There’s no question that it’s important to keep up to date on the breaking news. But more and more, it appears that acting on a personal level is one the best options we have. I’m referring, specifically, to measures that we can each take to keep ourselves well. Staying healthy contributes to a grassroots effort to help minimize the impact of this virus. This is a way of applying the “think globally, act locally” philosophy to this worldwide health matter. Read more »

Many people throughout the world suffer from chronic pain. The exact locations of the symptoms and the causes of the discomfort vary widely. Determining the origin of inflammatory processes can often be elusive. Therefore, doctors and patients alike generally turn to powerful medications to alleviate physical suffering. This is, of course, understandable and sometimes necessary. But there is new research that may offer an innovative tool in the fight against many pain related conditions. It turns out that the answer may lie in a simple blood test, some added sunshine and an inexpensive nutrient known as vitamin D. Read more »