Several weeks ago I was in the midst of one of the most stressful periods in my life. My wife and I were preparing for two moves (ours and my mother-in-law’s), while renovating an old townhouse that we all moved into together. Lots of changes, financial concerns and long days with a seemingly never-ending string of problems that needed solutions. In addition to the obvious stress of the circumstances, there were also many environmental insults (infuriated neighbors, earsplitting construction noise, endless dust, dirt, fumes, etc.). And, as a result, my diet wasn’t as “clean” as it normally is. A little more wine, some foods containing gluten and, generally speaking, a higher carbohydrate count were some of the highlights or lowlights of this recent period. Consequently, I began to notice an “angry” rash on my neck. It was inflamed, itchy, red and began to spread to my arms, chest and face. The severity of the rash worsened by the day. The next several weeks were downright miserable.

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A few weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast about natural skin care. One of the callers inquired about products featuring sea buckthorn. “What is sea buckthorn anyway? Is it a seaweed? How is it different than krill oil?”. Whenever I hear this sort of exchange, whether in a health food store or on TV, I have an impulse to interject and answer the question myself. I guess it’s an impulse still with me from my days working as a health food store consultant. I always loved answering questions posed by customers and employees alike. That enthusiasm and passion to share information about natural medicine remains within me. These days, I just have a different venue for sharing what I know.

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Every so often I’ll encounter a client who isn’t open to the possibility of changing his diet and/or incorporating nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes into his daily routine. At first thought you might wonder “What’s left to recommend?”. I like to treat situations such as this as a puzzle. Certain pieces clearly don’t fit. But if someone comes to me asking for help, I have to assume they’re at least willing to consider my advice. He might even adopt my suggestions, if I respect his wishes and find the right fit for him (or her). Laughter therapy is a treatment modality that frequently falls into this category.
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The term “alternative medicine” can be somewhat misleading. If you combine it with the word “complementary”, as in “alternative and complementary medicine”, the meaning becomes considerably more accurate. But even that string of words doesn’t fully convey the essence of holistic healing. The missing link can be summed up in three syllables: pre-ven-tive. It doesn’t sound very snappy, but the phrase “alternative, complementary and preventive medicine” does a fine job of encompassing what natural healing is all about. Read more »

One of the hardest “sells” in natural medicine is demonstrating that there can be substantive differences between products that seem similar. Many years ago a skeptical customer was discussing a supplement with an employee at a health food store. At that time, I was a consultant who assisted the owner of that establishment to choose which lines and products to stock. I overheard the conversation and decided to try to help out. The position of the customer was that all echinacea products should be comparably priced. His view was that they all came from the same plant, the same soil, the same planet and therefore should reflect that in their price point. My first approach was to provide details about the specific differences between the brands he was considering – variable concentrations of active ingredients, flower vs. root extracts, the scientific research conducted on certain products, etc. I was unable to sway him with that data. So I tried a different tactic. I asked, “Is it reasonable to pay the same amount for a brand new BMW as you would a used Honda Civic?” “Of course not”, he scoffed. I continued, “Why not? They’re both made with similar materials. They both have four tires and a steering wheel. You can use both cars to get to where you want to go.” Read more »

One of the more difficult things for a parent to endure is seeing a child suffer from a chronic condition. It’s especially hard if the condition affects the skin, which often attracts unwanted attention and can cause psychological distress as well.

Eczema is one of the most common skin disorders in young children and some adults. It may affect as many as 20% of children in the USA. Eczema is defined by an irritation and swelling of the skin that frequently involves extreme dryness and itchiness.
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Part of the reason I started this blog was to share observations that I’ve stumbled across in my personal life. In general I’ve been pretty fortunate in enjoying relative good health. But I’ve had my share of medical bumps along the road just like anyone else. One such event occurred last year when I had a rather severe inflammatory skin condition (a supposed combination of eczema and psoriasis). I went to see both conventional and holistic doctors and really wasn’t satisfied with the treatment plans that either of them laid out for me. Read more »