Doctors have written about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) for more than 100 years, but it took the emergence of computer keyboards for the condition to achieve national prominence. In fact, any activity that constantly strains the wrist, from guitar playing to rowing, from assembly line work to knitting, can bring it on. Sometimes, however, carpal tunnel syndrome can begin without any apparent cause at all. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually starts as repeated local irritations swell the tendons and ligaments in the wrist. This then compresses the median nerve, which passes through a “tunnel” from the forearm to the hand. The combination of the inflamed tendons and the squeezed median nerve are responsible for the pain, tingling, numbness and weakness of the thumb and index and middle fingers characteristic of CTS. In addition, any of the following have been associated with this painful condition: an underactive thyroid, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), birth control pills, and menopause.
Although conventional medicine can be very helpful, I believe one of its options, namely surgery, should be the last resort. As many physicians are unaware of alternative therapies, let’s see if our WholeHealth Chicago suggestions can help keep you out of the operating room. No guarantees, of course, but nothing ventured . . .
Category: C
Cancer Prevention
Every person on the planet fears getting cancer (and believe me, doctors are just as frightened as everyone else). But in a very dramatic way, we have made one major advance against cancer: We know, in many cases, how to prevent it. Actually, we really don’t have a way to prevent all types of cancers (yet!), but we’ve made great strides with specific cancers, most especially lung, colon, and skin cancers, all of which can be avoided to a great extent. Experts now think that lifestyle choices contribute to about 75% of all cancer cases. Here at WholeHealth Chicago, you will find general guidelines for avoiding all cancers, from getting regular screening exams that make early detection possible to increasing your intake of cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Canker Sores
You usually get your first one as a kid and you can’t believe it. How can anything so small hurt so much? As an occasional sufferer myself, I’m convinced there’s a canker sore demon haunting our lives, maybe sitting at a computer somewhere, waiting to catch us off guard. Press the “Enter” button and, Oh!…Ouch! Then, depending where it’s landed, and unable to kiss (or eat or smile), I mutter pearls of wisdom like, “Doctors can transplant a liver, but they can’t cure a canker sore.” This is all the more exasperating when you’re a doctor yourself. Well, actually, the integrative approach we use at WholeHealth Chicago has helped me quite a bit. And although I can neither transplant your liver nor fully cure your canker sore, let me share with you what has worked for us.
Candida Overgrowth Syndrome
At least once a week, a patient comes in, saying, “You’re the fourth [or seventh or tenth] doctor I’ve seen. I feel simply terrible but am always told that my tests are normal, and there’s nothing wrong with me. Recently I read about yeast overgrowth, and the symptoms seem to fit my case exactly. The doctors, however, all tell me there’s no such illness.”
Cancer
You learn the diagnosis and your life is never the same. If you want to do as well as possible with the diagnosis of cancer, let me offer this advice: Drop the “victim” mentality immediately. More people are surviving cancer–and thriving thereafter–than ever before. Then, take charge of everything.
Your Bones Need More Than Calcium
Click here for the Health Tip link. Most people know that calcium supplements are recommended for healthy bones. If you’re really up on the latest data, you’re also adding a good dose of vitamin D3 and magnesium to the mix. However, bones are living tissue and require many other nutrients as well to maintain a […]
Crestor: To Take or Not To Take
Click here for the Health Tip link. When drug research like the recent Crestor study makes headlines in the Chicago Sun-Times and the national media, I know I’ll be fielding questions from patients. The very day after the Crestor study, in fact, the perky Crestor drug reps arrived in my office, barely able to contain […]
Why I Dislike Drug Companies
If you’ve been reading this series, you already have an inkling that your health, your most precious possession, is being compromised by tacit collusion among the pharmaceutical industry, government, medical profession, and health insurance industry. Most prescription medications are prescribed unnecessarily, and you have the power to stop, or avoid altogether, some of the most […]
Q&A: Citicholine and the Aging Brain
Q I saw an article in our local paper on citicoline, which they called a natural substance found in all living things. The article said taking citicholine as a supplement could boost the power of aging brains. Is this true? Also, what exactly is it?
Melatonin for Mild Cognitive Impairment
I doubt the subscription list of the Journal of Pineal Research is significantly beyond the high two digits, but it did contain the following nugget.
Q&A: Chiropractor for Son’s Back Pain
Click here for the original post. Q: My 12-year-old son is really into sports. Josh wrenched his back playing soccer last week and still has some pain, though it’s milder with the ibuprofen I gave him. I’ve been treated very successfully by a chiropractor for my own back pain and was wondering if you thought […]
Q&A: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Click here for the original post. Q: I wanted to ask your opinion on the recent research that shows drinking even moderately can raise a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer by 30 percent. I enjoy my nightly wine, and this new information really has me wondering. A: When you’ve been in practice as long […]
Cranial Electrostimulation
Several months go, I was reading the on-line bulletin of the Rush Medical Center here in Chicago when my eye caught an article about Rush psychiatrists enrolling patients into a trial of a non-medical therapy for depression and anxiety. They were especially seeking patients who were either medication-resistant or had experienced too many medication side effects.
Q&A: Complex Carbohydrates
Q: Would you review again why we should eat complex carbohydrates and define what they are? Thank you.
Fast Food Favorites: Chickpeas
Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans–read more about them here) are a potential meal in a can. Plus, they’re one of the truly good carbohydrates. Because they’re taken up slowly and steadily by your body, they have a stabilizing effect your blood sugar and your mood, keeping you energized and elevating your feel-good serotonin.
Can You Lower Cholesterol with Supplements?
The answer, like many of my courageous medical comments, is a firm “It depends…”
Most of my patients aren’t thrilled when I reach for a prescription pad, especially when it’s for a drug they might have to take for the rest of their lives. Consider also the dollar signs that appear in the eyes of pharmaceutical industry executives if you are, say, 40 years old and your doctor writes you a Lipitor prescription to lower your bad cholesterol. If you live to be 80, over your life span you’ll be spending about $50,000 on this drug.
Your Colonoscopy
Yes, yours.
If you’re under 50, you have my blessing to press the DELETE button and move on to your next message. Readers in their mid-40s might want to keep reading. Your time is coming.
Cancer Prevention Clip ‘n Save
This month’s issue of the International Journal of Cancer published a report from the Leicester Royal Infirmary in which researchers actually tracked the cancer prevention benefits of certain foods. They were interested in a specific group I’ve mentioned in these Health Tips several times: polyphenols, like those found in green tea.
The Night Shift and Breast Cancer
For years, doctors have puzzled over why women who work the night shift are more likely to get breast cancer. Now they think they’ve come up with an explanation, and it has to do with melatonin–the same melatonin sold to promote sleep.
Preventing Cancer with One Good Choice
You can prevent cancer by eating more vegetables, and specifically more cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
More than half of all cancers in US adults are likely caused by poor diet, and many others develop because we’re exposed to a gruesome soup of environmental toxins in our food, air, and water.